Odds are if you live in New Orleans, you’re not far from public transportation. According to Gap Finder, a tool created by Center for Neighborhood Technology, 6.6 percent of households in the city are in a transit gap.
Researchers at the Center evaluated neighborhood demand for transit compared to the actual transit service provided, the city’s transit connectivity index, and jobs within 30 minutes of transit access. The Center also made a distinction between transit gaps and transit deserts: Transit gaps aren’t meeting market demands for transportations, while transit deserts lack access to public transportation.
Just because most of New Orleans isn’t in a transit gap doesn’t mean that the city enjoys rapid or even super-dependable transit. Households not underserved on this map have, at the least, “adequate transit service,” which meet the minimum requirements suggested by the Center.
Areas with higher transit demand but lower transit supply in New Orleans include parts of Central City, Broadmoor, Seventh Ward, West End, and Gentilly. Though, researcher note that neighborhoods along the lakefront seem to have the least need for transit. On this map, 91.6 percent of households in Metairie are underserved by its transit system.
As a solution, the Center suggests increasing frequency of transit to close transportation gaps across New Orleans neighborhoods (and other cities across the United States). Right now, wait times for transit in New Orleans averages 56 minutes. The Center suggests reducing transit times by 21 minutes to help meet the demand of service.
Want to see how New Orleans compares with other parts of the country? Check out this Gap Finder on All Transit.
- Gap Finder [All Transit]