Spain-Las Rozas de Madrid: Pedestrian crossing accessibility

Challenge

How can we collect and analyse data on the accessibility of Las Rozas pedestrian infrastructure?

Context

The Municipality of Las Rozas de Madrid lacks updated data on the accessibility of its pedestrian infrastructure, particularly sidewalks, crossings, and intersections with other transportation networks. This information is essential for ensuring the city welcomes and caters to everyone, including elderly residents and people with reduced mobility. Currently, data are absent regarding crossing details like width, ramps, slopes, markings, signage, and even the positioning of nearby street furniture. Additionally, safety concerns around intersections, such as vehicles bypassing buses at crossings and visibility obstructions, remain undocumented. While the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan offers some information on specific routes, it lacks a complete picture of the wider infrastructure’s accessibility.

Some resources exist to bridge this gap. The city council website provides cartographic data, offering a base for mapping accessibility features. Moreover, surveys have been done providing valuable insights into residents’ perceptions of accessibility and highlighting areas needing improvement.

However, relying solely on these existing measures falls short. Las Rozas needs a comprehensive data collection effort encompassing the physical accessibility of its entire pedestrian infrastructure, including detailed assessments of crossings, intersections, and their connection to other networks. Incorporating resident feedback and safety concerns into the data collection process is crucial to ensure a holistic understanding of accessibility challenges.

By addressing these data gaps, Las Rozas wants to become a more accessible and inclusive city, truly welcoming all its residents to navigate its streets safely and comfortably.

The expected outcome

Las Rozas aims to have a solution for ongoing data collection and analysis on pedestrian infrastructure accessibility, achieving objectives such as:

• Updated inventory of at least 75% of pedestrian crossings
• Integration with the Geographic Information System (GIS), Digital Twin of the city and Smart City Platform
   
• Generation of accessibility indicators based on existing regulations and criteria defined by the Municipality and key stakeholders (Associations of People with Reduced Mobility, etc.) for informed decision-making regarding the configuration of public space, investments in improving pedestrian infrastructure, and maintenance.

Published on 5 March, 2024.