Where D.C.’s households are most underserved by transit, mapped

For the majority of households in Washington, D.C., they are well-served by transit, whether that be by bus or the Metro system. Even so, there are still gaps in the city that don’t meet the minimum benchmark for service in a comparable area. According to the Gap Finder tool from the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT), 25.2 percent of households in the District are underserved by transit. In order to meet minimum standards, the average wait time for transit in these neighborhoods would need to reduce by 12 minutes.

In comparison to other U.S. metro areas, the District is actually doing fairly well, believe it or not. For Miami residents, about 42 percent of households qualify as living in transit gaps, while over 55 percent of Houston households live in transit gaps.

When it comes to the methodology behind this study, the tool doesn’t take into account market demand, but instead how much service is provided to every neighborhood. It also uses posted schedules, not real time data. Additionally, a transit gap is not the same as a “transit desert,” which is an area with no transit at all. The Gap Finder focuses on what the average service is provided in the neighborhoods and narrows in on areas where there is a gap between that market and the actual transit service being provided. It also quantifies the share of each city’s population living in neighborhoods without adequate transit service.

In an interview with Streetsblog, Zak Accuardi of TransitCenter, which funded CNT’s work, said, “The goal is to understand where transit need is being met” and where it’s not.

If interested in giving the Gap Finder a whirl, head to the official website here.

• AllTransit Gap Finder [Official Website]

• Where Are the Gaps in Your Transit System? [Streestblog]