The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) recently launched a geographic information system (GIS) to assist policymakers, transportation planners, and mobility providers align transportation resources with underserved populations statewide.
In Wisconsin, more than 1 million people do not drive. Most are low-income individuals, individuals with disabilities, seniors, and young people.
The Non-Driver ArcGIS Online Application will enable state and local decision-makers to identify hotspots of underserved and unserved non-drivers. Users will have access to census and Department of Motor Vehicles data and can view estimates of how many non-drivers live in a given county, municipality, or census area.
“Because our transportation system has historically been designed around private automobiles, not having access to a car can make it very challenging to get to work and school, to get medical care and meet the other needs of daily life,” WisDOT Secretary Craig Thompson said. “To better meet the needs of non-drivers, we have to understand where they live and what mobility resources they can access, and that’s what this tool will help policymakers do.”
The tool is available on the department’s website. It has the support of the Wisconsin Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired, the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities, and the Wisconsin Non-Driver Advisory Committee.