Guest Commentator: Lex Powers, Strategic Planning Manager, SEPTA @SEPTA
What are some of the emerging innovations transforming transportation accessibility? And what impact will they have on our region?
SEPTA is hard at work on many projects that will transform transit service in Greater Philadelphia and help us win riders back during the pandemic. Thanks to our new strategic plan, SEPTA Forward, we’ve got a renewed focus on improving our services to meet changing rider needs and the customer experience to make sure everyone can use SEPTA easily on the first try. The SEPTA For All challenge, which invited innovators to submit ideas that use augmented reality technology to make transit more welcoming, comfortable, and accessible to people with disabilities, is one of these exciting projects.
SEPTA for All is a partnership between the City of Philadelphia and SEPTA and it complements SEPTA’s ongoing effort to improve signage system-wide. In September, we launched a series of recommendations for more accessible wayfinding, including new sign and map concepts, new uses of letters, colors, and numbers to simplify the navigation process with accessibility as the central theme. We’re now working with developer teams from around the country who are digging deep into our data feeds to see what solutions they can create.
What exactly do we mean when we say augmented reality? Well, the most well-known example is PokémonGo, which uses your smartphone’s camera to gather information about your surroundings and simulates a real-life game. But augmented reality isn’t just for games. The technology gives a person the ability to search their environment for information, provide location-specific directions or information, or even step-by-step directions as you navigate a space all combined with a view of the real world. This sort of tool would be helpful for anyone, but for a blind person, or someone looking for an elevator, or a non-English speaker, it could be the difference between being able to use transit or being shut out completely.
Accessibility must permeate all facets of environmental design, from signage to technology to the built environment. While SEPTA For All continues to move forward with refining the ideas, SEPTA is advancing major accessibility capital projects, like trolley modernization. So far, 25 of 28 Market-Frankford Line stations are now accessible, with many Broad Street Line stations slated for reconstruction over the next decade.
SEPTA knows that transit is for everyone, and so we must design for everyone. Through these initiatives, we’re all working together to realize that goal and move SEPTA Forward.
Through Recharge & Recover PHL, the Chamber is working to make Greater Philadelphia the healthiest and most livable region in the Northeast. This objective is part of five aspirations of Recharge & Recover PHL with the aim to support not only Greater Philadelphia’s recovery, but to also provide a means to differentiate our region for decades to come.
Upcoming Event
[Virtual] Smart Cities: Improving Philadelphia through Mobility Technology
Thursday, November 18, 2021 | 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Held via Zoom
Join a conversation among leaders at SEPTA, the City of Philadelphia, and other industry experts to learn how we can create the right digital infrastructure that enables smart solutions and development opportunities.
