What is Accessibility Planning?

• Accessibility is:
  - “.. the ease with which an individual can access services and facilities that he or she needs or desires.” 1
• Accessibility Planning is:
  - “.. a process that aims to promote social inclusion by helping people from disadvantaged groups or areas access jobs and essential services.” 2

1 Taken from DfT’s Accessibility Planning Guidance
2 Taken from the DfT Social Exclusion Unit’s report “Making the Connections”

Recent Developments

• A Central Government initiative:
  - Evidence led
  - Cross sector working

What is Accession?

• GIS based accessibility planning software
• Create, edit & manipulate PT & road networks
• Produces accessibility maps
• Journey time + geodemographics = accessibility reports
  - e.g. “ Number of households within 30 and 60 minutes of a hospital by public transport ”
• Fully multi-modal

Applications

• LTP2 mapping audits
• Travel Plans
• Transport Assessments
• Retail catchment analysis
• School & community transport
• Business relocation
• Public transport route planning
• Development control

Measuring Accessibility

• Skills
• Data
• Defining the parameters
• Interpretation
• Validation

Common Pitfalls

• The wrong Data:
  - Journey starting point
  - Road speed
  - Frequency or timetable PT?
  - Consistency
• Unsuitable Parameters:
  - Walking to stops
• Poor Interpretation of the results:
  - Do you know who lives there?
  - Where do the services go?