Dublin

Route4U footpath accessibility campaign across Ireland

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route4u sidewalk accessibility ireland dublin docklands makewayday awareness footpath navigation

UPDATE (16. Nov. 2018):
Indisputably, volunteering for a social good project is an engaging option for serving the community in Dublin. Following our initial accessibility mapping of the footpaths in the Docklands area, a good number of people joined to the initiative of Route4U and reported nearly one hundred footpath obstacles over a month.

Based on the initial survey of the Docklands it can certainly be conveyed that the area is very well accessible for wheelchair users. Although the infrastructure is perfectly built, temporary footpath obstacles were still being reported mainly owing to the great number of construction works. These type of obstacles are very characteristic of the neighbourhood and they appear here and there from time to time so the systematic obstacle reporting from the crowd is a perfect way to keep the map constantly up to date.

What people with limited mobility fear the most is not the inaccessible paths but unpredictability. There are always working alternative routes there but in the first place you need to know in advance if something is blocked so you can avoid disappointment and frustration. Route4U maps help differently abled people to a safer,  more predictable and convenient mobility. And by contributing to the system with data uploads you are not only helping your mobility challenged fellow citizens but also your city to make smarter decisions on footpath improvements – read more about it here!

So we encourage you to volunteer, download the Route4U app and spend two – three minutes each day to upload some foodpath data.

Click here to see how to report an obstacle – it’s easy as one-two-three…

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ORIGINAL POST

This week on September 3rd 2018 we presented the Route4U apps at a Community Hub for Accessible Technology CHAT event in the National Rehabilitation Centre in Dun Laoghaire, Dublin and received great support. We announced a 1-month September campaign to improve accessibility data in Ireland and spread awareness. We are excited to be launching in Ireland and we are sure we will get a great reaction so we can make a positive impact on footpath accessibility

Route4U is in Ireland and we are ready to improve the pathways!

Route4U in Dublin
Route4U seeks volunteers to make a positive change

We are delighted with our the progress so far in Ireland. We have already completed survey projects in Swords, Dublin, and the Dublin Docklands. We have received the backing of Fingal County Council and Dublin City Council and are so proud to have won the SBIR Wayfinding Challenge under the SMART Dublin initiative partnered with Enterprise Ireland.

The Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Anthony Lavin said ‘’Any initiative which makes accessibility easier for disabled people has to be welcomed’’. The Head of Corporate Affairs and Governance at Fingal County Council is urging everyone to download the app and start mapping their local area.

The app is growing worldwide, and survey projects are underway already in the UK, France, Hungary and New Zealand. We are the world’s first footpath accessibility app. The App is available to download for free on iOS and Android smartphones.

Our campaign in Ireland has started and runs from the 4th September to the 4th October and we are reaching out to the people of Ireland, communities, businesses, and companies to get involved and set the ball rolling! Our success with Heineken shows how even companies can make a huge impact and really get behind a great cause.

To make the mobility easier for everyone we start first by collecting the obstacles. These are simply photographed and uploaded onto the map in 10 seconds. The app is constantly being updated with this data. Curb heights, slopes, gradients, and path widths will be measured also to allow full disclosure of the paths suitability for the app user.

Moreover, you can build up points for reporting on the map. We are seeking a nationwide effort to achieve our mission of better and safe mobility for everyone on the footpaths.

Sidewalk accessibility through obstacle mapping

On the 26th September is this year’s MakeWayDay where the public will be asked to physically put stickers on obstacles in their way. The MWD label will be seen also on the Route4U App. While physical stickers are about raising awareness, reporting obstacles in our app provide instant help for local and visiting wheelchair users alike. Perfect sidewalk accessibility might never become a reality but we already have the means to at least make the necessary, up-to-date information available.

Wheelchair travel on path
Campaign runs from 4th September to 4th October nationwide. Join us- Let’s put every pathway on the map!

Written by Mary Ann Healy

Find us on Twitter and Facebook:

twitter.com/route4u_org

facebook.com/route4u.org

 Web: https://route4u.org

Download the Route4U app here:

app-store google-play

Route4U wins Smart Dublin ‘Wayfinding’ tender

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Route4U wins Smart Dublin ‘Wayfinding’ tender

A couple of months back we’ve had the opportunity (thanks to Budapest Enterprise Agency) to exhibit in Ireland at Future Scope 2017 and we could also introduce Route4U in the Dublin City Hall.

Tibor presenting Route4U in Dublin City Hall (May, 2017)

 

Our general experience during those intensive four days we spent ‘overseas’ was that there’s quite a great interest there in what we are doing with Route4U. We got tons of questions from representatives of Cities, NGOs, politicians, businesses, competitors and even from the media (this is the interview that the Irish Tech News made with me). And on the top of it, we found the

Wayfinding Challenge of Smart Dublin

in which Smart Dublin and the Grangegorman Development Agency are seeking low cost, mobile, smart, innovative, universally designed, indoor and outdoor wayfinding solutions.

Wayfinding Challenge poster

 

Robert Moore, Client BIM/Information Manager, Grangegorman Development Agency said on the wayfinding challenge:

We are seeking to find a creative solution to help people of all abilities, find their way seamlessly around the indoor and outdoor areas of the Grangegorman campus. This solution should reflect the open and interconnected nature of the new campus. We were soon joined by Smart Dublin as they could see the wider appeal to a solution to this challenge and how it could be utilised in a broader way across the region. Ultimately we are seeking a revolutionary navigation system for all.

We mapped a part of Swords (city North from Dublin), one of the three sample areas.

Reading this we realized that it is very similar to what we already have or plan to implement in the future. We had the feeling that it is just the right place and right time for us and we definitely MUST give it a try.

So we applied in writing, and a few months later we got an invitation to Dublin to pitch about our solution and future plans. Propositions and needs seemed to match because four days later we have received an email saying that

Route4U has been selected

for cooperation for Phase One of the program. In this Phase One we are to prepare a concept proposal on what and how we plan to implement in Phase Two on three pilot areas. Funny enough that with our technology it was possible to quickly map one of the trial locations, in fact a greater area than marked off by the tenderer. We could do our demo during our pitch session on up and running live data. So, a part of the job for Phase Two is already done. 🙂

We will be back in Dublin in mid September to start working on the project and we are eagerly looking forward to meet as many people as possible to learn more about the footpath mobility issues and challenges in Ireland.

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