Improving GUIDETransport TO GOOD
PRACTICE
Accessibility
for All
Accessibility has long been considered as a transport concern only for individuals withparticular mobility diﬃculties. But it is now increasingly recognized as an integral partof high-quality, sustainable transport systems, with beneﬁts accruing to all clients.
Much has been done to improve the accessibility of transport systems in recent years.
One of the key factors in progress has been the indispensable exchange of experience– both good and less successful – among countries having committed to working
towards better accessibility.
The ECMT has prepared this Guide to Good Practice in order to facilitate such an
exchange of experience. It addresses both countries where improvements toaccessibility are under way, and those that are just now making that commitment.
With examples from recent experience in a wide range of countries, this Guide updates
the ECMT’s 1999 Guide, pointing to areas where progress has been made as well as tothose where challenges persist.

Improving Transport Accessibility for All

Making transport vehicles and infrastructure more accessible to everyone continues
to be both an important objective and a major challenge for transport authorities,
operators and service providers worldwide.

EUROPEAN CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS OF TRANSPORT

GUIDE-:HSTCSC=VUVX^V:(75 2006 10 1 P) ISBN 92-821-0139-8

2006

Improving GUIDETransport TO GOOD
PRACTICE
Accessibility
for AllEUROPEAN CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS OF TRANSPORT

ImprovingTransport
Accessibility
for All

GUIDE
TO GOOD
PRACTICEEUROPEAN CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS OF TRANSPORT(ECMT)The European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT) is an intergovernmental organisation established by a Protocol signed in Brussels on
17 October 1953. It comprises the Ministers of Transport of 43 full Member
countries: Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, BosniaHerzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland,
France, FRY Macedonia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland,
Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Netherlands,
Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.
There are seven Associate member countries (Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea,
Mexico, New Zealand and the United States) and one Observer country (Morocco).
The ECMT is a forum in which Ministers responsible for transport, and more
specifically the inland transport sector, can co-operate on policy. Within this forum,
Ministers can openly discuss current problems and agree upon joint approaches
aimed at improving the utilization and at ensuring the rational development ofEuropean transport systems of international importance.
At present, ECMT has a dual role. On one hand it helps to create an integrated
transport system throughout the enlarged Europe that is economically efficient andmeets environmental and safety standards. In order to achieve this, it is importantfor ECMT to help build a bridge between the European Union and the rest of theEuropean continent at a political level.
On the other hand, ECMT’s mission is also to develop reflections on long-term
trends in the transport sector and to study the implications for the sector ofincreased globalisation. The activities in this regard have recently been reinforced by
the setting up of a New Joint OECD/ECMT Transport Research Centre.
* * *Publié en français sous le titre:
Améliorer l’accès aux transports pour tous – Guide de bonnes pratiques
Further information about the ECMT is available on Internet
at the following address: www.cemt.org© ECMT 2006 – ECMT Publications are distributed by:OECD Publications Service,
2, rue André-Pascal, 75775 PARIS CEDEX 16, FranceACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The ECMT would like to sincerely thank the members of its
Working Group on Access and Inclusion – the names of whom arefound in Annex – for their expertise in the development of this reportand for providing the examples of good practice.
The ECMT is additionally grateful to the cities which submitted
candidate dossiers for the 2003 ECMT-EDF Access and Inclusion
Award for Transport Services and Infrastructure. Selected goodpractice experience from these dossiers is also reflected in this report.
Particular appreciation is extended to accessibility expert Philip
Oxley from the United Kingdom for his expertise in the preparationand drafting of this report.

IMPROVING TRANSPORT ACCESSIBILITY FOR ALL: GUIDE TO GOOD PRACTICE – ISBN 92-821-0139-8 - © ECMT, 2006

FOREWORD
From the ECMT Presidency

Accessibility is increasingly recognized as a key element of ahigh-quality, efficient and sustainable transport system. Indeed all ofus as users of the transport system benefit from easier access tobuses, trams, trains, planes and ships. The economic benefits ofbetter accessibility for transport operators and service providers arealso becoming progressively clearer.
This recognition has been pushed forward over the last
10-15 years by legislation and regulation in many countries. This hashelped to establish a framework to encourage cooperative action
among all stakeholders of the system – public authorities, transport
service providers and operators – working hand-in-hand with disabled
and older persons and their representative organizations to designand construct transport networks, infrastructure and vehicles that areaccessible to all users of the transport system.
Other essential aspects of accessible transport such as training
for transport personnel and user information continue to improve, as
does our understanding of the range of particular travel needs ofindividuals with different types of disability: motor, sensory,
intellectual.
But much remains to be done to improve access to transport, anddifferent countries face specific challenges in making their transportsystems more accessible.
It is for this reason that the sharing of experience and goodpractice – what has worked well and what has worked less well – is an
essential part of making accessible transport a reality across ourcountries.

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6 - FOREWORD
This Guide to Good Practice is designed to facilitate thatexchange of experience. With new examples from recent experiencein a wide range of countries, it updates the ECMT’s 1999 Guide,
highlighting areas where progress has been made, and those whereparticular challenges persist.
During its 2005-2006 Presidency of ECMT, Ireland has taken its
own steps to improve the accessibility of its transport system. We
passed significant disability legislation in 2005, and will publish a
sectoral plan for accessibility to transport in mid-2006.
In preparing to take forward these major initiatives, we havebenefited from the experience of a number of other ECMT countries
and the ground-breaking policy work carried out by the ECMT itself.
We stand ready to share our experience with other countries.
It is in this spirit that the ECMT has prepared this Guide to Good
Practice, and with hopes that it helps not only countries alreadyworking towards better transport accessibility, but also those that are
just now making the commitment to do so.
Martin Cullen
Minister of Transport Ireland

IMPROVING TRANSPORT ACCESSIBILITY FOR ALL: GUIDE TO GOOD PRACTICE – ISBN 92-821-0139-8 - © ECMT, 2006

TABLE OF CONTENTSFOREWORD FROM THE ECMT PRESIDENCY ................................5
INTRODUCTION...............................................................................11
1.

INFORMATION ..........................................................................15
1.1 Clarity ...................................................................................15
1.2 Overall information ...............................................................17
1.3 Information at stations and stops..........................................21
1.4 Concise.................................................................................22
1.5 Hearing information ..............................................................22
1.6 Accurate and timely ..............................................................24
1.7 General information ..............................................................24
1.8 Multi-modal journeys ............................................................26

2.

THE ROAD AND PEDESTRIAN ENVIRONMENT.....................29
2.1 Footpaths and footways .......................................................29
2.2 Junctions and road crossings ...............................................31
2.3 Pedestrianised areas............................................................32
2.4 Roadworks: holes and how to avoid them ............................32
2.5 Tactile surfaces ....................................................................33
2.6 Car parking ...........................................................................37
2.7 Longer road journeys............................................................39
2.8 Summary ..............................................................................39

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8 – TABLE OF CONTENTS
3.

INFRASTRUCTURE...................................................................41
3.1 Introduction...........................................................................41
3.2 Getting into the building ........................................................423.2.1 Escalators...................................................................48
3.2.2 Travelators .................................................................49

3.3

Moving within the building.....................................................49
3.3.1 Wayfinding in buildings...............................................49
3.3.2 Pedestrian clearways .................................................51
3.3.3 Facilities and services ................................................52
3.3.4 Waiting for buses, trains, etc. .....................................55
3.3.5 Refreshment facilities .................................................58
3.3.6 Toilets.........................................................................58
3.3.7 Other infrastructure.....................................................59

3.4

Boarding the vehicle .............................................................61
3.4.1 Bridging the gap .........................................................61
3.4.2 Heavy rail ...................................................................64
3.4.3 Getting onto aircraft ....................................................66
3.4.4 Other features ............................................................67

4.

VEHICLES..................................................................................71
4.1 Buses and Coaches .............................................................72
4.1.1 Measures to assist ambulant disabled people............75
4.1.2 Measures to assist wheelchair users..........................77
4.1.3 High floor coaches......................................................77
4.2 Taxis ...................................................................................79
4.3 Trams and light rail ...............................................................82
4.4 Heavy rail..............................................................................84
4.5 Aircraft ..................................................................................87
4.6 Ferries and ships ..................................................................89
4.7 Cable cars and funiculars .....................................................91

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TABLE OF CONTENTS -5.

9NEW AND INNOVATIVE TRANSPORT SERVICES .................95
5.1 Demand-responsive: individual transport .............................96
5.2 Demand-responsive: shared transport .................................97
5.3 Community transport and shared transport services ............99
5.4 Variations on a theme.........................................................100
5.5 Other innovative services ...................................................101

6.

PRIVATE CARS .......................................................................105
6.1 Advice and guidance ..........................................................105
6.2 Travelling and arriving ........................................................108

7.

THE ROLES OF GOVERNMENT.............................................111
7.1 National government ..........................................................111
7.2 Public procurement.............................................................114
7.3 Local and regional government ..........................................115
7.4 Training...............................................................................117
7.5 Seamless travel ..................................................................120
7.6 Raising awareness .............................................................121

ANNEX 1
Members of the ECMT Working Groupon Access and Inclusion................................................................. 123
ANNEX 2Conclusions and Recommendations of the ECMT-UITP
on Improving Access to Public Transport ....................................... 133
ANNEX 3
Consolidated Resolution no 2001/3
on Accessible Transport................................................................. 140
ANNEX 4Charter on Access to Transport Services
and Infrastructure ........................................................................... 149
REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING .................................. 151
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INTRODUCTION

Many people find travelling around, whether within their own
neighbourhood or over longer distances, difficult or even impossible. It
is only in comparatively recent times that the scale of the barriers tomobility in the environment and in transport services has beenrecognised. Unless and until these barriers are removed, a substantial
proportion of the population will continue to be at a disadvantage;
unable to travel as they would wish and consequently limited in theextent to which they can participate in society.
The numbers of people whose mobility is constrained in this way
are very substantial. A recent study1 by Eurostat on employment of
disabled people in Europe estimated that among people of working
age (16 to 64 years) 44.6 million – i.e. one in six (15.7%) had a longstanding health problem or disability.
A recent communication from the European Commission(February 2005)2 to the European Parliament and the Council cited anearlier (2000) paper (Towards a barrier-free Europe for people withdisabilities) which estimated that around 10% of the European
population had reduced mobility. National estimates, as well as theEurostat survey, would suggest that this estimate is probably too low.
Difficulty moving around can arise for many reasons; disability is one
but so too are temporary impairments, which can encompass anythingfrom a leg broken in a skiing accident to having a small child and/or
several baskets of shopping. Two studies, one in Germany the otherin France, estimated that at any one time between 20 and 30% of
people travelling have a mobility difficulty for one reason or another.
A study3 conducted in 2003 by the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe(BVG) on the accessibility of public transport for people with reduced
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12 - INTRODUCTION
mobility estimated that, in the (then) 15 member countries of the EU,
99 million or 26% of the population had some degree of mobility
impairment. The figure of 99 million comprised 37.3 million people
aged 16 to 64 with either moderate or severe disabilities and 61.3
million people aged 65 or more. These figures refer to the position in
the year 2000; by 2010 the report estimates that the total will haverisen from 99 million to over 113 million. The report also notes that
there is no standard definition throughout Europe of “disability”, sointerpretations vary from country to country, sometimes quite widely.
It is also important to remember that it is not just physicaldisabilities that may cause problems for people when they are
travelling. Sensory impairments – not being able to see or hear – cancause difficulties, so too can intellectual disabilities, mental healthproblems and difficulties with communication.
Whatever definition of reduced mobility or disability is used, it isclear that very large numbers of people are affected by barriers tomovement. Moreover the numbers of people affected are likely toincrease in the future. Europe has an ageing population and there is aclear correlation between age and disability. It is also worth
remembering that improved accessibility makes travelling easier for
everyone, not just disabled people.
This Guide – which updates the previous publication Improving
Transport for People with Mobility Handicaps: A Guide to Good
Practice, published by the ECMT in 1999 – is intended to show how
barriers to mobility and the use of public and private transport can beremoved. This current Guide builds on information included in the1999 version and includes updated examples of good practice fromthroughout ECMT Member and Associate Member countries. It also
draws on good practice examples revealed in the ECMT’s 2003 joint
Access and Inclusion Award for Transport Services and Infrastructure,organized with the European Disability Forum in the context of the2003 European Year for Persons with Disabilities4. The objective of
the Prize was to promote recognition of examples of good practice inimproving accessibility to transport, to reward approaches in the fieldthat are inclusive of all people with disabilities and recognise theimportance of consulting with representative disability organisations.
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INTRODUCTION -13

The Guide is not intended to be a very detailed and absolutely
comprehensive guide to good practice: if it were that it would beseveral times bigger than it is. Rather, it is intended to provide a vademecum for anyone who is concerned with transport whether as adesigner, planner or operator; to give good advice and some details of
the more important aspects of accessible transport infrastructure,vehicles and information, and to provide a list of sources where moredetailed and specific information can be found.
It is important to remember that the majority of journeys involve
using more than one mode of transport. Therefore, the overall
objective of creating accessible transport services should be todevelop a "seamless" system in which disabled people can access,travel on and interchange between modes easily and safely. That
process of seamless transport starts with access to information about
services and covers the infrastructure as well as the vehicles
themselves.

NOTES

1. “Employment of disabled people in Europe in 2002”, Eurostat, European
Communities (2003).
2. Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and theCouncil (“Strengthening passenger rights within the European Union”), Brussels,
16.2.2005 COM (2005)46 final.
3. “The Accessibility of Urban Transport to People with Reduced Mobility”, Final
Report, BVG for DG Energy and Transport, European Commission, 2003.
4. Please see the ECMT web site www.cemt.org/topics/handicaps/index.htm for a
full description of the prize and its winners.

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1. INFORMATION

In whatever form information is made available it should meet thefour criteria:
•
•
•
•

Clear
ConciseAccurate
TimelyIt makes no difference whether the information is presented on aleaflet, a sign, in response to a telephone call or in any other way,
those criteria must be satisfied if it is to meet the needs of travellers.
These criteria, of course, apply to information for everyone who
has to travel, but for disabled people there are aspects of thesecriteria that are particularly important.
1.1

Clarity

Clear means two things: easily legible in the case of textual
information, whether printed or on a screen or a sign and in all cases,
including spoken information, easily understood.
There are quite a lot of good guidelines developed for thepresentation of text.
Generally people find it easier to comprehend text when it is
written in lower case, with appropriate capitals RATHER THAN ALL IN
CAPITALS. This applies to timetables and leaflets as well as signs
and television displays.
Size is important. Failing eyesight is a common accompaniment toincreasing age and very small print is difficult to read. Conventional
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16 - INFORMATION
timetables and brochures should be printed in a clear type face for the
benefit of everyone but should also be produced in large print,
minimum 14pt, preferably 19pt: which is this size.
Even large print can be rendered difficult to read if the contrast
between the colours used for the text and for the background paper is
not good. Brown print on a beige background may be aestheticallypleasing but it is not easy to read, especially if the light is not too
good. Black or dark blue on a white background is fine.
These guidelines generally also apply to signs. Lower caselettering, again, should be used and the type face should be a clear
one like:••••

Helvetica
AirportFuturaFolio

Part of the process of ensuring that signs are legible is the placingof them. The ideal position for seeing a sign is on a level with theeyeline of the individual but this is often not possible. Put at that levelin, for example, a railway terminus would mean that unless you wereright by them you would not be able to see them because of otherpeople getting in the way. So they often have to be raised. The extent
to which they are raised will depend on the specific location, but toavoid other people getting in the way they should be placed not lessthan 2.3 m1,2 above ground level. Of course, in large areas like astation concourse they will be a lot higher than that because people
need to see them from a long way away.
There are several guidelines on the size of lettering in relation to
distance varying according to the degree of visual impairment of theobserver. The figure below shows the size of lettering required at a
range of distances. Thus to meet the needs of older people and otherswith rather poor sight a letter height of 25 mm is required for a viewing
distance of 7.5 m. At 20 m distance, letters should be about 75 mm.
Some transport authorities have more exacting standards. For

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INFORMATION -17

example London Transport’s standard is based on 10 mm letter height
for every metre of viewing distance, with no lettering less than 22 mm.
250

20/60 Vision

20/40 Vision225
Preferable Range
for Elderly People

200

20/30 Vision

Height of letter

175

20/20 Vision

150
125
100
Acceptable Range under
Ideal Conditions

75
50
25
0
0

10

20

30 40 50 60 70
Sign Distance (metres)

80

90

100

Source: Improving Transportation Information. Prepared for Transportation Development Centre,
Transport Canada by TransVision consultants Ltd (1996).

