ETA Project Outreach

ETA included extensive outreach, meeting with a wide-range of stakeholders to define DVRPC’s vision and parameters for this project. These stakeholders included both the traditional CHSTP network, like area agencies on aging (AAAs) and transportation management associations (TMAs), as well as stakeholders new to the planning process, like homelessness service providers and public health agencies. Findings from stakeholder interviews, along with input from the project advisory committee and community groups, formed the basis for the “Gaps and Bridges” document that updates the region’s CHSTP priorities.

People of ETA

  • character
    Story 1: Jabari lives in North Philadelphia and needs to get to school in University City, but not all of the sidewalks, stations, and streets on or around his route are accessible to wheelchairs. He could use Customized Community Transportation (CCT) or paratransit, but those services need to be requested at least 24 hours beforehand, which does not give Jabari the flexibility he needs to meet the demands of his school schedule or to engage in social activities on campus. He wants to have a normal college experience and get to school safely and easily. After handing in an incomplete homework assignment because he could not get to the library in time to use the resources he needed, Jabari starts worrying that he might lose his scholarship if his transit needs are not met.
  • character
    Story 2: Marisol has Medicare and needs to get to her doctor in Camden County, but her local medical transportation service only operates within Gloucester County, where she lives. She knows there is another similar service in Camden County, but the two services are not coordinated across county boundaries. Marisol is no longer able to drive and cannot afford to take a taxi to all her appointments. She does not know of any other services she could use and feels stuck in her situation.
  • character
    Story 3: Pat needs to get to work in an industrial park near West Chester and lives in an area of Chester County with few transit options and little pedestrian infrastructure, and cannot afford to own a car. Pat’s best option to get to work is a bus line that comes only once per hour and is a mile walk from their house along a busy highway. If they are late to work one more time, they will lose their job.
  • People of ETA [0.2 MB pdf]