This project is a technology transfer effort focused on implementation assistance for methodologies, data, and concepts developed in RP 2021-17: Enhancing the Strategic Prioritization Process with Socioeconomic Geospatial Analysis. In response to interest from the Prioritization Workgroup in assessing and potentially improving how the accessibility benefits of bicycle and pedestrian (“bike/ped”) project to points of interest are measured in the North Carolina State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), a project focused on examining the topic was commissioned. Over five sessions in 2023 and 2024, a research team met with several Prioritization Workgroup members called the Accessibility Strike Team and discussed the opportunities and challenges of the Points of Interest (POI) measure for assessing accessibility benefits of bike/ped projects as part of the State Transportation Improvement Program. This effort included a review of accessibility concepts and common POI-based accessibility measures used by peer agencies around the country. These efforts resulted in the identification of opportunities to adapt the way accessibility is measured in the STIP, associated methods that could be applied, and areas that could benefit from future research.