Lighting of static signs
Signs should be well lit. As a rule of thumb, it should be possible
for a person with good (20/20) vision to read a newspaper in thevicinity of the sign. Where ambient light levels are not as good as this,illuminated (back lit) signs may be preferable. In conditions where thelight is not good, glossy finishes to signs should be avoided as they
can cause glare and disadvantage people with low or impaired vision;a matt finish is better.
1.2

Overall information

In recent years there have been considerable developments in theprovision of comprehensive travel information systems. Some of these
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18 - INFORMATION
systems cover a specific area, for example a major city; others cover awhole country. In some cases they provide information about thetransport infrastructure as well as services and, provided they containthe appropriate information on accessibility, these information services
can be very helpful for disabled people who are planning a journey.
GEOFOX, the Hamburg HVV passenger information system is an
example of a comprehensive service covering a major city. The
system provides detailed information on structural characteristics at
rapid transit rail stations, larger bus stations and interchange points,
and on the design of vehicles. It also enables a disabled traveller toselect options that meet his or her particular requirements, forexample to make a journey which only uses low-floor bus services or
stations with obstacle-free access to platforms.
GEOFOX is available to the public in four ways: on the Internet,
as an SMS service, at self-operated information terminals and as a
CD-ROM.
In Sweden, an Internet-based timetable information system isbeing extended with detailed information on design, accessibility,
service and quality of stations and bus terminals. The system covers
all train services and all regional public transport services: bus, coach,train and ferry. The extended system includes information about taxis(including train-taxi), car parking (including disabled persons’ parking
spaces) and accessible toilets. Other national rail systems, forexample in Germany, Switzerland and Italy, have websites which
provide information specially prepared to meet the requirements ofdisabled travellers.
In the UK a new Internet based system “Transport Direct” is being
developed to provide national journey planning facilities, including by
car as well as on public transport. As part of the research programme
for the system, the needs of disabled people are being investigatedboth in terms of the type of information required and the usability ofthe system.

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INFORMATION -19

Where information is provided via the Internet, care should betaken to ensure that the website is designed to be easily used bydisabled people. Information on the design of accessible websites isgiven by the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content
Accessibility Guidelines.3 These guidelines are comprehensive andseek to encourage “design for all” principles when considering web
design to make web content accessible for disabled people.
In Finland, the Helsinki Metropolitan Area Council has a door-todoor Internet journey planner, which provides itinerary planning,timetable and route information for the whole public transport systemin the area.
Telephone based systems can also play an important part inproviding travel information for disabled people. The national service
in the UK (“traveline”) provides timetable and routing information forbus, rail, scheduled coach and ferry services. Some recently
completed research has proposed that this service should include
information for disabled users, including the accessibility of vehicles
and of individual stations and stops, the availability of accessible
toilets and of assistance for disabled people while travelling.
It may not always be feasible for national or regional telephonebased information services to provide all of the information needed bya disabled traveller. In these circumstances, more specialised
telephone services can give the necessary information. Examples ofnational organisations that cover all modes of transport and whichhave detailed information on accessibility of vehicles and related
infrastructure include TRIPSCOPE (UK) and Infopunt Toegankelijk
Reizen in Belgium.
There are increasing numbers of public access information
terminals and kiosks at transport terminals and on-street. The type of
information they give varies. It may be related to one specific service
or to a whole range of transport information including planningjourneys by car. There are examples of this type of service in several
European cities including Madrid, Munich and Helsinki.

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20 - INFORMATION
It seems likely that this source of information will increase in the
future and it obviously has great value if properly designed. An
ergonomic evaluation of the ROMANSE terminals4 produced thefollowing guidelines:•

The operational face of the machine, which is a touchsensitive screen, should be no more than 1.2 m from groundlevel.

•The screen should be flush with the front surface of theterminal casing, not recessed into it.

•

Parallax can make it difficult for people to place their finger on
the desired icon or symbol on the screen; this effect can be
reduced by careful positioning of the screen in relation to theviewing angle.

•

The cabinet in which the screen is placed should have a footand knee recess, so that wheelchair users can get close to it.

•

Displays of text should follow the guidelines mentioned earlier
concerning clarity, contrast and legibility.

Further information on the design requirements for new
information technologies, including Internet services, can be found inreports produced by the EC project QUARTET PLUS. A contact point
for obtaining this information is included in the References section ofthis publication.
Help Points, which people can use to get travel information or tocall for emergency assistance, are becoming more common,
particularly on stations which are not staffed all the time. These help
points should be placed so that the maximum height of any button
which the caller has to use is 1.2 m, they should be clearly
distinguishable by visually impaired people and should be fitted withan induction loop.

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INFORMATION -

1.3

21

Information at stations and stops

There is an increasing use of variable message signs (VMS)
particularly in air and rail services but also growing on bus services as
well.
These take a variety of forms from television screen displays, LED
and fibre optics to the more old-fashioned but still much used flip
disks. Following the advice given for printed texts and static signs will
improve the legibility of these displays - clarity, appropriate size ofletters and contrast are just as important. But, by their nature, variable
message signs change by scrolling or flipping. It is most important thatspeed of change should not be too fast otherwise people who canread, but not well, will find it difficult to understand the message. It is
recommended that a line of text should be displayed for at least ten
seconds, preferably a little longer. Dynamic signs should have nonreflective glass and should be shielded from direct sunlight.
The Swiss Federal Office of Transport has produced acomprehensive report (in German) on the readability of dynamic visual
information for people with impaired vision5.
Photo 1. Dynamic information at bus stops helps all passengers

Source: Courtesy of Bernmobil, Bern, Switzerland.
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22 - INFORMATION
1.4

ConciseQuite a lot of information is seen while en route when theobserver him- or herself is moving - perhaps walking or maybe on abus or a train. The time available to see, read and understand theinformation may therefore be quite short. This then emphasises theimportance of keeping information as concise as possible andemphasises the value of using symbols.
The French organisation COLITRAH6 (now COLIAC) has
produced a comprehensive set of recommendations on signage “chaîne signalétique” - which makes the point that for passengers intransit signs should be designed to give an instantaneous “snap-shot”
of information. Symbols can be very helpful in this process, not least
because they can be understood by people with low levels of literacy,
but they must be used consistently, be unambiguous and if or when
new ones are introduced, they should be accompanied by a verbal
explanation until the public is fully familiar with the symbol and its
meaning.
1.5

Hearing information

The emphasis on the preceding paragraphs has been on visualdisplay of information, but audible information is also important,especially for conveying any unexpected changes to services and in
emergencies. However, audible information is not restricted toannouncements at stations and on-board public transport vehicles.
Other sources include telephone information, information and ticket
offices.
Many personal hearing aids incorporate a “T-coil” which provides
direct inductive coupling with a second coil, for example in a
telephone receiver or at a ticket office window. However, as not all
hearing aid users have a T switch, it is recommended that telephones
should also have user-controlled amplification of received sound.
Amplification of sound is accessed via a button on the telephone that
automatically reverts to the ordinary sound level once the telephonehandset has been replaced.
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INFORMATION -23

Photo 2. Dynamic information can be given audibly by thisPassenger Information System in Munster

Source: Courtesy of Stadt Münster – Tiefbauamt und Verkehrsbetrieb der Stadtwerke Münster, Germany.

Some telephone information services now include a
Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD)7 Text phones are
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24 - INFORMATION
available and are essential for those people who are profoundly orseverely deaf. In Switzerland, the Federal Office of Transportpublished in 2005 a report8 on the transfer of speech-based
information (for example from information or emergency call systems)
to personal devices with displays, like mobile phones, so providing the
spoken information in text form.
1.6

Accurate and timely

Of course it is obvious that any information in whatever formshould be accurate. This means more than just making sure that it iscorrect at the time it is first presented: it also means a process of updating and checking to make sure that it continues to be accurate. A
mistake in a timetable may be the cause of irritation to anyone, but toa disabled person the consequences can be much more serious.
Timing of information is also important. Thought should be given
not just to the content but to the point in the journey when it is needed.
To take one simple example, an audible announcement of the next
stop on a metro is very helpful particularly to visually impaired people
but it needs to be made in sufficient time for the passenger to get
ready to leave the train; an announcement as the train draws to a halt
(or the bus) is too late for people who are less than fully agile.
1.7

General information

The preceding sections have dealt with specific aspects of theways in which information should be presented, but there is also aneed for more general information. Transport services change overtime and so do the facilities that they offer. Knowledge about public
transport services - where and when they operate, what the fares areand so on - is important for everyone but disabled people really needmore information especially if they use a wheelchair.
A good example of this is the guide produced by the French rail
company SNCF9 which gives information on facilities and equipment(toilets for disabled people, ramps, lifts, accessible telephones, etc.) at
stations and on trains, ticket booking and seat reservation and, most
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importantly, also gives information on accessible public transport(buses, trains, etc.) to and from the rail stations.
Trenitalia (Italy) has produced a comprehensive but compact
booklet “Services for disabled passengers” which gives information on
national and some direct international rail services (from and to Italy)
that are accessible to passengers using wheelchairs. It includes
information on facilities available at stations, concessionary fares andthe dedicated telephone numbers of disabled customer assistanceoffices. This information is also available on the web site
www.Trenitalia.it. The Association of Train Operating Companies in
the UK has recently produced a map covering all rail stations(approximately 2500) with a notation to indicate whether they arewheelchair accessible or not.
Another example of making comprehensive information available
is shown by the Regional Information Centre established by STIF (thepublic transport authority for the région of Paris – Ile de France) in2002. The centre provides a service, called Infomobi, which gives
information about the accessibility of transport systems operated by
RATP (bus, train, metro and light rail in Paris and nearby suburbs)
SNCF (suburban rail services) and OPTILE, which is a federation of
80 private companies operating buses in the outer suburbs.
At a more general level, covering a range of modes of public
transport, guides such as the French “Guide des transports à l’usage
des personnes à mobilité réduite” or the “Door-to-Door” website of the
UK Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee(www.dptac.gov.uk/door-to-door/index.htm) can be of value todisabled people. These publications provide a summary of the rangeof services available to disabled people. They are not intended to offer
detailed, local information but to provide a broad overview of what isavailable and to give contact telephone numbers for more specificenquiries.
In Switzerland, there is a similar information centre called "CallCenter Handicap" run by the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) which

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provides information about the accessibility of transport systems allover Switzerland and to and from other countries.
Another aspect, which is sometimes overlooked, is the provisionof information in ways in which it can be understood by people withlearning or cognitive difficulties. Inclusion Europe, which is anassociation of societies of people with intellectual disabilities, hasproduced guidance on this matter. For example, it advocates using
symbols and illustrations to make timetables more understandable
and clear simple signage to help people orient themselves and findplaces such as ticket offices in large bus and rail stations. Where
services or equipment (like ticket machines) have been designed tomeet the needs of people with intellectual disabilities and otherdisabled people, then the pictogramme S3A, designed by UNAPEI,
can be displayed.10
With a different purpose in mind, guides on good design foraccessibility can be used to raise awareness of transport operatorsand local authorities to the needs of disabled people. In the
Netherlands, for example, brochures are being prepared withspecifications on accessibility in urban public transport, for information
systems, and for parking and facilities on motorways. The idea is thatsuch brochures will provide guidance to operators and authorities in a
way that is easier for them to assimilate than if the same information isconveyed in a scientific report.
1.8

Multi-modal journeys

Many journeys involve the use of more than one mode oftransport. A rail journey, for example, will almost always involve theuse of other modes to get to and from the station as well as, quite
often, interchange from one train to another.
In developing comprehensive transport information services, likesome of those mentioned earlier in this chapter, it is most important toinclude information on intermodal as well as within mode accessibility.
Having fully accessible trains is clearly important but so too is theability to have access from one platform to another where a change of
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trains is necessary. Similarly, the route between different modes, sayfrom a bus station to a neighbouring rail station should be accessible.
Information on this aspect of travelling is as important as on theaccessibility (or otherwise) of transport vehicles.

NOTES

1. See Page 22, “Access prohibited” by John Gill, published by the Royal National
Institute for the Blind, London, for more information on this and related subjects.
2. Fruin JJ, “Synthesis of Transport Practice: Passenger Information Systems forTransit Transfer Facilities”, US Transportation Board, Washington DC (1985).
3. www.w3.org/WAI
4. Barham, P. and Alexander, J. “Evaluation of Interactive Information Terminals(with respect to their use by the elderly and people with disabilities) –ROMANSE Project. “CCLT”, Cranfield University (1998).
5. Büser F, "Bericht für die Entwicklung von Normen zur Gestaltung von optischen,
dynamischen Fahrgastinformationssystemen im öffentlichen Verkehr unter dem
Aspekt der Bedürfnisse sehbehinderter Personen", Swiss Federal Office ofTransport, Berne (2005).
6. Stevoux P, Smolar M, Thery C and Briaux-Trouverie C., “Une conception de lasignalétique adaptée aux besoins de l’ensemble des usagers”, COLITRAH.
Conseil National des Transports (1989).
7. See ECMT Transport for People with Mobility Handicaps – Information &Communication, p. 65 and p. 104-105 ECMT (Paris, 1991).
8. Raemy P, “Drahtlose Übermittlung von Kundeninformationen im öffentlichen
Verkehr unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Bedürfnisse vonsinnesbehinderten Reisenden”, Swiss Federal Office of Transport, Berne (2005).
9. “Guide du voyageur à mobilité réduite”, published by SNCF, Paris.
10. “Revue de Presse du Pictogramme S3A (Symbole d’Accueil,d’Accompagnement, d’Accessibilité)”, UNAPEI, Paris (2004).

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2. THE ROAD AND PEDESTRIAN ENVIRONMENT

Almost all journeys start and finish by walking or wheeling. No
matter how accessible transport itself may be, if the walking
environment contains barriers to movement then the usability oftransport services is largely negated. This environment may also
contain barriers to communication and orientation, for example,
illegible signage or controlled pedestrian crossings that do not havean audible or tactile signal.
Footpaths and footways1

2.1

The underlying purpose of a pavement is to provide safe, easy
access for everyone walking or using a wheelchair. To achieve this,the following guidelines should be followed wherever possible:•

A minimum obstacle free footway at least 1 500 mm wide preferably 2 000 mm.

•

Widths should be greater at bus stops (minimum 3 000 mm)
and in front of shops (3 500 mm or more).

•

If possible gradients should be not more than 5% (1 in 20) tocater for self-propelled wheelchairs: this should be used as adesign limit in new development. The Swedish Association of
Local Authorities2 noted that a gradient of 2.5% (1 in 40) canbe managed by the majority of people, but gradients steeper
than this begin to cause difficulties for some manual
wheelchair users. See also the section on ramps (3.1).

•

Where gradients are unavoidably steeper than this, levelareas (preferably 1 500 – 1 800 mm long) should beincorporated at intervals of 10 m.

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Crossfalls, which are needed to make sure rain water drainsaway quickly, should be between 1.5 and 2.5% (1 in 40).
Anything steeper than 2.5% makes it difficult for a wheelchairuser to steer in a straight line.

•

Where there is a drop or steep slope at the rear side of afootway (or both sides of a footpath) a 100 mm edging
upstand should be provided as a safeguard for wheelchairusers and as a tapping rail for long cane users.

•

Surfaces should be non-slip, well maintained and any joints
between paving slabs should be closed and flush to avoid
catching the small wheels of a wheelchair.

•

Covers and gratings should be non-slip and flush with thepavement surface.

•

Nothing should overhang the footway (signs, tree branches,etc.) to a height of less than 2 100 mm (preferably 2 500 mm).

•

Where it is not possible to avoid having obstacles in the
pavement, such as lamp-posts, traffic signs, etc. they shouldhave a contrasting band of colour 140 mm to 160 mm widewith the lower edge 1 500 to 1 700 mm above ground level.
Trees in the footway should have a distinctive surface aroundthem (for example grating or pebbled) to warn blind people.

•

Seating should be provided at regular intervals of around
100 m.

