TU Dublin researchers receive funding to develop walkability app

Padraig Conlon 19 Oct 2020

RESEARCHERS AT a Dublin university have received funding to develop an app about walking in Dublin city.

Researchers at Technological University Dublin and Walk21 International have received funding from the Alstom Foundation to develop a Walkability Auditing App, which will ask women to share their perceptions of walking in Dublin City to help understand its impact on their transport choices.

The project will focus specifically on women that work and live in the vicinity of the Luas green line extension launched in 2017 to help understand the impact of the environment on their transport mode choices.

The application was supported by Dublin City Council, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, the Irish Pedestrian Network and the Sustainable Urban Development Centre in the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, which will all play an active role in the project.

Speaking about the project, Dr Lorriaine D’Arcy, Senior Lecturer and Co-Chair of MSc in Sustainable Transport and Mobility at TU Dublin, said:

“The information collected by the project will be used to develop a tool that will help people map the deficiencies and positives of walking in Dublin,” she said.

“The Irish government has committed to spending €1m per day on walking and cycling for the duration of their term, and a critical challenge for local authorities is the scarcity of baseline data on user experiences concerning Walkability.

“This tool, to be made available in January, will provide them with geo-located information of areas that require attention that can be translated into transformative actions, including changes to street infrastructure and the management of the public realm.”

 

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