New technology will assess sidewalk accessibility

Tyler—This summer, a new kind of city project will roll through Tyler, one sidewalk at a time. 

Beginning June 10, Daxbot will work with Kimley-Horn to collect accessibility information for pedestrian facilities in the public rights-of-way and trails in Tyler. The work will support the city’s ADA Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan. 

Designed for shared public environments, the robots prioritize human safety and are designed to yield to people. Data collection is limited to information related to pedestrian infrastructure, and the robots do not store personal information. 

The accessibility field assessment will document existing conditions of pedestrian facilities and identify barriers to access in the public right-of-way. Field collection will be performed on approximately 94.5 miles of sidewalks and trails and associated curb ramps, 122 signalized intersections, and 59 transit stops. 

The effort will use robotic field collection technology to produce a more detailed, consistent record of pedestrian infrastructure conditions. This approach is expected to reduce time and costs compared with traditional methods. 

“This effort will give us a clearer, more comprehensive picture of conditions across Tyler’s pedestrian network and will help inform future planning and prioritization,” said Michael Howell, ADA coordinator. “This methodology lets the project team cover more ground in less time. It also makes responsible use of project resources.” 

Daxbot will deploy six to eight robots at a time, operating during daylight hours seven days a week. Fieldwork will progress systematically through the city. A local support team will be available as needed. The field collection phase is expected to take about four weeks. 

“This approach enables consistent data collection across a large area while maintaining the project’s technical specifications,” said Erin Eurek, P.E., ADAC, Kimley-Horn project manager. 

Residents may see the robots operating in public areas during daylight hours throughout the project. Daxbot welcomes robot selfies but asks that residents allow the units to keep working without obstruction. When a robot finishes a designated area of sidewalk, it will enter standby mode. In standby, it uploads data and waits for its next assignment. This is normal and does not indicate a problem with the unit. 

To learn more about this project, visit Sidewalk Accessibility Assessment with Daxbots | My Tyler, Texas. 

SOURCE Daxbot