•

In parts of Europe, particularly in the north and Scandinavia,
keeping footways clear of snow and ice is very important. In
Finland, the city of Jyväskylä has been equipping somepedestrian areas with a heating system, which melts the snow
and ice, making the areas safe to walk on even in winter.
Where this is not possible, a winter maintenance programmethat includes snow clearance as soon as possible after asnowfall will assist all pedestrians, but especially those whoare disabled.
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2.2

31

Junctions and road crossings

These are potentially hazardous for visually impaired people andwheelchair users. Dropped kerbs are of great help to wheelchair users
and should be provided at all pedestrian crossing points. At side roads
where there is space to do it, dropped kerbs should be set up on theside road out of the direct line of the footway of the main road. This is
to prevent blind people walking into the side road without realising it.
The dropped kerb or “kerb cut” should be flush with thecarriageway, 2 m wide (more if it is a heavily used crossing point) andthe gradients associated with it should be gentle.
To help visually-impaired people, when a dropped kerb is in the
direct line of travel, a tactile surface should be laid to a depth of
1 200 mm (see below) in a contrasting colour to the surrounding
pavement. This will provide a warning to the pedestrian that they areapproaching a road.
Busy junctions require some form of control to assist pedestrians
across the road. This may be just a pedestrian crossing (“zebra”) or acontrolled crossing (traffic signals with a pedestrian phase and various
other forms of control such as “pelicans” and “puffins”). Again all thesecrossings should have dropped kerbs and tactile warning surfaces.
Further help can be given to visually-impaired pedestrians at
controlled crossings by means of audible and tactile (or haptic)
signals. Examples of these include the signal popularly known (in theUK) as “bleep and sweep” which is designed to be used at staggered
crossings across roads which have a centre reservation, and audible
signals coupled with apparatus that rotates or vibrates when it is safe
to cross. Munster has examples of the latter, which are of particularhelp to blind-deaf persons.
Straightforward crossings can use a standard bleep, some with
two tones - one to indicate that it is safe to cross, the other to indicatethat the safe period is about to come to an end. Electronic systems
have been developed which will extend the safe crossing period; this
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can be helpful to disabled people who cannot move as quickly as an
able-bodied person. The sound output of bleepers can be modified byreference to the ambient (traffic) noise level to ensure that it can beheard over traffic noise but does not cause a noise nuisance at quieter
times.
2.3

Pedestrianised areas

Areas, particularly in town centres, that are traffic free for some or
all of the time can provide a pleasant and safe environment for allpedestrians, but they can also contain hazards.
The gradients mentioned earlier (in 2.1) also apply topedestrianized areas and, where there are unavoidable changes inlevel, ramps should be provided as well as steps. Two level (or more)
shopping precincts must have lift access to all floors.
The walking surface, like that of footways, should be non-slip andwell lit; good maintenance is also essential.
There is very likely to be some encroachment onto the pedestrianareas of shop displays and goods as well as street furniture - lamp
posts, bollards, waste-bins and the like. Such encroachment should
be carefully controlled otherwise it can be dangerous for visuallyimpaired people. The aim should always be to maintain all theprincipal directions of movement as “pedestrian clearways”.
Large open pedestrian areas are difficult for blind and partiallysighted people to navigate, so tactile guidance surfaces should beincorporated in such areas (see 2.5) as well as appropriate warning
for any flights of steps. In the future, navigation systems may help
blind people to find their way through these types of area.
2.4

Roadworks: holes and how to avoid them

It is inevitable that from time to time repairs will have to be madeto footways and pedestrian areas. When this happens the area should
be barricaded off with a continuous rail about 1 m above ground and atapping rail below this. Audible warnings and lamps should be
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provided and where a diversion is necessary, the needs of wheelchairusers should not be forgotten. Temporary footways should never beless than 1 200 mm wide and, wherever possible, at least 1 800 mm
wide.
Where scaffolding or other temporary structures are erected on or
adjacent to a pedestrian way, it is essential that their presence ismade apparent to visually impaired people. There should be aminimum passage width of 1 100 mm (more if possible) where
scaffolding is erected over a footway.
Corner poles must be padded and all vertical supports shouldhave a band of contrasting colour about 150 mm in depth and with thelower edge 1.5 to 1.7 m above ground level. Lighting and audible
warning should be provided.
2.5

Tactile surfaces

For people who are blind or who have little residual vision, tactile
surfaces are essential for the safe progress through the street
environment.
Many European countries have developed tactile surfaces ofvarious kinds. There is a strong case for Europe-wide agreement on
which surface should be used in what circumstance and a CEN
standard for the production of such materials is being developed.
Meantime, there is some inconsistency even within one country, letalone between countries.
However, there are some general guidelines of good practice thatcan be adduced:•

Tactile surfaces have to be sufficiently “rough” or “rigorous” forblind people to feel them through their shoes, bearing in mind
that some medical conditions which lead to vision impairment
also cause loss of feeling in the lower limbs (e.g. diabetic
retinopathy).

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34 - THE ROAD AND PEDESTRIAN ENVIRONMENT•

The surface should not be so rigorous that it causes problems
to other pedestrians, particularly ambulant disabled people
and wheelchair users.

•

Because most visually-impaired people still have some vision,
tactile surfaces should be readily distinguishable by colour
and tone from the general pedestrian area.

•

There are two categories of tactile surfaces; those that warn ofa potential hazard and those that impart information warning
surfaces should be used in the following circumstances andshould be readily distinguishable one from another:- At pedestrian crossings (where colour may be used todifferentiate between controlled and uncontrolled
crossings).
- At the edges of rail, tram and raised bus platforms.
- To warn of other hazards: steps, level crossings, theapproach to on-street light rapid transit platforms.
•

Information surfaces can be used to:- Provide a guidance route through large open spaces or

through complex pedestrian environments.
- Indicate the presence of facilities such as bus stops,

telephone kiosks, tactile or talking information services,
toilets and so on.
Research3 has shown that a height of approximately 5 mm for theraised profile part of a surface is sufficient for almost all blind people todetect the surface and at this height it does not cause too much of aproblem to other pedestrians. An alternative to a surface with a raised
profile is one that feels different underfoot. A surface made ofneoprene rubber or similar elastomeric compound feels noticeably
softer than normal paving and sounds different when walked on. This
type of surface is recommended in the UK as an information surface.

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Photo 3. Tactile surfaces are essential to warn blind and visually impaired peopleof hazards

Source: Courtesy of the Department for Transport, United Kingdom.

Sound itself can be a guide. Hamburger Hochbahn AG has
equipped some of its underground stations with ceramic tiles withraised bumps 30 mm in diameter but only 1.5 mm high4. The detectionof these tiles depends on sound rather than feel, and thus theenvironment is of major importance.

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36 - THE ROAD AND PEDESTRIAN ENVIRONMENT
Photo 4. Tactile guidance and platform edge warning surfaces

Source: Courtesy of Bundesamt für Verkehr, Bern, Switzerland.

The Dutch town of Gouda has introduced an extensive system oftactile surfaces including route guidance and warning of a junction, thelatter based on a concrete tile coated with a layer of hard rubber.
In Stuttgart a new type of guidance surface has been developed
which combines a distinctive sound with a tactile surface. The material
used is “Hohlkörperbodenindikator” (hollow body floor indicator), which
research has shown to be the best indicator for blind people. Thissurface is being installed at stops on a light rail route (U2) in Stuttgart.
In Munster, tactile surfaces are supplemented by “orientation posts”.
These are 900 mm in height and display a tactile direction arrow in theform of an equal-sided triangle with a concave base. Tactile letters or
Braille on the triangle show the desired direction.
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Research into ways of helping blind people navigate aroundunfamiliar areas continues. The NOPPA system (Navigation andGuidance System for the Visually Impaired) for example, is anelectronic travelling aid using a mobile terminal which can connect toreal time navigation/guidance information via the Internet. Though stillat the development stage, electronic aids of this kind may offer much
more comprehensive guidance information for blind and partiallysighted people than can be achieved by purely physical measures.
In the Netherlands, ProRail (the company responsible for rail
infrastructure) has developed and is experimenting with “speechbeacons”. By means of a handheld receiver a visually impaired
passenger is able to find his or her way around complex structures
such as railway terminals. It is intended that in the future this system
will be installed in all major rail stations in the Netherlands.
In the UK the Royal National Institute for the Blind has developed
an electronic wayfinding system called RNIB React. The user carries asmall trigger module which emits a radio signal. When the user walks
within range of a React sign, the radio signal triggers a spoken
message which gives information (like visual signs or architecturalfeatures) that blind or partially-sighted people would otherwise miss.
The system can provide messages in up to eight different languages
and can also be adapted to operate devices; for example, opening anelectronic door, raising a barrier or operating a remote bell or buzzer.
2.6

Car parking

It is usual in European countries for special car parking
arrangements to be made for disabled car users. This includes
permitting disabled car users who hold a blue badge to park on-street
in places where parking is not otherwise allowed.
Parking bays should be wide enough to give space for awheelchair user to transfer from chair into the car that is about 3.6 m
wide compared with a standard bay width of 2.4 m. Where there areseveral bays together some space can be saved by having one
shared extra space (1.2 m) to two bays.
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Where parking bays are on-street parallel to the kerb they shouldbe 6.6 m long to allow for access to the rear of the vehicle, where
wheelchairs are often stored. Where the parking bays are at an angle
to the kerb, the bay should be a minimum of 4.8 m long by 2.4 m wideplus clear space of 1.2 m at the side. All bays designated for disabled
car users should be clearly marked with a large wheelchair symbol on
the ground and cross-hatching on the 1.2 m space at the side. On–
street bays and bays in open off-street parking areas should also havea post mounted sign. An adjacent flush dropped kerb should be
provided to give access to the pavement.
Whether on or off-street,(for example in shopping centres as wellas in general public car parks) enforcement is essential to ensure thatparking bays (marked with the wheelchair symbol) are not used byother motorists, or otherwise obstructed.
The recommended numbers of parking spaces for disabled
motorists vary according to the type and capacity of car parks. The
following examples are taken from the UK Department for Transport’s
guidelines5:(i)

For car parks associated with new employment premises
and providing for employees and visitors:
5% of the total capacity.

(ii)

For car parks associated with existing employment
premises:
2% of the total car park capacity, with a minimum of one
space.

(iii)

For car parks associated with shopping areas, leisure or
recreational facilities and places open to the public:
A minimum of one space for each employee who is adisabled motorist, plus 6% of the total capacity for visiting
disabled motorists.

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Other countries have different recommendations - for example theFrench regulation (1994) envisages one space per 50 parking spaces
and a minimum of ten spaces for car parks with over 500 spaces.
When deciding on the number of spaces to be allocated, it should be
remembered that the number of disabled car users as a proportion of
all car users is likely to increase in the future.
The reserved spaces in whatever type of car park should beplaced at the closest point possible to the place they are intended toservice. This is particularly important in pedestrianized town centres
where, because of the distances involved, it may well be appropriate
to make provision just for disabled motorists within the pedestrian arearather than on its periphery.
Increasingly, variable message signs (VMS) are being used to tellpeople whether there are spaces available in public car parks. It would
be helpful if these signs could also show whether there are any
spaces for disabled motorists available as well, as is done at Woluwe
shopping centre in Brussels.
2.7

Longer road journeys

Although much emphasis is, and should be, placed on making the
local road environment accessible and safe for disabled people, theirneeds on longer journeys should not be forgotten. The Federal
Government in Germany, for example, has produced guidelines thatshould ensure that wheelchair users have unimpeded access toemergency telephones and that motorway service areas include
parking spaces for disabled motorists and accessible facilities
including toilets. Where motels are provided they should include
rooms equipped for disabled people.
2.8

Summary

It is important, when considering how to improve the road andpedestrian environment, that the approach should be comprehensive.
The reconstruction of Kralja Milana Street, one of the main streets in
Belgrade, provides an example of this approach, with the provision of
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40 - THE ROAD AND PEDESTRIAN ENVIRONMENT
non-slip pavement surfaces, removal of obstacles (including news
stands and other street clutter), control of irregular car parking on
pavements, provision of well-designed pedestrian crossings, tactile
guidance and warning paths and improved street lighting.

NOTES
1. Footpaths are defined as pedestrian ways without a contiguous road, footways(or pavements) run alongside roads. Design standards will generally apply toboth.
2. “Streets for everybody”, Swedish Association of Local Authorities (1993).
3. “Tactile footway surfaces for the blind”, TRL Contractor Report 257, TRL
Crowthorne, UK (1991).
4. BILOS und Seine Effektivität, Report on a symposium held in Hamburg (1991).
5. “Inclusive Mobility. A Guide to Best Practice on Access to Pedestrian andTransport Infrastructure”, Department for Transport, London (2002).

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3. INFRASTRUCTURE

3.1

Introduction

In Chapter 1, information on national and local transport services
was discussed, but there is increasing provision of more localised
information: guides and maps, for example, of town and city centres
and of terminals and interchanges.
Kaiserslautern (Germany), for example, has produced a city
guide, available in print and on-line which shows the accessibility of
public buildings, health centres, leisure facilities, shops etc.
Redevelopment of existing transport infrastructure often results insignificant changes in accessibility perhaps over a period of years, if
the project is a major one. In Linz (Austria), the central railway station
is being redeveloped as a principal interchange for regional and local
public transport. In order to keep the public informed on the progressof the project a specific homepage has been designed which shows
the current status. The homepage has also been designed for theneeds of blind and partially-sighted people, so it can be read byscreenreaders or via Braille-Lines.
Also in Austria, the city of Graz has provided very detailed tactile
maps of the principal public transport interchange, which facilitateorientation in this fairly large place and helps blind people to find their
way around the interchange.

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Photo 5. Tactile map at main rail station in Nuremberg

Source: Courtesy of Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft (VAG), Germany.

3.2

Getting into the building

The physical location of transport infrastructure - bus stations, rail
stations, etc. – varies enormously: ground level, below ground, above
ground, one level, multi-level and so on.
The basic principles in designing access, however, remain thesame whatever the specific physical characteristics of the building1.
Expressed in a different way, a single step at the entrance to a station
or a kerb without a ramp in the road outside can make the mostcarefully-designed terminal inaccessible to people with certain
disabilities.
Ideally, doors should be avoided at the entrance to the station, but
this is not always feasible, for example for reasons of climate. Where
doors are needed they should be automatic, linked either to a weight
sensor or sensors mounted above the door.

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The clear width of the door(s) once open must be sufficient toallow easy access for anyone, including people in powered
wheelchairs, walking with a helper or pushing a double-buggy.
Recommendations on minimum width vary from one guideline toanother, but to be on the safe side a clear width of 1 200 mm should
be provided. Where double doors are installed each door should be aminimum of 800 mm (or preferably a little more - 830-900 mm) wide.
Glass doors must be marked with a brightly coloured banding atleast 150 mm deep placed with the lower edge of the band between
1 400 and 1 600 mm above ground level. Glass should not be usedbelow a height of 400 mm to avoid damage from pushchairs andwheelchairs. If revolving doors are used, there should always be an
ordinary door as well. Many disabled people, including wheelchairusers, find revolving doors difficult or even impossible to use.
Obviously the way into the building has to be fully accessible andstep free. Where the height change between the pavement or roadoutside and the floor level of the station is comparatively small, a ramp
(in addition to steps) will be adequate. The ramp should have a fairly
shallow gradient, ideally about 1 in 20 certainly no steeper than 1 in
12. The maximum length between level landings, where a wheelchairuser could rest to regain his or her breath, should ideally be no morethan 6 m2 and the ramp itself should be at least 2 000 mm wide, sothat two wheelchair users can pass one another. The level landings
should be at least 1 500 mm long. There should also be clear, levelareas at the start and end of the ramp at least 1 500 mm long and to
the full width of the ramp.
Ramps should be built with handrails on both sides, these being
set at about 850 to 950 mm above the surface of the ramp. The
handrail should be circular in cross-section and about 45 mm indiameter. If fixed to a wall there should be a clear space between rail
and wall of 60 to 70 mm. A second lower handrail, set at 650-700 mm
above the ramp surface, can be helpful for children and people ofreduced stature. Where the ramp is open-sided a tapping rail or kerb
for long cane users should be provided along each (open) side at a

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height of 100 mm. This kerb can also act as a wheel deflector forwheelchair users.
Photo 6. A clearly marked pedestrian way, with dropped kerbs,
through a bus station

Source: Courtesy of Cranfield University, Cranfield School of Management, United Kingdom.

Even where a ramp is provided, there should also be stairs. Somepeople, often those with arthritis and back pain, find it easier to climb
stairs than to use a ramp. In designing any stairs, whether two steps
or twenty, the same principles apply:
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INFRASTRUCTURE -45•

All the steps in a flight should be uniform.

•

The risers should be between 100 and 150 mm high; 130 mm
is preferred.

•

Treads should not be less than 300 mm deep and treated witha non-slip surface.

•Nosings (step edges) should be slightly rounded (6 mmradius) without any overhang and colour contrasted across thefull width of the stair.

•

Risers should be vertical.

•

The minimum width between rails should be 1 200 mm.

•

The maximum rise of a single flight of stairs should be
1 200 mm.

•Rest areas between flights of steps should be at least
1 300 mm long, preferably 1 500 – 1 800 mm.

•

There should be a minimum of three steps in each flight.

•

Handrails (dimensions similar to those mentioned above forramps) should be provided preferably on both sides of thestairs and should extend at least 300 mm beyond the start andfinish of the flight of steps, preferably 600 mm.

•

Approaches to steps should have a tactile “warning surface” toalert blind and partially sighted people.

Open tread staircases should be avoided: some people feelunsafe on them and they are more difficult for visually impaired people
to use.
Where there is a substantial difference in height between the
pavement and the interior of the station or where space is limited aramp may not be appropriate and a lift will have to be provided.
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Photo 7. Open tread stairs are a hazard for many disabled people andshould not be used

Source: Courtesy of Cranfield University, Cranfield School of Management, United Kingdom.

The size of the lift will obviously be dependant on the numbers ofpeople expected to use it but there are minima which must apply if thelift is to be used by a wheelchair passenger.
The European Lift Standard (April 2000) defines minimum internal
dimensions measured between the structural lift car walls. The
standard defines three sizes of lifts with internal dimensions ranging
from 1 000 mm wide by 1 250 mm deep (accommodation for one
wheelchair user) up to 2 000 mm wide by 1 400 mm deep (onewheelchair user plus several other passengers). These are minimum
dimensions and, in fact, the smallest size would not accommodate alarge wheelchair or one in which the occupant had to sit with his or herleg(s) stretched out horizontally. It is therefore recommended that
where space permits the minimum depth should be 1 400 mm(preferably 1 500 – 1 800 mm) and the width should be at least
1 400 mm but preferably 2 000 mm, as shown in the diagram.
The European standard also gives a minimum door width of
900 mm and a clear internal height of 2 300 mm. The door itself
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Photo 8. Lift access to U-Bahn, Munich

Source: Courtesy of Münchner Verkehrsgesellschaft mbH (MVG), Munich, Germany.

should have a height of 2 100 mm. The door width of 900 mm is
acceptable when the lift has facing doors (a roll-through lift) but where
there is only a single door this should be 1 100 mm wide.

