The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) hosted transportation stakeholders Thursday for the spring meeting of the Wisconsin Non-Driver Advisory Committee (WiNDAC). WiNDAC meets twice year to discuss transportation needs for the population of Wisconsinites who don’t drive.
The latest meeting highlighted WisDOT’s non-driver mapping tool. The interactive map produces estimates of non-drivers in Wisconsin communities to help state and regional planners, municipal officials, and mobility providers as they prepare for transportation improvement projects.
The map uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology to allow users to zoom in and out, add data layers, print and export maps, sort and filter data, and perform other actions. Feedback provided by stakeholders at the meeting will be considered as WisDOT looks at potential updates to improve the non-driver mapping resource.
“The non-driver mapping tool increases our understanding of where non-drivers are living in Wisconsin, to help us make our work more inclusive of all transportation system users in the state,” WisDOT’s Division of Budget and Strategic Initiatives Administrator and WiNDAC co-chair Lea Collins-Worachek said. “It’s important that project planners are considering the perspective of non-drivers at the start of every improvement project, to ensure their needs are not left behind in the planning process.”
Non-drivers make up almost a third of Wisconsin’s population and are located across the state, in both urban and rural areas. Non-drivers include aging adults, students, children, low-income individuals, people with disabilities and those who prefer not to drive. Many face barriers getting to work, school, appointments and other daily needs.
WiNDAC works to identify those barriers for non-drivers and develops recommendations to improve mobility in all modes of transportation. Members include advocacy groups, stakeholder transportation associations, mobility service providers, academia, state and local government, legislators and the Federal Highway Administration.
Visit the WisDOT non-driver webpage for more information on non-drivers in Wisconsin and learn more about WisDOT’s GIS program at the WisDOT Maps site.