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The internal height of the lift should be 2 300 mm, 2 100 mm at
the entrance door.
To allow easy access into and out of the lift there should be aclear space outside the door sufficient for a turning circle of 1 700 mm(minimum 1 500 mm).
The lift call buttons on the outside of the lift should be between
850 mm and 1 200 mm from the floor - similar dimensions should
apply to the control buttons inside the lift. The buttons themselves
should be at least 19 mm across their smallest dimension andprotrude from the wall. Usual convention is for the emergency buttons(call and stop) to be at the bottom of the control panel.
To help visually impaired people, buttons should be labelled withraised characters in both Braille and text and, for all users, there
should be a visual acknowledgement that a call has been registered
and when it has been answered. Pre-recorded announcements ofdirection of travel of the lift and of the floors should be provided.
3.2.1 Escalators
These are not popular with some disabled people: they cannot be
used by people with assistance dogs or, of course, wheelchair users,
but others can and do use them. To make them safer and more userfriendly for ambulant disabled people the direction of travel should beclearly shown at the top and bottom of each flight using red and green
signs. Lighting should be provided near to floor level with a visible
change in lighting at the bottom and top of each flight and edges ofthe ‘steps’ should be clearly marked in a contrasting colour and tone.
The recommended widths for an escalator are between 600 and
1 100 mm, with step heights at a maximum of 240 mm or 210 mm if
the escalator would be used as an emergency exit when stationary.
The steps should form level areas at the top and bottom of theescalator of 2 000 mm and 1 600 mm respectively and there should
be clear level space beyond both ends of the escalator of at least
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2.5 m, substantially more in heavily trafficked places; London
Underground, for example, uses a minimum of 10 m. The moving
handhold on the escalator should be between 900 mm and 1 100 mm
above the nose of the steps. It should be clearly contrasted andshould move synchronously with the escalator. The recommended
running speed for escalators is 0.5 m/second, except where theescalator covers a very substantial change in levels, in which case thespeed may be increased to 0.65 m/second.
Approaches to the top and bottom of escalators should have achange of floor texture or tactile strip to alert blind and partially sighted
people.
3.2.2 Travelators
These are helpful where there are long distances to be traversed
but they should not be at a gradient of more than 1 in 8 (12%). The
speed of movement should be kept low: 0.5 m/second isrecommended. The width should be 1 500 mm and the moving
handrails should be colour contrasted with their surroundings andextend approximately 700 mm beyond the beginning of the walkway.
Travelators can be used by some wheelchair users but may pose
more of a problem for people using walking aids or with an assistancedog, so a parallel passageway should be provided.
3.3

Moving within the building

The size and complexity of transport buildings varies enormously
from small bus and rail stations to huge interchanges and international
airports. Designs for the interiors of those buildings will reflect theirsize, complexity and the numbers of passengers using them, but there
are some design guidelines that should apply whatever the size andtype of terminal.
3.3.1 Wayfinding in buildings
It is difficult for people who are blind or partially sighted to findtheir way through buildings. Comprehensive clear signage will help
some partially sighted people, but not those who have very limited
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vision or who are blind. A system has been developed by the Royal
National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) in the UK called InfraVoice toovercome this problem. InfraVoice signs are placed at junctions within
a building to give information on what is ahead and to the left andright. The signs emit an infrared beam; when the user enters the beam
the user automatically picks up a message on his or her personal
receiver. The information, which can only be heard by the user, issimilar in content to that which appears on visual signs, so enabling
the user to find his or her way through the building.
The InfraVoice system has been installed at a number of locationsin the UK and is being trialled at railway stations in Paris and Lyon. It
can be used with the RNIB React system mentioned earlier(Section 2.5).
Photo 9. Interiors with complex design schemes can be confusing
for people with impaired vision

Source: Courtesy of Cranfield University, Cranfield School of Management, United Kingdom.
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INFRASTRUCTURE -Photo 10. The Apex transmitter signals
intention to board vehicle

51

In Prague a systemcalled Apex has beendeveloped that enables apassenger to activate
audible information about
approaching trams andbuses by means of a
specially designed
transmitter. This systemallows people to inform thedriver that they intend toboard the vehicle.
3.3.2 Pedestrian
clearways

As a general principle,
station furniture should bedesigned to minimise
obstruction to the mainpedestrian flows. Facilities
Source: Courtesy of Dopravni podnik hl.m.Prahy, a.s.,such as telephones,
Prague, Czech Republic.
vending machines, seating,litter bins, etc. should all be placed in such a way that, although easy
to see and to reach, they do not obtrude into the pedestrian flow
corridors.
At a minimum there should be a 2 000 mm pedestrian footway
clear of all obstacles. It should include a directional tactile surface tohelp blind people (and appropriate warnings of any changes in level)
and any station furniture or structural features such as columns
supporting the roof in the vicinity must be in contrast (colour and tone)
to their surroundings. If there are columns in the main pedestrian flow
corridor, they should be marked with two horizontal bands 140 to
160 mm wide, preferably of alternative yellow and black stripes, withthe lower band 800 mm from the ground and the upper one
1 600 mm. For secondary circulation spaces such as short passages
to toilets, offices or service areas a reduced width (minimum
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1 200 mm) may be acceptable. Footways should have a clear
overhead height of 2 300 mm.
It is essential, particularly in the large complex buildings, that
good directional signage is provided. It should be clear, easily visible
and capable of being understood by passengers with intellectual
disabilities.
3.3.3 Facilities and services
Buying a ticket
Where there is a ticket office it should:•

Have one position suitable for wheelchair users (and people ofreduced stature) with a desk height of between 75 and85 mm. There should be sufficient clear knee space below thecounter for wheelchair users to come right up to the counter.
Photo 11. Check-in facility for wheelchair users at Oslo airport

Source: Courtesy of the Norwegian Association of the Disabled.

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All positions where there is a security screen between theticket salesman and passenger should have an induction loop.

•

Handrails along the queuing positions which passengers who
find it difficult to stand can lean against.

•

Counter tops should have a lighting level of 250 lux.

These guidelines also apply to information offices and desks.
Photo 12. All operable parts of ticket machines must be reachable
by wheelchair users

Source: Courtesy of the Department for Transport, United Kingdom.
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Many terminals, whether or not they have a ticket office, will haveticket machines. The scope for designing these so that they areawkward to use is immense and frequently used. As with ticket offices,
designers should remember that wheelchair passengers will want to
use the machines; therefore, none of the operating elements of themachine - push buttons, coin/note slots, ticket dispenser should be
more than 1 200 mm from the ground.
Operating buttons should be at least 19-20 mm in diameter,
protrude sufficiently to enable use by people who use palm pressure
and contrast in colour from the face of the machine.
Tickets and change should be easy to retrieve for people whohave limited manual dexterity.
Instructions on how to use the machine, and the process ofactually using it, must be kept simple and clear. Ideally this should bejust a three-stage process: choose ticket - tender fare - collect ticket(and change if any). To assist people with intellectual disabilities, theway to use the machine should be shown by symbols and illustrations.
The face of the ticket machine should be well lit (200 lux).
The Swedish Consumers’ Association (Sveriges Konsumentrad)
has recently produced a comprehensive report on accessible service
machines, which includes ticket machines. The report points out that it
is often easy to eliminate design features which make the use ofmachines difficult or impossible for disabled people. Examples include
poor lighting, a small display or font size and lack of contrast. The
report goes on to suggest that it should be possible to standardise thebasic features of ticket machines such as the design of the keypad,
the location of various controls and the dialogue with the machine.
Many transport systems require tickets to be validated before thejourney is started. Much the same principles apply to validation
machines: they must be clearly identified and within reach ofpassengers in wheelchairs.

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Where there are ticket barriers at least one gate should beavailable at all times for use by wheelchair passengers, people withguide dogs and others with heavy luggage or pushchairs. Ticket slots
in barriers must be clearly visible.
There have been a number of recent developments in ticketing
which are helpful for older and disabled people. In a number of places
electronic “smart card” ticket systems are used (for example in Belfast,
UK and Tampere, Finland) which can automatically provide different
fares for a given journey (e.g. concessionary fares for disabled
people, war veterans etc).
An interesting innovative system has been introduced by the
public transport operator Translink (Northern Ireland) on its Easibus
service in Bangor. For disabled and older people there is a travel clubwhich they can join if they wish the bus driver to know what assistancethey might need when using the Easibus. Each member of the club(which is free to join) receives a colour-coded card which, whenshown to the driver, indicates the type of disability the holder has, e.g.
orange card = walking difficultly, yellow card = sight difficulty etc).
3.3.4 Waiting for buses, trains, etc.
A lot of disabled and older people find standing for any length oftime uncomfortable or even impossible, so providing seating at
appropriate points throughout the terminal is very important. It is worth
remembering that some of the distances people have to negotiate
within a terminal are considerable. At Heathrow Airport interchange
passengers may have to walk as far as 1.3 m between gate areas.
Research by Leeds University3 found that only 40% of wheelchairusers and 20% of ambulant disabled people using walking sticks
could manage to walk 180 m without a rest. Quite large proportions of
the ambulant disabled could not manage more than 60 to 70 mwithout a rest.

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Therefore, as a general guide, seating should be located so thatpeople don’t have to walk more than about 50 to 60 m without theopportunity to sit down and rest for a moment.
There are a lot of different types of seating, some more suitable
than others for people with different kinds of disability. There are five
broad types of seat:
1. Perch-type seats against which passengers can lean or “halfsit” for a short period of time. They require minimal
maintenance, take up very little space and are attractive tosome passengers with arthritis, stiff joints or back problems
who find it difficult to get up from a low seat.
2. “Flip-up” seats, which also have the advantage of saving
space and do not become wet when it rains.
3. The traditional wooden bench, with end (and possible
intermediate) armrests, is more comfortable for sitting on forextended periods than either the perch-type or the “flip-up”
seat. Wood is a relatively “warm” and non-slip surface whichdries quickly and does not encourage vandalism.
4. Wire-mesh or perforated metal seats installed in rows fulfil
largely the same role as the traditional bench. A brightlycoloured coating (possibly the provider’s corporate colour
scheme) helps visually impaired passengers and makes theseats less cold and slippery. Arms help passengers to get up
from the seat.
5. For indoor waiting rooms where there is not a serious problem
with vandals, a more expensive form of upholstered seating
can be provided.
Seat heights should be about 450 to 480 mm (and not less than
420 mm) for conventional seating, about 550 to 600 mm for flip-up
seats and about 700 to 800 mm for perch-type seats. If possible andspace permits the three basic types of seating should all be provided.
Whatever type of seating provided, sharp edges and corners should
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INFRASTRUCTURE -be avoided, and for conventional seating, arm rests should be
provided at a height of 200 mm above the seat.
Photo 13. A simple bus shelter with seating in Grenoble

Source: Courtesy of the Syndicat Mixte des Transports en Commun de l’agglomération grenobloise,
Grenoble, France.
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At terminals where passengers are likely to wait for quite a longtime, enclosed waiting rooms should be provided. They should beheated/air conditioned, free of draughts but well-ventilated and haveeasy access doors. Most importantly, both visual and audible
information should be relayed to all waiting rooms.
3.3.5 Refreshment facilities
Many terminals have restaurants, cafés and bars but not always
designed with the needs of disabled people in mind. Key design
criteria include:•

Gangways and spaces between tables sufficient to allow
wheelchair access: 1 300 mm, if possible.

•

Tables designed for wheelchair users with space under thetable for adequate leg room – approximately 700 mm high,
500 mm deep and 600 mm wide. This means a table-top
height of about 730 mm.

•

Furniture, trays and crockery that contrast with theirsurroundings.

There seems to be an increase in refreshment rooms designedwith fixed furniture - seats and tables. If designers really insist on
doing this, some spaces must be left for wheelchair users to sit at atable.
3.3.6 Toilets
It is most important that terminals and stations and other transport- related buildings used by the public should have toilets for disabled
people. These should be designed to accommodate people inwheelchairs. There are usually national building regulations which
specify the design standards for toilets for disabled people, but there
are common requirements:•

A wide, easily opened door (minimum clear width of 925 mm).

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Sufficient space for a wheelchair user to manoeuvre inside the
cubicle.

•Space around the lavatory to enable the wheelchair user totransfer from front or side from wheelchair to lavatory.

•

Hand-washing and drying facilities within reach from thelavatory.

•

Sufficient space for a helper to assist in the transfer.

The overall size of the toilet cubicle depends on whether it has acorner or central WC. The latter allows the user to transfer from rightor left on to the lavatory or from the front and needs overall
dimensions of 2 800 mm width by 2 200 mm length. A corner layout,which allows transfer from either left or right, requires less space:
1 500 mm width by 2 200 mm length. The lavatory seat height should
be 480 mm, with firm hinged (drop down) support rails on the transfer
side(s). Wash basins should have a height of 720-740 mm (maximum
800 mm) and hand dryers, soap dispensers should be at a height ofapproximately 850 mm. Each toilet should have an emergency alarmor call for assistance cord that is easy to reach and operate.
As a general rule toilets for disabled people should be no lessavailable than ordinary toilets for able-bodied people.
3.3.7 Other infrastructure
The previous sections have dealt with relatively large andcomplex infrastructure, but there are other, smaller types of transport
infrastructure that need to be designed carefully.
Bus and tram stops may be no more than a pole with a timetableboard attached (sometimes not even that) but bearing in mind thatpeople do have to wait at them, sometimes for more than just a minuteor two, the following should be taken into account:

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Shelters to keep the worst of the weather off waiting
passengers are helpful, but they should be designed so thatpeople inside them can see the approaching bus or tram.

•

They should be lit, or if that is not possible, situated in a well-lit
area.

•

Modern shelters often make use of glazed areas, which isgood from the point of view of increasing ambient light inthem, but can make them a hazard for people with impaired
vision. Where glazing is used, a bold, brightly coloured band
140 to 160 mm wide should be placed on the glazing about
1 500 mm from the ground.

•

Seating should be provided, ideally some at the conventionalheight (450 mm) and some perch seating (700 to 800 mm
high - see Section 3.3.4).

•

Timetable information should be provided at a height ofbetween 1 000 mm and 1 700 mm from the ground - this reallyshould be lit, if at all possible.

•

To assist people with intellectual disabilities, timetables shouldmake use of symbols and illustrations.

Whether or not a shelter is provided, timetable information should
be given perhaps on the pole which also has the bus or tram stop flag.
The flag itself should contain the route numbers of the services using
the stop in clear bold numbers on a contrasting background (black on
white or dark blue on yellow). The numbers should be at least 50 mhigh and the flag itself should be a minimum of 450 mm wide by
400 mm high. The bottom of the flag should be no lower (but not muchhigher) than 2 500 mm from ground level. If services using the stop
are fully accessible, the international wheelchair symbol can be usedon the timetable information.

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3.4

61

Boarding the vehicle

3.4.1 Bridging the gap
The previous sections have discussed ways in which it is possible
to improve a journey through rail, bus stations and other termini.
Before moving on to consider the vehicles themselves, there is thematter of bridging the gap between the platform or pavement and thevehicle itself.
For able-bodied people a step up or across, say from platform totrain is, at worst, a mild inconvenience: a slightly greaterinconvenience if encumbered with heavy luggage but still not too
difficult. For a person who can only walk with difficulty or who uses awheelchair a relatively small gap may simply be non-negotiable. For a
person who is visually-impaired it may be dangerous.
Research has shown that virtually all ambulant disabled people
can manage a step height of 200 mm4. However, particularly whenboarding a heavy rail vehicle, there is a horizontal gap that has to benegotiated as well as the vertical step. Recent research for the UK
Department for Transport5 found that the step height and gap width
when added together should not exceed 200 mm. While keeping tothis dimension helps people with walking difficulties it is much toolarge to be negotiated by a wheelchair user without assistance.
Research for the design of the South Yorkshire Supertram6 showedthat the maximum horizontal gap possible for wheelchair users was
45 mm and the maximum vertical gap was 20 mm.
In an ideal system the design should be such that the interface
between the platform and the boarding/alighting point on the vehicle whether bus, tram or train - meets this standard. In practice this isoften not possible though there is no reason why it should not be
achieved in newly-built systems.

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Photo 14. Direct train/platform access for wheelchair users

Source: Courtesy of the Department for Transport, United Kingdom.

An increasing number of bus stops are being built as raised bus
boarders - raised to the height of the entrance of the bus when the(air) suspension is knelt - usually about 240 to 250 mm. For example,
in Euskirchen and Hürth (Germany) kerbs at many bus stops havebeen raised to 240 mm, while in Dresden they have been raised to
230 mm, which give virtually step-free access onto the vehicle. In
Mâcon (France), kerbs at bus stops are raised to 210 mm, giving ahorizontal gap of 200 mm (maximum) and a vertical gap of 110 mm.
Provided the bus is able to draw up close and parallel to the bus
boarder, a wheelchair user will be able to board or alight without
assistance. A common problem which prevents this is the existence ofcars parked at or close to the stop. This can be overcome by using
cape-type bus stops, but these are still few and far between and forother reasons, such as interference with general traffic flow, may notalways be appropriate.
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The alternative then is to provide a ramp to bridge the gap
between bus (or tram/light rapid transit). A raised boarding platform isstill an advantage when a ramp is used because it reduces thegradient. Research in 19997 suggested that the maximum gradient fora short ramp of this kind - about one metre in length - should not be
more than 1 in 11 (9%) for self-propelling wheelchair users. Powered
wheelchair users can manage steeper gradients: 1 in 6 (17%) is
generally acceptable. The report prepared by COST 322 recommends
a gradient of 13% up to a ramp length of one metre, but this may be
too steep for manual wheelchair users unless they have assistance.
More recent UK standards recommend a maximum of 1 in 10 (10%)
for ramps up to 600 mm in length.
There are various types of ramp, in ascending order of cost:•

Manual demountable: carried on the bus and put in position
when required.

•

Manual: usually a “book leaf” type which is folded out by thedriver or attendant.

•

Powered: electro-mechanical.

The decision on which type should be used will depend on theamount of use expected as well as the cost. Manual ramps will only beappropriate for lightly used bus services; for those with heavier use
and for rail-based vehicles powered ramps should be provided.
One consequence of the use of a ramp is that there must be
sufficient space on the boarding area to allow the ramp to be fully
extended and for the wheelchair users to manoeuvre onto or off theend of it. A minimum space (width) of 2.5 m is recommended.
The newest light rail rolling stock operated by the Swiss Federal
Railways is fitted with GPS-controlled sliding steps. This systemenables the steps to be adjusted to the relative platform
height/distance from the vehicle at each station, thus minimising thetrain-platform gap.
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Enabling wheelchair users to board buses and trains is perhaps
the most obvious feature of local transport accessibility, but the needsof blind and partially sighted people must also be taken into account.
Their difficulties are not, generally, physical access but relate toactually identifying the vehicle and finding the vehicle door. In Mâcon,distinctive paving stones are placed on the boarding area at thelocation of the forward door of the bus. In Prague, a sophisticatedacoustic system (APEX) has been developed for blind people, whichenables them to identify, when a bus or a train is approaching, which
service it is (route and destination) and to inform the driver, if theywish to board the vehicle.
3.4.2 Heavy rail
The vertical gaps between buses, light rapid transit and theirplatforms are usually quite small, but this does not apply to someheavy rail systems. In the UK and Ireland railway station platforms
have generally been built to a greater height than elsewhere in Europe
and it is possible to provide wheelchair access by means of a portable
ramp. Use of it does, of course, require the presence of station or ontrain staff who can deploy the ramp. Where staff are known to bepresent there is no reason why a disabled traveller should need togive advance notice of his or her journey. However, where stations areeither unstaffed or only staffed part of the time, advance notice of theneed for assistance will be necessary.
Elsewhere in Europe the vertical distance platform to rail carriage
is often too great for a ramp to be used. A number of train operators
now use mobile platform lifts - for example at French, Dutch, Austrian,
Italian and Swiss stations. Prototype train-mounted lifts have beendeveloped and tested, notably in the Netherlands and in the longer
term this method may be preferable to station-based lifts. The Swiss
and Austrian lifts, for example, are hand operated and can deal with aheight difference of 1.5 m but, as the Helios8 report noted, the use of
the lift is “a little scary for passengers with vertigo”. Further examples
of provision for wheelchair access to trains are provided under the SJ
Swedish State Railways programme for measures to assist disabled
people, including both platform and train-based lifts.9 In Germany
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Deutsche Bahn AG is working on the design of a train-based boarding
aid and some local and regional train carriages are now fitted withthese boarding aids. In Hofheim, for example, the Rhein-MainVerkehrsverbund has modified 37 train carriages with lifts and toilets
for disabled travellers. In France, an on-board lift is the subject of
current research, including the feasibility of fitting lifts into existing
trains. It is expected that new trains will have on-board lifts fitted abinitio.
In Italy, the national rail operator (Trenitalia) has recently
introduced a mobile electric vehicle, rather like a golf buggy, which
incorporates a lift for wheelchair passengers. The vehicle has two
ordinary seats (one for the driver and the other for a passenger)
together with a special platform for the wheelchair user. There is also
space for luggage. The platform is employed as a lift, with a maximum
rise of 1 100 mm, to enable the wheelchair passenger to board thetrain. The vehicle has been tested at Rome Termini Station, and it isexpected to be put into operation at other main stations in the Italianrail network by the end of 2006.
Some organizations representing disabled people believe that
only on-train solutions can offer satisfactory access in the long term.
However, an extensive review of access to rail vehicles (light andheavy rail) carried out in Germany concluded that there is no longterm viable alternative for regional services to gradually adapting(raising) platform heights and lowering vehicle floor heights inconjunction with automatic gap-bridging devices (attached to thevehicle) or platform ramps. It is worth mentioning that this study foundthat the cost of a lift fitted to the rail vehicle was approximately fivetimes that of one fitted on the platform (€20 000 versus €4 100).
Netherlands rail services have also experimented with train-installed
lifts, but again have found that although useful for wheelchair users
they are expensive. However, Finland rail services have used train
mounted lifts for a considerable time and there they are considered to
be a viable system. In the Netherlands it has been decided to use a
uniform height of 84 cm from the top of the rail for all new rail
platforms. Consideration is being given to bringing existing platforms
up to this level along the busiest rail corridors. Whether the access
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means used is a lift on the train or a mobile ramp, safety concerns
require that they should be operated by railway staff, where there are
significant vertical or horizontal gaps.
Photo 15. Trenitalia wheelchair lift for rail passengers

Source: Courtesy of Soc. Trenitalia – BU Passeggeri Nazionale ed Internazionale – Assistenza (clienti
disabili), Rome, Italy.

3.4.3 Getting onto aircraft
Airports are designed with the need for easy movement bywheeled luggage trolleys and so are generally convenient forwheelchair passengers to move around, but problems can arise whenit comes to boarding the aircraft.
At larger airports, with medium size or bigger aircraft, access fromgateroom to the aircraft is by jetty which will be step-free: the problem
arises with smaller aircraft or where there is no jetty system. However,there are stair-climber devices available to help people who are
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unable to manage steps. The AAT system, which is in use at Stansted
and Glasgow (UK) airports, enables a user to sit on the seat (ortransfer to it from their wheelchair): attendants can then move them up
or down the steps to and from the aircraft.
An alternative to this is a “bus” which raises itself to the height ofthe plane door; examples are at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport and at
Washington Dulles.
A further alternative for access to smaller (commuter) type aircraftis the use of a low-level loading bridge of the type developed in
Canada and suitable for use with aircraft such as Dash 8’s,
SAAB 340’s and BAe 146’s. The loading bridge, which would be usedby all passengers, is electrically operated, provides smooth step-freeaccess and has contrasting lighting to assist visually impaired
passengers.
3.4.4 Other features
On all rail platforms, there must be a tactile warning strip laidparallel to the edge of the platform with a width of 400 mm and set
back at least 500 mm (preferably 600-700 mm) from the platform
edge. The edge of the platform should also be clearly marked with acontrasting colour, usually white or yellow.
The surface of the platform should be non-slip and should nothave a cross-fall greater than that needed to ensure good drainage(usually 1:30 or 1:40). That slope should be away from the tram ortrain in order to avoid accidental rolling of wheelchairs or prams onto
the rails10.
Many platforms, whether for trams, trains or buses, will have otherfurniture on them. Where this is the case, furniture such as ticket
machines, litterbins, seating should be placed so as to leave anunobstructed area of two metres width along the boarding edge of theplatform. If the platform is open and raised, it should have railings or
fencing of some kind along its rear edge and this should include akerb or “kicking board” which can help long-care users. This board
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should be 150 mm in depth with the top of it 200 mm above theplatform surface.
Large and complex platforms should include a tactile map at theirentrance (as on some stations on the Brussels metro) which blind
people can use to orientate themselves.
A good level of lighting should be provided on boarding areas andelsewhere in stations and terminals. Based on the recommendationsof COST 335 the following levels should be provided:
Platform:

optimum 100 lux; standard 50 lux;
minimum 20 lux

Stairs:standard 120 lux (more intense at
beginning and end)

Ramps:

standard 50 lux; 100 lux at beginningand end (possibly adapted tosurroundings)

Underpass:

optimum 100 lux; standard 50 lux

Station Environment:

optimum 100 lux; standard 50 lux;
minimum 20 lux (e.g. car drop-offzone).

Good lighting, apart from being essential for people with low
vision, also gives a greater feeling of personal security for all
passengers. It should be designed to obviate any dark areas orcorners and with gradual transition from light to less light areas.
Wherever possible, buildings should be designed to make maximum
use of natural lighting, though care should be taken to minimise glareand strong reflections off surfaces.
Maintenance of the infrastructure is important. Lighting should be
kept in full working order, pedestrian surfaces including tactile paving
should be kept in good condition, otherwise the value of the provisions
to assist disabled people will be diminished.
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INFRASTRUCTURE -Photo 16. Tactile information wall panel, Brussels

Source: Courtesy of Société des Transports Intercommunaux de Bruxelles (STIB), Belgium.

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70 - INFRASTRUCTURE
NOTES
1. There are a number of publications which provide detailed guidance on thedesign of accessible buildings related to transport. These include:“Barrierefreier ÖPNV in Deutschland”, Verband Deutscher
Verkehrsunternchmen (April 2003).
“Inclusive Mobility. A Guide to Best Practice on Access to Pedestrian andTransport Infrastructure”, Philip R Oxley, Mobility and Inclusion Unit, Department
for Transport UK (2002).
2. There is some variation between countries on this distance. In France andSweden, the recommended maximum is 10 m; in the USA, it is 12 m for a
1 in 20 gradient, 9 m if the gradient is steeper. The Netherlands railway station
standard is a maximum 8 m for a 1 in 16 gradient, while the recommended
maximum by the German Federal Ministry of Transport is 6 m.
3. “Ergonomic standards for disabled people in pedestrian areas: results from
Leeds observation work 1988/89”, Transport Research Laboratory Working
Paper, TRL, Crowthorne, UK (July 1989).
4. Flores JL, and Minaire P, “Epidémiologie du handicap: étude fonctionnelle d’une
population”, LESCO, INRETS, Lyon, 1986 and also Oxley PR, and Benwell M,“An experimental study of the use of buses by elderly and disabled people”,
Transport Research Report 33, TRL, Crowthorne, UK (1985).
5. “Significant Steps – Summary”, Department for Transport, London (2004).
6. Fowkes A, Gallon C and Oxley P.R., “Supertram Ergonomic Study”, Cranfield
University 1992.
7. Oxley PR, Alexander J, Barham P and Wood N. “Phase II Study for Mobility”,
Cranfield University (1999).
8. “The Design and Operation of Accessible Public Transport Systems”, HELIOS
Report (November 1996).
9. See COST 335 “Passengers’ accessibility of heavy rail systems” (p. 123),
Brussels (October 1997).
10. See P79, “Principles for Travel Centre Design”, Ministry of Transport andCommunications, Finland (1997).

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4. VEHICLES

Although private car ownership and use is increasing among all
sectors of the population, it tends to be below average for disabled
and older people. Thus the provision of accessible public transport
vehicles is of particular importance to people in these groups.
Many countries have produced detailed regulations andguidelines on the design of accessible public transport vehicles:
examples of these are quoted in the following sections of this chapter
and in the References. For some modes there are European
Commission Directives which, inter alia, set standards for accessible
design and there are also detailed design guidelines prepared under
the EC’s COST initiative, which include low-floor buses, coaches andtrains.
The CEN/CENELEC Workshop 16 has recently (2004) publisheda report on the design of accessible public transport systems which
covers all collective transport1. It is intended to provide guidance towriters of relevant standards relating to collective transport on how totake account of all passengers with reduced mobility, especially older
people and people with disabilities. The scope of the guidance isbroad, covering transport-related infrastructure as well as the vehicles
themselves.
The detailed means by which public transport can be made fully
accessible will obviously vary depending on the type of vehicle – bus,coach, rail carriage etc – which is being considered. However, there
are some issues which apply to all types, particularly measuresneeded to ensure that people with learning or cognitive difficulties canuse these transport services. The key areas include communication of
information both before and during journeys; clear unambiguous
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72 - VEHICLES
signage both in vehicles and at stations, terminals etc; simple
instructions on the use of equipment such as ticket machines; travel
training for people with learning or cognitive difficulties and training forstaff in how to communicate with, and offer appropriate help to people
with these disabilities.
There are a number of sources of information and guidance on
how to make transport services usable by people with cognitive
impairments. These include papers produced by Inclusion Europe2,
the European Commission’s MAPLE project3, UNAPEI4, Mental
Health Europe5, Mencap6 and the Disability Rights Commission7.
4.1

Buses and Coaches

For many people with limited access to a private car, buses areusually the most frequently used mode of public transport. Many
countries have been progressively improving the design of buses formany years; initially with changes intended to help ambulant disabled
people, subsequently (in some countries) with designs that enablepeople in wheelchairs to use them.
In Germany, for example, over 80% of all buses ordered by themembers of the Association of German Transport Operators are lowfloor, usually with a kneeling device and a ramp. In Greece, low-floor
trolley buses have been ordered for the Athens area. The UK
legislation is in place to require all new buses and coaches to beaccessible. In London all buses are now low-floor wheelchair
accessible vehicles since early 2006.
It is worth distinguishing between buses and coaches because thebasic designs of these vehicles are rather different and therefore have
implications for the methods by which full accessibility can beachieved. It is also sensible to distinguish between design guidelinesthat assist ambulant disabled and sensory-impaired people and thosethat make wheelchair access possible.
The essential difference between buses and coaches is the floor
height. Even quite old designs of buses did not have floor heights
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more than about three-quarters of a metre, while coaches, especiallythose used for holiday tours and excursions have floor levels well inexcess of one metre.
Photo 17. Ramp access to a bus in Grenoble

Source: Courtesy of the Syndicat Mixte des Transports en Commun de l’agglomération grenobloise(SMTC), Grenoble, France.

Modern designs for buses used on local and some inter-urban
services have become progressively lower until the point has beenreached at which it is possible to board with just one step and for a
substantial part of the interior then to be step free. In turn this meansthat it is then possible, with the use of a small ramp at a comparatively
shallow gradient, for a wheelchair passenger to board the vehicle.8
Because of the high floor of modern coaches, ramped access is
not practical. Access for wheelchair users has to be by lift, which has
implications for both vehicle design and costs.
The EC initiative, COST 349, has recently completed (October2005) its research into the design of wheelchair accessible coaches.
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74 - VEHICLESIn addition to reviewing conventional lift-equipped coaches, COST 349
also examined some innovative designs. One of these (Wrightbus,
N.I.) has a low-floor section at the front end of the vehicle, by thedriver, where there is wheelchair space with a few passenger seats
just one step up. This area, because it is low-floor, can be accessedby a ramp. Prototype vehicles have been trialled in service in Northern
Ireland since late 2004.
Photo 18. Manual ramp on a low-floor bus

Source: Courtesy of Bernmobil, Bern, Switzerland.

Alternative designs, in which a wheelchair lift is provided at thefront entrance of the vehicle are now in production. Although there are
relatively few accessible coach services in operation at the moment,
there are such services operating in Sweden where the coaches carrygoods as well as passengers, in Spain (Badajoz-Alicante) and in the
UK (Bath-Heathrow-London). Badajoz has also introduced (in July
2000) what is believed to be the first scheduled international
accessible service between Badajoz and Evora in Portugal.

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The Bus and Coach Directive (2001/85/EC) which came into force
in Member States in August 2003, requires that new urban buses(Class I) should be fully accessible, though the date from which thatwill apply is a matter for each member country.
Until new buses which are compliant with the Directive are
acquired, features that can be implemented to improve access to nonaccessible buses include the measures set out below (4.1.1). The
following sub-section (4.1.2) outlines the design requirements forbuses that are fully (wheelchair) accessible.
4.1.1 Measures to assist ambulant disabled people
For people with impaired sight:•

Clear marking of the edge of any steps (contrasting band on
leading edge of step).

•

Colour contrasted hand rails and stanchions.

•

Colour contrasted bell pushes.

•

Audible announcements (of next step, terminus, etc.).

•

Audible announcements at bus stops of service
number/destination of the next bus (see 3.3.1).

•

Adequate space in the priority seating for guide dogs.

For ambulant disabled people:•

Any interior steps to be between 120 mm and 200 mm and allof the same height (± 10 mm).

•

Gangway width to be a minimum of 450 mm (preferably
550 mm as recommended by the French organization
COLITRAH (now COLIAC) ) up to a height of 900 mm above
the floor increasing to a width of 550 mm at a height of
1 400 mm above the floor.

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76 - VEHICLES•Stanchions / handrails to be at intervals of no more than
1 050 mm apart down the length of the bus (COLITRAH(COLIAC) recommends a minimum of 1 000 mm).

•

Bell pushes within reach of a seated passenger (1 2001 400 mm above the floor).

•

Priority seating with a minimum clear space of 650 mm(720 mm is recommended by VDV in Germany); this gives
sufficient space for people with stiff legs to get in and out andsit down easily.

•

Compulsory kneeling of low-floor vehicles at all stops, as, forexample, in Munster (Germany).

For hearing impaired people:•

Visual display “bus stopping”.

•

Visual display of name of next stop.

In general, all surfaces should be slip resistant and all entrancesand exits should be well lit and have appropriately placed hand rails.
Photo 19. Colour contrasts in bus interior

Source: Courtesy of Department for Transport, United Kingdom.
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4.1.2 Measures to assist wheelchair users•

Minimum gangway width from entrance to wheelchair space of
750 mm, preferably 800 mm or more (see also 4.1.1).

•

A wheelchair space, clearly marked as such, with a flat
surface without obstacles and with minimum dimensions of
1 300 mm x 750 mm as well as space to manoeuvre.

•

It is safer for the wheelchair passenger to sit with his or herback to the direction of travel; there should be a back rest
(from 350 mm to 1 400 mm in height, 300 mm wide) against
which the wheelchair can rest, a horizontal rail at a height of
850 mm -1 000 mm to one side of the space and a bell pushwithin easy reach. On the gangway side there should be adevice (for example a stanchion) to prevent the wheelchairswinging into the gangway.

•

The general consensus is that on low-floor buses, there is noneed for the wheelchair and occupant to be secured.

4.1.3 High floor coaches
Unlike low-floor buses, where a wheelchair passenger can wheel
directly in from the boarding area, access onto a high-floor single-deckcoach has to be by lift. There are some double-deck coaches, forexample those used in Sweden, where access to the lower deck can
be by ramp.
Where a lift is used, it should be integral with the coach. A
possible alternative to an integral lift is a stair climber, though theusual step configuration at coach entrances makes this a difficult
option to design in to a coach. Using a stair climber would mean thatthe wheelchair passenger would have to transfer to a boarding chair(similar to that used on aircraft and some trains) to get to a seat. The
integral lift can be designed so that the passenger travels in his or her
own wheelchair, which is an advantage for some who find transferring
difficult or painful. The US evaluation9 of these systems show,
however, that the integral lift is the most expensive option.
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78 - VEHICLESPhoto 20. Access onto a high-floor coach is possible with an on-board lift

Source: Courtesy of Department for Transport, United Kingdom.

As mentioned earlier (Section 4.1) the COST 349 initiative will
provide further and detailed guidance on wheelchair accessible
coaches and their associated infrastructure. The draft report contains
recommendations on:
1. Vehicle features, including entrances and exits, seating,wheelchair access, handrails and handholds, lighting andinformation on the coach.

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2. Infrastructure, including the design of coach/bus stops,
stations and interchanges, facilities at stops and stations,security, lighting and guidance on the use of access audits.
3. Information for passengers both before and during the journey
and training requirements for operators’ staff.
4. Costs and benefits of providing fully accessible coaches.
Photo 21. High-floor coach with ramp access to low-floor area

Source: Courtesy of the Ministerie van Verkeer en Waterstaat, The Netherlands.

4.2

Taxis

Taxis can provide a vital link in the transport chain for the disabled
and older traveller. The ECMT and the International Road Transport
Union (IRU) launched a joint project on Improving Access to Taxis in
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80 - VEHICLES
2005 to explore together with industry the different aspects ofaccessible taxis and their design. This work follows up to their earlier
joint study, published in 2001, on the economics of operating
accessible taxis10.
The 2001 report recognised that there was no single universal
solution to designing an accessible taxi, but, because this mode isvery important for many disabled people, vehicle manufacturers
should be encouraged by governments to address accessibility in thedesign of all taxis. Regional and local authorities should be
encouraged to secure the provision of accessible taxi services in theirareas and to consider whether there might be justification for direct orindirect subsidies to enable disabled people to use them where there
is no accessible alternative.
Whether the decision is to have all taxis fully accessible or only aproportion, it should be possible to define some design standards
which when applied will ensure that whatever the type of vehicle, it willmeet requirements for wheelchair access and for easy use by otherdisabled people.
Various different strategies have been adopted by European
countries in the development of accessible taxis but they can bebroadly divided into two groups:
i. A proportion of the taxi fleet is made fully accessible, usuallyby the use of minivan-based vehicles, with the remainder ofthe fleet being ordinary saloon cars (e.g. in Finland).
ii. Requiring that all taxis, whether purpose-built or based onminivans or multi-purpose vehicles should become, in due
course, fully accessible (as in the UK).
A number of research studies on the design of accessible taxis
have been undertaken, the most recent being work commissioned by
the UK Department for Transport11. Key findings from this research
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1. Doorways through which a wheelchair passenger can enter:
minimum 1 595 mm high and 850 mm wide.
2. A step height of 100 mm.
3. Ramps of no more than 1 000 mm length, giving a gradient of
no more than 7% (approx.1 in 14), ideally 5% (1 in 20).
4. Minimum unobstructed space for a wheelchair passenger in aside entry taxi of 1 300 mm wide by 1 340 mm long.
5. Minimum roof height of 1 625 mm.
6. All taxis to have a powered swivel seat (particularly helpful for
older people with arthritis or similar conditions who find it
difficult to get into a fixed seat).
7. Seat heights in the range 430 mm to 460 mm.
There are a number of other requirements including colour
contrasted hand holds, positions and dimensions of grab handles andlighting levels.
In Spain, the C.E.A.P.A.T. technical guidelines also include a
recommended 1 350 mm minimum height and 800 mm width foraccess to a taxi and a space 1 200 mm x 700 mm (800 mm, if
possible) with headroom of 1 400 mm for the wheelchair space. Thus
it can be seen that there is already some degree of agreement
between countries on minimum acceptable standards for taxis.
There are some good examples of accessible taxis based onconversions of small vans, for example, Fiat Scudo in Spain, but inmost places in most countries good examples of fully accessible taxis
are few and far between. Passenger safety for wheelchair users mustalso be considered. Unlike low-floor buses, where it may not be
judged necessary to secure passenger and wheelchair, it is essential
to do this in taxis. It is also most important that wheelchair passengers
should travel facing either forwards or backwards but never sideways.
Training in disability awareness is very important in order to ensure
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82 - VEHICLESthat disabled passengers are correctly seated and carried in safety.
Training is discussed in Section 7.4.
Photo 22. Taxis can be designed or modified to carry wheelchair passengers

Source: Courtesy of Department for Transport, United Kingdom.

4.3

Trams and light rail

Trams are operated in many continental European cities. Someare still of the traditional relatively high floor design, not easily used byambulant disabled people and completely inaccessible to wheelchairusers. However, they are gradually being replaced by modern
designs, for example, those developed in Germany (where about halfof cities and towns with trams have low-floor vehicles) and in France.
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Ultra-low floor trams have been developed (e.g. in France, theTramway Saint-Denis-Bobigny and the Tram Val-de-Seine) which
provide wheelchair access without ramps or lifts, but low floor versions
usually do require a boarding aid. The tram system in Grenoble,
France, uses vehicles with a (minimum) floor height of 350 mm andwith ramp access available at the centre door. The new train system in
Dublin (LUAS) provides level boarding with a minimum gap at theplatform edge. Each vehicle has two designated wheelchair spaces
and a further eight seats designated for mobility impaired people.
Light rail or light rapid transit represents a half-way house
between tram and traditional heavy rail. It is normally built to the samegauge as heavy rail but with lighter vehicles and much more frequent
stops. The majority of these systems are comparatively recent andgenerally provide good levels of access for all disabled people
including wheelchair users. As they are usually built with dedicatedinfrastructure (boarding platforms) there is no reason why they should
not permit direct access for wheelchair passengers without the need
to use a ramp. New light rail vehicles in Hannover have an automatic
adjustment of their floor height according to their loading, which
minimises the difference between platform and vehicle floor level.
Aside from the question of access, other requirements for thedesign of trams and light rail are really similar to those for buses:
adequate gangway widths, space allocated for wheelchairpassengers, colour contrasted handrails and step edges, audible andvisual information. Doors should be clearly contrasted by colour fromthe rest of the vehicle so that passengers who are partially-sighted
can locate them without difficulty.
The requirement needed by some tram and light rail vehicles (andsome buses) is a press-button on the outside of the vehicle, which
when pressed opens the doors. This should be placed at 90 mm fromplatform height, raised from the surrounding area and should beilluminated. It should be large enough to be pressed by the palm of
the hand (i.e. about 20 mm diameter).

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84 - VEHICLESAs trams have a longer operational life than buses, it may be
worthwhile considering modifying existing high-floor vehicles with acentral low-floor section. This has been done in several places inGermany (including Nuremberg, Mulheim and Cottbus), giving
vehicles a low-floor proportion of 15 to 30%, so that disabled
passengers can board and alight at least through one door. In
Hannover, several of their older vehicles have been rebuilt with awheelchair-accessible centre entrance. These vehicles are marked on
the outside to distinguish them from vehicles that have not beenrebuilt. Another way of achieving access more quickly is to construct
low-floor trams which can be coupled to non-convertible power cars,
as has been done in Berlin.
Other innovative rail or tracked systems, for example, monorailand guided bus systems, should also be designed to give full accessfor disabled and older people including wheelchair users.
4.4

Heavy rail

Many of the design requirements for heavy rail are similar to thosefor light rail, but because some journeys made on heavy rail will be
long, there are some additional requirements.
Perhaps the most important of these, aside of course fromproviding adequate space in carriages for wheelchair passengers, areaccessible toilets.
These should be located close to the wheelchair position (and toany priority seating) and should be designed for ease of use by all
disabled passengers. Thought should be given not just to the interiorlayout and facilities, but also to the approach to the toilet, making surethat there is sufficient space for a wheelchair to manoeuvre to and into
the toilet area. The Helios report12 noted that the accessible toilets on
Austrian inter-city trains were somewhat difficult for a wheelchair user
to negotiate because of a narrow corridor (1 080 mm) and poorly
positioned seating in the approach area to the toilet.

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There are various ways of designing the layout of an accessible
toilet, but the following13 items and standards should be followed:•

The doorway into the toilet cubicle should be at least 900 mm
wide.

•

There should be sufficient space inside for a wheelchair to bepositioned in front of the lavatory or to one side of it so that it
is possible for a disabled person to move from wheelchair tothe lavatory seat from the front or the side.

•

The surface of the lavatory seat when lowered should be notless than 475 mm and not more than 485 mm above floor
level.

•The toilet cubicle should have facilities to enable a person in awheelchair to wash and dry his or her hands without movingfrom the seat of the lavatory.

•

There should be two control devices to enable a disabled
person to communicate in an emergency with train staff, oneplaced no more than 450 mm above the floor, the other placed
between 800 mm and 1 200 mm above the floor.

•

There must be adequate hand holds and hand rails, including
a hinged handrail at the side of the lavatory where thewheelchair space is.

There are a number of examples of new rail vehicles with welldesigned fully accessible toilets, as for example the German ICE
rolling stock and the Pendolino trains recently introduced in the UK. In
Switzerland, the operating elements panel of toilets in trains (flushing,water, soap dispenser, air dryer) have been standardised in all trains
so that blind and partially sighted passengers can find and use themmore easily.
Further information on access to rail services is contained in theproceedings of the COST 335 Seminar (referenced earlier) which
includes a section on rail rolling stock design.
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86 - VEHICLESPhoto 23. Wheelchair accessible train toilet

Source: Courtesy of FLIRT S-Bahn, Germany.

Many countries have set national standards for access to their rail
services and related infrastructure. A good example of this is the
Dutch Standard Station Complex Accessibility (see References,
Section 3), which sets out in considerable detail the design
requirements that should be met to give disabled people access to rail
services. The corollary to this is that disabled people need to be madeaware of the improvements - see Section 1.7.
In 2003, Deutsche Bahn AG introduced its 'Services for Mobility
Impaired Passengers'. These include a Customer Service Centre fordisability matters. Deutsche Bahn's aim is to optimise travel conditions
for disabled people on all journeys, including specifying accessible
vehicle designs, barrier-free stations, introducing staff training and
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VEHICLES -87

providing appropriate information. Portuguese Railways have recently
created a new post, the Ombudsman; an official appointed to hear
complaints from passengers with disabilities, to support them and toprovide them with any help they may need.
4.5

AircraftTravel by air has increased more than any other form of public
transport and seems likely to continue to do so. It is important
therefore to ensure that disabled people are able to use aircraft.
The European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) has maderecommendations concerning fittings within new-build aircraft to serve
the needs of disabled people14:•

All aircraft with 60 seats or more must carry an on-board
wheelchair.

•

In aircraft with 30 or more seats, at least 50% of all aisle seats
have to be equipped with moveable arm rests in order tomake them accessible for people with reduced mobility.

•

Wide-bodied aircraft with more than one aisle must be
equipped with at least one spacious lavatory for the special
needs of people with reduced mobility, (DPTAC in the UK has
produced design guidelines for aircraft toilets).

•

Aircraft with 100 or more seats must be equipped in a waythat at least one foldable wheelchair can be stowed inside thepassenger cabin.

•

Aircraft with 60 or more seats with a special lavatory forpeople with reduced mobility must carry one on-board
wheelchair all the time.

•

Aircraft with 60 or more seats not yet equipped with a lavatory
for people with reduced mobility have to carry an on-board
wheelchair when such a passenger applies for it at least
48 hours before departure.

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88 - VEHICLESPhoto 24. Specially designed wheelchairs can be used to assist passengers on
vehicles with narrow gangways, including aircraft

Source: Courtesy of the Canadian Transportation Agency.

These requirements are very similar to those adopted under the
US Air Carrier Access Act, 1989 and the regulations set out in the
Canadian Code of Practice (1997).
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It should also be noted that many other design requirements on
aircraft are no different to those that apply to other vehicles. Thus floor
surfaces should be glare-free and slip-resistant, handrails on
integrated boarding stairs should be sturdy, rounded and slip-resistant
as should grab rails in toilets.
The air carrier should also provide large print and Braillesupplemental passenger briefing cards on an aircraft that includes arecommendation that passengers make sure they receive a personal
briefing. Where a video film is used for safety or information purposes,
it should include signing for passengers with impaired hearing. As far
as possible, all information relating to emergency procedures should
be intelligible to people with learning disabilities. The Code ofPractice, prepared by the UK Department for Transport recommends
that, subject to national regulations, assistance dogs should bepermitted to travel in the passenger cabin at no extra charge15.
4.6

Ferries and ships

Ferries and ships operating on inland waterways are an important
link in the travel chain in some countries. Many vessels are large
enough to have the facilities such as toilets, restaurants, etc., found at
land-based transport terminals, and these facilities should beaccessible to all passengers including wheelchair users. Where
vessels operate in tidal waters care should be taken to ensure thatslopes on access gangways do not become too steep for wheelchairusers as tides ebb and flow. The gangways should wherever possible
conform with the general requirements for ramps, as described in
Section 3.1.
For the purpose of safety, new passenger ships should bedesigned in such a way that there is barrier free passage for older anddisabled people in public areas on board and in escape routes tomuster stations.
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has produced
recommendations on the design and operation of passenger ships tomeet the needs of older and disabled passengers16. Many of the
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requirements are similar to those found in other transport systems,
including wheelchair-accessible toilets and cabins, clear signage, slipresistant surfaces, etc. Where vehicles are carried, the IMO
recommends that there should be barrier-free access from the parking
area to the passenger facilities, which will often require an elevator.
The IMO also recommends that at least one place per
100 passengers carried should be reserved for a wheelchair user who
wishes to travel in his or her wheelchair, and that 4% of the ship’s
passenger seats should be suitable for disabled people.
Ferries and other ships, like heavy rail rolling stock, have a longlife: 30 or more years. So it is important to ensure that their design isgood. A number of countries have made considerable progress in
improving access to and on maritime vessels. In Germany, forexample, ship operators have voluntarily taken into account the needsof disabled passengers including the provision of lifts between decks
and fully accessible toilets.
Norway has been developing and improving access on its ferries
for more than 20 years. Since 1975, all larger vessels (with a capacityof 75 car units or more) have been built with lifts, accessible toilets
and designated car parking spaces near the lifts. It is recognised that
it is not practical or economically viable to require full access on
smaller ferries, but at least accessible toilets can be located close to
the deck area assigned for disabled passengers.
Where ferries have cabins, a proportion of these should beaccessible to disabled people, including wheelchair users. As ispointed out by the UK’s Disabled Persons Transport Advisory
Committee it is important that these cabins have facilities to enabledisabled passengers to summon assistance in the event of illness orother emergencies17.
The IMO recommendations mentioned above form the basis forthe requirements set out in the European Council Directive 98/18/EC
on safety rules and standards for passenger ships. The Directive
stresses the importance of applying appropriate measures to ensure
the safe access of persons with reduced mobility to ships and highIMPROVING TRANSPORT ACCESSIBILITY FOR ALL: GUIDE TO GOOD PRACTICE – ISBN 92-821-0139-8 - © ECMT, 2006

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speed passenger craft operating on domestic services in Member
States. Details of these measures are given in Annex III to the
Directive and include requirements on easy and safe access to, fromand within the ship, signage, provision of visual and audible
announcements and alarm systems designed to alert all passengers
with reduced mobility, including people with sensory and learning
disabilities.
The requirements apply to ships, the keel of which is laid on orafter 1 October 2004, but also say that where the keel has been laid
before that date the guidelines should still be applied as far as it
reasonable and practicable in economic terms.
4.7

Cable Cars and funiculars

Especially in Alpine countries, cable cars and funiculars play animportant role in providing access for tourists and visitors. Generally
the requirements for good access are similar to those that apply tolight rail systems. For example, the platforms must be accessible byramps (which can be difficult to provide at existing stations because oflack of space), elevators or at least wheelchair lifts.
Information about the service should be provided audibly as well
as visually, especially where there are additional stopping points
between the valley and summit stations. As in many cases there arestaff on the stations and on the cars, the gap between the platform
and the vehicle can be bridged with a portable ramp. Where there are
no staff and the operation is automated, this (horizontal) gap must be
bridged with a sliding or folding step. An example of this can be seenat the FUNIC Biel-Magglingen system in Switzerland.
Metal grating is often used on platforms at cable car stations.
Where grating is used, the mesh must not be larger than 10 x 20 mm
in order to ensure that assistance dogs can walk over it safely. The
Swiss Federal Office of Transport, in cooperation with the Swiss Officefor People with Disabilities, has produced some functional requirement
profiles (in French and German) for cable cars and funiculars18.

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NOTES

1. “Accessibility in Collective Transport Systems”, CEN/CENELEC Workshop Acts,
Brussels (April 2004).
2. Recommendations on Requirements and Needs of International Rail, Buses andCoaches, “Passengers with Intellectual Difficulties”, Inclusion Europe, Brussels.
3. “Improving Mobility and access for people with cognitive impairments”, The
MAPLE Project, DG Employment and Social Affairs, European Commission,
Brussels (2004).
4. “Revue de Presse du Pictogramme S3A (Symbole d’Accueil,d’Accompagnement, d’Accessibilité)”, UNAPEI, Paris (2004).
5. “Transport of People with Mental Health Problems”, Mental Health Europe,
Brussels (2005).
6. “On the move”, Factsheets on training, accessible information, why is transport
so important?, MENCAP, London.
7. “Easy Read”, Disability Rights Commission, London.
8. COST 322 Low Floor Buses, Brussels (1995).
9. “Evaluation of Technology and Department Alternatives for Providing Regularly
Scheduled Intercity Bus Service to Mobility Impaired Travellers”, Nathan
Associates Inc (November 1997).
10. “Economic Aspects of Taxi Accessibility”, ECMT, IRU, Paris (2001).
11. “The Determination of Accessible Taxi Requirements”, Richardson J andYelding D, for Mobility and Inclusion Unit, Department for Transport, London(2004).
12. “The Design and Operation of Accessible Public Transport Systems”, Report by
Thematic Group 8, Helios (November 1996).
13. Based on the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee’s Rail Working
Group recommendations (1998).

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14. “Access to Air Travel for People with Reduced Mobility”, ECMT, Paris, France(1995).
15. “Access to Air Travel for Disabled People – Code of Practice”, Department forTransport, London (2003).
16. “Recommendations on the design and operation of passenger ships to respondto elderly and disabled persons’ needs”, IMO Circular, MSC/735 (June 1996).
17. “The design of large passenger ships and passenger infrastructure: Guidance on
meeting the needs of disabled people”, Disabled Persons Transport Advisory
Committee (November 2000) provides detailed information including access atterminals and shore to vessel transition.
18. Information on cable cars and funiculars can be found at:www.bav.admin.ch/mobile/f/anforderung.htm

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5. NEW AND INNOVATIVE TRANSPORT SERVICES

Special services designed specifically with the requirements ofdisabled people in mind have been available for many years. To someextent their role is changing, in part because of the increase in fully
accessible mainstream public transport and in part (at least in someareas) because of the reduction in conventional bus services in rural
areas.
For disabled people living in urban areas – and some rural areas
as well – the gradual introduction of accessible low-floor scheduled
bus services means that many will be able to transfer from using
special services to mainstream services. This will not apply to all
disabled people however. Some will still need the door-to-door facility
and the additional assistance (and time) that can be provided by
specialist services.
The other aspect of change arises from the reduction ofmainstream services that is occurring in some lightly populated areas.
In such places there is scope for widening the passenger base for
specialised services by enabling them to carry non-disabled
passengers as well.
As is clear from some of the examples mentioned in this chapter,
services designed particularly with disabled people in mind areincreasingly being developed as part of an integrated public transportsystem. This approach is to be encouraged. A system that combines
both accessible mainstream public transport and more specialised
services is likely to be more cost effective than operating two separate
systems and will encourage social inclusion of disabled and older
people.
The variety of special services is almost infinite, but they can be
categorised to some extent.

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5.1

Demand-responsive: individual transportThis is the group of services that provide transport for anindividual (plus companion) door-to-door. They fall into two categories;
voluntary car schemes and accessible taxi (or “Taxicard”) schemes.
Voluntary car schemes, in which the passenger is carried in thevolunteer’s own car are quite widely used for taking people to outpatient treatment at hospitals. The volunteer will usually be paid amileage allowance to cover running costs of the vehicle, while theservice is free to the user. Such services can be very useful in rural
areas where conventional modes of transport, accessible orotherwise, may be thin on the ground. These services, since they relyon the cars owned by volunteers are not appropriate for wheelchairusers who cannot transfer from their chair to a car seat, though quite a
lot of wheelchair users can transfer and so use ordinary cars.
Some community transport services (see 5.3) also provide a car
service with a vehicle adapted to carry a passenger in his or her
wheelchair.
Accessible taxis can, of course, be used by any disabled person
provided they can afford the fare. That, for many disabled people, isthe problem: the fares are more than they can afford. To help
overcome this problem various schemes have been introduced tomake taxis available to disabled people at a heavily subsidised rate.
This type of service is frequently found in Scandinavian countries
especially Sweden and in the UK, where the largest is the London
Taxicard scheme. To be fully effective the service must be provided byfully accessible taxis. In the UK this is normally done with theaccessible purpose built (“London”) cabs, elsewhere multi-purpose
vehicles or minibus taxis are used. In Gothenburg, special minibuses
provide for some of the demand-responsive trips, but the majority are
undertaken by regular taxi cabs. It was the use of these taxi vehicles
that enabled the service to increase the number of passengers carried
to over 800 000 per annum. It doesn’t really matter much what type of

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vehicle is used as long as it is accessible and, most importantly thatthe taxi driver has had disability awareness training.
Providing a service of this kind can be expensive for the funding
authority (local and/or central government) so it is important to try andensure that the people using it really do need it. Some form of
eligibility criteria should be used and even then it is very likely that an
upper limit on the number of trips any one individual can make over agiven time will have to be imposed.
Having said that, there is some evidence to suggest that anaccessible taxi-based service for disabled people can be more costeffective than a shared-ride demand-responsive minibus service(see 5.2). In planning and developing these types of service, it would
be prudent to consider all the forms and systems; the most effective,in terms of both use of resources and delivery of a good level ofservice to the individual, may be found by a combination of services
rather than just one.
5.2

Demand-responsive: shared transport

Often known as dial-a-ride or dial-a-bus, this service also provides
door-to-door service, using minibuses which should be equipped tocarry passengers in wheelchairs. They are booked in the way thattaxis are - by telephone - or possibly by regular (“standing”) order andthe theory is that the control office of the service will be able toorganise the requests for trips in such a way that more than one
individual is carried at the same time. This shared ride concept, if it
could be achieved, would reduce the cost per passenger carried, intheory to less than the cost of an equivalent taxi journey.
In practice this often does not happen, with the result that the cost
per passenger trip is higher than the equivalent taxi trip. However, taxi
drivers cannot be expected to exercise the level of special care andassistance needed by some disabled people. Dial-a-Ride drivers will
not only assist passengers from their door to the vehicle, but may also
help them to finish dressing. They may, as for example in
Copenhagen, carry special equipment to enable a wheelchair
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98 – NEW AND INNOVATIVE TRANSPORT SERVICES
passenger to negotiate a flight of stairs. It is this level of necessary
extra care which, as accessible taxis become more commonplace,should be used to determine whether Dial-a-Ride is appropriate, and if
so who should be eligible to use it.
In Barcelona, a door-to-door service was first started in 1978.
Subsequently, it has developed into two separate services. One ofthese (known as the “Routine” service) provides regular timetabled
services to take disabled people to and from activities such as official
occupational centres, training centres and sporting activities. The
other (the “Sporadic” service) is an on-demand service to take people
to visit their doctor, to go shopping or to leisure activities. The Routine
service uses accessible buses with a lift at the rear; the Sporadic
service uses accessible taxis.
In rural areas in Switzerland, there is an on-demand bus service,called Publicar, operated by postal bus services. This acts as asupplement to conventional rural bus services and, since theimplementation of the Federal Act on the Elimination of Discrimination
against People with Disabilities (1.1.2004), newly acquired buses
used on the service have to meet the needs of disabled people.
In Germany the Anruf Sammeltaxi (AST) runs as a feeder service
to regular public transport services. The AST stops when requested atfixed stops or, for additional payment, will take a passenger to or fromany address within the service area. Passengers who are picked up at
the interchange point with the regular bus services book their journeywith the AST driver; passengers who are departing from within theservice area have to book 30 minutes in advance.

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Photo 25. Door-to-door accessible minibus service

Source: Courtesy of Société des Transports Intercommunaux de Bruxelles (STIB), Belgium.

5.3

Community transport and shared transport services

This is the category of services, common in the UK and Ireland,again usually using lift-equipped minibuses, which provides collective
transport for disabled people. They will provide a service from anindividual’s home to a facility such as a day centre or luncheon club or
to an accessible town centre for shopping. The essential difference
between these services and the ones described in Section 5.2 is thatthey do not cater to individual requests for a journey, but takeindividuals to a collective or joint activity.
Community transport services are usually funded, at least in part,by local government and are available for use by a wide range of
people, not just disabled or older. It is their general availability which
distinguishes them from the host of transport services provided bydisability associations for the use of their own members.
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100 – NEW AND INNOVATIVE TRANSPORT SERVICES
Although these services are specific in the sense that they areprovided by and for the members of a specific association, they
nevertheless represent a transport resource which may not always be
used in the most effective way. When considering the planning andprovision of special services, it is always sensible to include these“disability association” services in the planning process.
5.4

Variations on a theme

Between the special services, of the types described above, andmainstream public transport services there is scope for services
which, while not being exclusively designed for disabled people,
nonetheless offer a level of service beyond that normally associatedwith conventional public transport.
Probably the most widely-known example of this is the Swedish
Service Bus system, which has been adopted by a number of othercountries. The attributes of this class of service can be summarisedas:•

Use of fully accessible buses, usually small-medium size.

•

Time tabling of the service which allows more time at stops
than on a conventional service.

•

Routing of the service which is planned to serve places where
there will be numbers of disabled passengers - residential
homes, clinics, daycentres, etc.

•

Flexible pick-up / set down points - hail stop whereappropriate and possibly a degree of route diversion.

•

Well-trained drivers (and other staff).

A further variation on the Service Bus concept was introduced in
Gothenburg in 1996. This is known as the Flexline, and was firststarted as a test service under the EU SAMPO project. A Flexline is aform of demand-responsive transport and the line has a number of
meeting places (not stops). Booking is done by telephone and the
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caller is rung back by the service control when it is time to go to themeeting place. There are also telephones in a shopping centre and atsome other important destinations in order to make booking possible
for the return trip. The Flexlines have proved to be particularly popularwith older people.
It is possible that the role of this kind of service will diminish as
more of the mainstream services become fully accessible, but it isprobable that in some areas and at some times they will remain as a
useful means of providing a better level of service to disabled
passengers than can be achieved by conventional means. Certainly
there is evidence, vide a recent study of six towns with Service Routes
in Finland, that these services improve the mobility of many disabled
people.
The other aspect of special services is their integration into
mainstream transport. The Mobinet system in the Dutch town ofVoorst is an example, with wheelchair accessible minivans acting as
shuttles to regular public transport services. Door-to-door service isavailable to anyone who wants it, but people who are not disabled pay
a premium fare for it.
5.5

Other innovative services

There are some other ways in which transport can be provided in
an unconventional manner, some of which are of value to disabled
people. Examples include the taxitrain service which is being operated
in the Netherlands and in Sweden, and the use of taxis as areplacement for buses on the outer parts of bus routes during
evenings (as in Germany). Taxi bus systems - using a minibus or
multi-purpose vehicle as a shared ride taxi - may be an effective wayof providing service in low density rural areas.
In Lincolnshire (UK) the County Council introduced their Dial-aRide Partnership (DARP) in 2003. This service is intended to reducethe isolation of mobility impaired people in rural areas of the county –not just people with a disability but also those who are socially
isolated, for example, young able-bodied people who cannot drive and
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102 – NEW AND INNOVATIVE TRANSPORT SERVICES
who have little or no access to mainstream public transport. The
scheme offers door-to-door transport, but also acts as a feeder tomainstream coach and train services. In addition, the schemes canalso provide group transport.
Merseytravel (Liverpool, U.K.) has started the ALTER-eco service
which uses a fleet of six wheelchair-accessible battery-electricminibuses operating a network of routes that link residential areas withcentres of employment, medical facilities etc., and with the local
Shopmobility outlet. Shopmobility provides free hire of mobility aids
such as powered wheelchairs and scooters.
In the District du Pays de Saint-Brieuc, a system known as“Taxitub” has been introduced1. Known as a “virtual” transport system,
Taxitub serves 14 communes in Saint-Brieuc, with vehicles sent out in
response to telephone calls for service which can be made anythingfrom ten days to 45 minutes ahead of the required journey time. If norequests are received for a particular journey, then that journey is not
made. The service acts primarily as a feeder to conventional transport
services.
No doubt there are other innovative schemes in operation in
Europe. The point is that when considering the development of special
services, planners should be aware of, and take due account of therange of systems that could be provided.
In the section on the Road and Pedestrian Environment(Chapter 2) the development of pedestrianised areas in town centres
was mentioned. The walking distances in these areas can besubstantial, certainly more than can easily be accomplished byambulant disabled people.
The Praxitele system2 which uses small self-drive or automaticallycontrolled electric cars offers one possible solution to this problem. A
further development of this type of service, known as the “Cybercar”,
has been tested recently in the French city of Bayonne. Anothersystem, quite widely used in the UK, is the Shopmobility scheme,

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which provides powered wheelchairs or manual wheelchairs with apusher for use by ambulant disabled people who cannot walk very far.
Yet another innovative system is the electric buggy service which
was operated in Woking town centre by the local Community
Transport department of the borough council3. This was designed tohelp people who can walk a reasonable distance, but who still found it
difficult to walk across the whole town centre. This system was rather
similar in some ways to the electric buggy service provided at some of
the larger airports. The vehicles used for these services, which areeither derivatives of electric golf buggies or of small industrial vehicles,
are not ideal for use by disabled people, but the principle of theservice is a good one.
Innovation is not limited to the services themselves but also
applies to the ways in which services are used. One current
development which could be of considerable benefit to disabled
people is the contactless smart card used for payment of fares on
public transport. In the longer term, this type of card could be used for
payment of car parking and road toll charges and perhaps for otherpurposes. The smart card based system introduced in Tampere in
1997 using contactless cards can, in addition to being used for bus
journeys, can also be used for entry to various leisure activities suchas libraries, swimming pools etc.

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NOTES

1.

See “Taxitub: Définition, contenu, Coûts et repercussions”, by Francois Josse,
p. 238-242, proceedings of the Conference of the International Association ofTransport Regulators, Strasbourg (October 1996).

2.

Parent, M and Fouconnier, S, “Design of an electric vehicle specific for urban
transport”, INRIA, Le Chesney, France (1995).

3.

Oxley P R, and Alexander J, “Electric Buggies – Concluding Report”, Cranfield
University (1996).

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6. PRIVATE CARS

Most of this guide is concerned with public transport but, nomatter how much some politicians might wish it, the private car is andwill remain a major element in the personal mobility of disabled
people. As was said in the introduction to this paper, disability isrelated to age and the sector of the population that has the most
rapidly growing car ownership is that of retirement age.
It is not the purpose of this publication to describe how cars can orshould be adapted to meet the needs of older and disabled people.
Important though that is, it is a subject for another and different report.
From the point of view of this paper there are two aspects that should
be considered: advice and guidance for disabled people who wish to
travel in cars either as driver or passenger, and, sensible provision fordisabled car users while travelling and at their destinations.
6.1

Advice and guidance

The onset of disability whether traumatic or gradual can change
the ability of an individual not just to drive a car but to even get in andout of one as a passenger. A few disabilities – uncontrolled epilepsy is
the most obvious - will, for reasons of safety, prevent an individualfrom driving, but in the majority of cases a disability prevents driving a
conventional car but certainly need not prevent driving a suitably
adapted car. The key word is “suitably” and it means not justappropriate in the sense that the individual can use the controls todrive the vehicle but also that the controls themselves are well andsafely designed.
The range of disabilities, and therefore of abilities, is wide and so
too is the range of adaptations to car controls to meet the needs of
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106 – PRIVATE CARS
people with impaired functions. The only sensible way to approach
this is to make assessment and advice available to all who need it.
CARA in Belgium was one of the first places to offer this type ofservice, to advise people whether they could drive safely and, if so,
what type of adaptations they would need both to get into and out of
the car and to drive it. Assessment and advice centres have now been
established in many European countries, most recently in Greece (theHNIOXOS services) and, with the support of Fiat, in Italy.

Photo 26. Even small cars can be adapted for use by disabled people, including
wheelchair users

Source: Courtesy of Direcção Geral de Transportes Terrestres, Ministério do Equipamento; doPlaneamento e da Administração do Território, Portugal.

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Photo 27. Sophisticated controls now enable many people with severe levels of
disability to drive safely and in comfort

Source: Courtesy of the Department for Transport, United Kingdom.

It is not possible to provide a blueprint for a successful driving
assessment and advice centre within the confines of this publication,
but some sources of information on this are included in the
References section. In outline, though, a centre should:i.

Be staffed by experienced and expert driving assessors;
medical knowledge may be an advantage in some cases, but
is not necessary for dealing with many disabled drivers.

ii.

The centre should have a good range of vehicles and of
adaptations for both primary and secondary controls.

iii.

It should have access to private road space, on which drivers
can try out adapted vehicles at no risk to themselves or otherroad users.

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108 – PRIVATE CARSiv.

It should provide advice not just on driving but on a wider
range of mobility aids and should be able to give advice onother aspects such as grants that may be available to help
with buying a car, where to obtain insurance, etc.

v.

It should include advice on, and examples of, aids for disabled
car passengers.

There is a related issue, which may affect the assessment andadvice centres. This is the increase in older drivers, which is common
to all developed countries, and which may possibly pose safety issues
in the future. Again, this is an issue that should be the subject of aseparate report, but it is possible that assessment centres may extend
their services to assess the ability of older drivers to continue driving
safely.
Increasingly, rental cars are available fitted with comparatively
simple adaptations that enable disabled people to drive them.
Portable hand controls (for braking and acceleration) can be fitted tomost cars with automatic controls. Foot pedal extensions can be fitted
to enable a person of short stature to drive the vehicle. Other simple
low-cost adaptations include “clip-on” panoramic rearview mirrors (fordrivers who find it difficult or painful to turn their head) and steering
wheel spinners or knobs. Vehicle rental companies should notdiscriminate against disabled or older drivers – for example bycharging an additional insurance premium – unless it can be shownthat there is a genuinely higher risk of accidents arising.
6.2

Travelling and arriving

Much of what is needed by disabled people when travelling by car
is the same as that needed by every other driver. There has been asubstantial increase in recent times in the use of information
technology or transport telematics as mentioned in Chapter 1, and thisincrease will continue. Many of these systems - route guidance,parking aids, sensor systems that detect when a driver is becoming
drowsy, emergency alert systems - are of particular potential benefit todisabled and older drivers, provided they are properly designed.
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How those design standards can be achieved is also a matter for adifferent report, but there is a considerable and growing body ofresearch on these issues, much of it coming from research supported
in the 1980s and 1990s by DGXIII of the European Commission. (See
References section on this topic.) All that can be said here is thatanyone involved in the development of car-based IT systems shouldtake full account of the needs of older and disabled car users. As withso much else, the design of a system that meets their needs will meetthe needs of everyone else as well.
There are, aside from this issue, two more specific matters thatshould be taken into account: provision of parking space and accessinto areas from which private cars are normally excluded.
General standards for parking space were given in Section 2.6,
but there is a specific issue relating to pedestrianized areas in town
centres. These are growing in popularity and can provide a very
pleasant environment for pedestrians, but some are very large inscale. Shopping or other journeys within these areas can involve a
considerable amount of walking - some areas may be as much as two
or more kilometres end to end. Obviously, such distances cause
problems for more severely disabled people, so in developing or
extending these areas, careful thought should be given to appropriate
parking spaces for disabled motorists either immediately on the edgeof the pedestrian area, if it is a small one, or within the area, if it islarge.

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7. THE ROLES OF GOVERNMENT

Both national and local government should have responsibilities
for the development of accessible transport and infrastructure. Thebalance between the two will differ one country from another but inbroad terms responsibilities can be apportioned as described below.
7.1

National government

National government is responsible for national laws andregulations defining access in the environment - highways, pedestrianareas, public buildings, commercial and retail premises, etc. Thesemay take the form of town planning regulations or specific laws ordecrees. They provide the statutory or mandatory framework within
which local and regional authorities carry out their duties and transport
operators plan and provide their services. They should also ensurethat appropriate research on ways and means of meeting the mobility
needs of disabled and older people is undertaken.
The ECMT Access and Inclusion Group prepared a paper in
2003/20041 which set out guidelines on implementation at the national
level to improve accessibility and safety based on an extensive review
of policies in European and other countries.
It was noted that twenty years ago, legislation concerning
disabled people was usually based on promoting social integration,
reducing discrimination and contained little that specifically dealt withimproving mobility. In more recent times legislation has become much
more targeted and more detailed in setting out requirements fortransport to be made fully accessible.
It is suggested that whether done as primary legislation or by
subsequent regulations the important elements are:
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1. Precise technical standards for vehicle design.
2. Where appropriate, standards for access to and withintransport infrastructure and related pedestrian areas.
3. A realistic time-scale for the implementation of vehicle
regulations.
4. Similarly so for the built environment, but with allowance forusing alternative ways of providing access or facilities fordisabled people where changes to building structure are notfeasible.
As a precursor to legislation, Governments should:
1. Clearly define the objectives of the legislation, including
commissioning and use of research designed to determine theneeds of disabled people and the most appropriate ways ofmeeting them.
2. Consult with national disability organisations.
3. Consult with the transport industry, including quantification of
any costs and benefits that will arise as a consequence of thelegislation.
There are several recent examples of Government publications
that provide guidance on the development of accessible transport.
These include:“Towards Accessible Transport” produced by the Finnish Ministryof Transport and Communications in 2003. This sets out theGovernment’s role and objectives for achieving full accessibility
including encouraging municipalities, funding strategies and research.
The policies cover all modes of public transport, including air andmaritime, as well as the use of private cars by older and disabled
people.

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The French Government (Ministère de l’Equipement, desTransports, du Logement, du Tourisme et de la Mer) announced its“National Accessibility Charter” in December 2003. The Charter, which
has been signed by leading transport undertakings and local
authorities, is intended to guarantee that access will be built into new
or redeveloped facilities; that national funding will only be madeavailable on projects which include access for disabled people; andthat provisions are taken for a continuing dialogue with, inter alia,
disabled people.
“Barrier-Free Public Transport in Germany”, published in April
2003 and sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Transport, Buildingand Housing and the Association of German Transport Undertakings,
gives detailed guidance on the design of accessible public transport,
infrastructure, information and service.
In addition, a Federal Act on the Elimination of Discrimination
against People with Disabilities has been in force in Germany since
1 January 2004. The Act places particular emphasis on public
transport, prescribing that it should be equipped to meet the needs ofdisabled people by 2023.
In the Netherlands CROW (Kenniscentrum voor Verkeer) has
published (October 2005) a handbook on the accessibility of collective
public transport. An earlier report by the same organisation, on design
for accessibility including guidelines for pedestrian footways andareas, all types of street furniture, bus and tram stops and car parking
was published in 2002.
In addition to these comprehensive standards and guidelines,
there are also publications dealing with specific modes of transport
including maritime and air services. Some of these are listed in point 4
of References and Further Reading.
National government should also be the source of information andguidance on matters relating to access and mobility for disabled
people which, while not considered appropriate for legislation, should
be provided as a consistent standard throughout the country. An
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114 – THE ROLES OF GOVERNMENT
example might be the design of tactile guidance surfaces for visually
impaired people. While there is no legal requirement to provide these
it is obviously sensible that wherever they are provided they should beof the same design.
“Inclusive Mobility” produced by the UK Department for Transport(2002) provides detailed guidance on the design of all ground-basedtransport-related infrastructure, including the provision of information.
This report was produced after extensive consultation withorganisations of disabled people.
In Switzerland, a joint working group from the Federal Office ofTransport, the Public Transport Union and the Swiss Office for
Disabled Persons and Public Transport has drawn up a “Functional
Requirement Specification”. The specification covers rail (stations,stops and vehicles), buses and trams (again covering infrastructure,
information and vehicle design), ferries and cable cars.
7.2

Public procurement

Apart from regulation and guidance, National government andother public authorities can exert substantial influence over theprovision of accessible infrastructure and vehicles through their public
procurement policies. The recent EC Public Procurement Directives(2004/17/EC and 2004/18/EC) allow public authorities to include
social and environmental considerations in public contracts on works,
services and supplies. Technical specifications for contracts shouldtake into account accessibility and design for all criteria for disabled
people and can be included as conditions in the final choice oftenders.
Related to this issue, the European Commission – funded Buildfor-All project has recently started. One of its key activities will be to
produce a toolkit for public authorities. This toolkit will include aframework guidance manual and code of practice to assist publicauthorities in the design of their public procurement tenders, thetechnical specifications, incorporation of essential accessibility criteria
relating to the environment and guidance on step-by-step
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implementation and assessment. The project will also produce areference document which will give contact details and references fora wide body of existing material on accessibility and built
environmental issues and on information sources on expertiseavailable across the EU.
A new and interesting development, initiated by the Netherlands
Ministry for Social Affairs, is for a company contracted by the Ministry
to organise longer distance (city-to-city) journeys for disabled people,
including ensuring that assistance is provided for the traveller
wherever it is needed. The traveller will pay his or her own fare, but
the cost of organising the trip and making assistance available will beborne by the government. This service is intended to help overcome
travel problems until such time as public transport services become
fully accessible and can be used by disabled people without the needfor assistance.
In May 1999, the ECMT adopted a Charter on Access toTransport Services and Infrastructure. The text of this Charter is given
in Annex 4 of this report. Briefly, the Charter states that all projects
considered for public funding (at national or international level) must,as a condition of this funding, agree to incorporate full accessibility for
all disabled people into the design and construction of the project.
These projects should be monitored to ensure compliance with theprinciples of accessibility and continued public funding should bemade conditional on these principles being met satisfactorily.
7.3

Local and regional government

Local and Regional government carry out duties laid on them by
National government, where appropriate to enact local regulations andby laws concerning access and mobility. To monitor the provision ofaccessible infrastructure and transport services and to ensure thatthey meet appropriate legal requirements and standards.
In many countries, local authorities have direct control over local
public transport services and should therefore be able to influence
their development to the benefit of disabled people. In some countries,
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116 – THE ROLES OF GOVERNMENT
most of the local public transport is in private ownership and therefore
beyond direct control of local government, but there may be scope forthe local authority and local transport operators to enter into “quality
partnerships”. In these arrangements, the two parties jointly undertake
to improve the quality of local services - and better access for disabled
people should be an important part of this. An example would be a
local authority agreeing to provide raised bus boarders and covered
seating at bus stops and the bus operator matching this by introducing
low-floor wheelchair accessible buses.
There are many examples of effective co-operation between local
government and local public transport operators. Grenoble (France)
has had a long history in developing fully accessible bus and tram
services and associated infrastructure. The public transport authority(SMTC) works closely with the operator (SEMITAG) with frequentmeetings to discuss all aspects of all projects including developmentof accessible services. Representatives of the 23 local authorities ingreater Grenoble also attend these meetings where plans andprojects are discussed prior to any final decision being made. The
policy of creating a system fully accessible for disabled people in
Grenoble dates back to the 1970s and has involved extensive andcontinuing consultation with organisations of disabled people.
There are other examples of effective co-operation including
involvement of disabled people, for example, in Nuremberg (Germany)
where the transport operator appointed an Accessibility Commissioner
more than 30 years ago, in Gothenburg, where the Regional Council(part owner of Västtrafik, which puts out tenders for public transport
services) has a Committee for Mental and Physical Disabilities and inBarcelona where the City Council created the Municipal Institute for
Disabled People, which has as its objective the creation of full accessfor disabled people.
The European Disability Forum (EDF) has started a two year
(2005-2006) pilot project, Agenda 22, which has the objective ofensuring that disability issues are included as a mainstream policy at
the local and regional levels. This policy should be created as ahuman rights based approach to disability. It is intended to establish
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THE ROLES OF GOVERNMENT -117

four pilot areas in each of the nine countries involved in the project,
the purpose of each of these pilot projects being to produce adisability policy plan in co-operation with the existing regional/local
disability organisations and with the relevant public authorities.
Co-operation between local authorities and transport providers
can form the basis for mobility action plans. These should set out thelong term plans for achieving full accessibility of both the transport
services and the infrastructure.
The European Commission also has a role to play. In some areas
it has a direct responsibility for matters of concern to disabled people.
An example of this is the Directive on special provisions for vehicles
used for the carriage of passengers containing more than eightpassenger seats. In other areas, even though it may have noregulatory responsibilities, the EC can lead by example in the sense ofsponsoring research and information exchange (e.g. through COST
actions on access to buses, coaches and to rail services).
7.4

Training

Training all staff who come into contact with members of the
public in disability awareness is essential. Without this, the best oftechnical aids to accessibility may fail to fulfil its potential value.
Unfortunately, to quote the HELIOS report2, “the adequacy of training
rarely meets the needs of passengers in most Member States andwhilst this situation is improving, it urgently needs to be addressed”.
A set of Guidelines for Transport Personnel developed in thecontext of the ECMT-UITP Task Force on Improving Accessibility of
Public Transport is to be published in early 20063. This provides
comprehensive guidance on the subjects that should be covered bystaff training and should be used by transport operators as the basis
for their training programmes.

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118 – THE ROLES OF GOVERNMENT
Photo 28. Training course for drivers

How to handle anelectric wheelchair

How to assist acustomer with awheelchair onstairsA Training course forthe drivers
The drivers are trained tounderstand the special assistanceneeds of the disabled customers.

How to assist aperson that isvisually impaired

Source: Courtesy of the City of Tempere, Finland.
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THE ROLES OF GOVERNMENT -119

There are many good examples of training. In the context of a
project in the Netherlands on the improvement of knowledge andperception of staff of public transport companies, a training
programme of 3.5 hours has been developed to show the staff what itmeans to travel with a handicap. Staff members experience forthemselves how disabled people can best be helped. This is done
actively, including through use of a video and discussions and getting
the trainees to go through a course set out with obstacles which they
have to negotiate in a wheelchair or as a blind person. The training isgiven by disabled people with travelling experience.
Regular workshops involving staff from the transport operator’s
staff and disabled peoples’ organisations can be an effective way ofmaintaining and improving disability awareness. In Stuttgart, thetraining of drivers includes having them use a wheelchair andspectacles to simulate blindness and partial sight. Belfast Translink
includes a programme, launched in co-operation with the RNID (Royal
National Institute for Deaf People), to give transport staff sign
language training. When a staff member has completed this training,they receive a clearly visible badge identifying their skills topassengers with hearing impairments.
It is important that the training should include ways of assisting
people with learning disabilities and mental health problems to use
public transport safely and with ease. As mentioned in Chapter 4,
there are a number of national and international organisations thatprovide guidance on how to meet the needs of people with thesetypes of disability.
The other aspects of training, which are receiving more attention,
include that of travel training for disabled people themselves. These
programmes are designed to give disabled people, particularly thosewith learning difficulties, the confidence to use local public transport
independently. An example of this kind of training is the Leeds
Buddying Scheme. This provides one-to-one training for disabled andolder people with physical, sensory or learning difficulties, mental
health service users and those with long-term illness. A personal
travel-training plan is prepared for each client and, on completing the
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120 – THE ROLES OF GOVERNMENT
course successfully, the client is then encouraged to become avolunteer for the service and support other people through theprocess of travelling independently4.
Another approach to this issue has been developed in
Merseyside5, where the Passenger Transport Executive has produced
an Educational Resource Pack designed for use by schools withspecial needs pupils. It is designed to develop the necessary skills totravel on public transport safely and independently.
7.5

Seamless travel

There is a third and continuing role for government. Much of theadvice and information contained in this publication is specific tovarious aspects of the travel process or to particular modes, but one
thing which is very important is to bring all these examples of goodpractice together. Hardly any journeys just involve using one mode oftransport; at the very least a journey is likely to include walking (orwheeling) and a vehicular trip. Longer journeys will probably involve
more than one mode of vehicular transport, or at least changes within
the same mode: bus to bus or train to train.
Obvious though it may seem, it is worthwhile stressing that any
journey is only as good as its weakest link. There should, therefore,
be a conscious effort on the part of government, local and central, toensure that accessible transport services link together. The physicalprocess of making a journey should mirror the “chaîne signalétique”
approach advocated by COLIAC (formerly COLITRAH)6 for
information; a carefully planned sequence without breaks orinterruptions.
Until comparatively recently such an approach would haveseemed unrealistic, even irrelevant, because so much needed to bedone to make any single link in the transport chain accessible. This ischanging, rapidly so in some countries, but the full value of accessible
links will not be realised unless journeys are considered as a whole,rather than as a series of discrete movements.

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To achieve this continuous accessible transport will require thecontinued collaboration of government (national and local), vehicle
manufacturers, operators and disability organisations. In other words,
the physical chain of accessible transport has to be paralleled by anadministrative chain.
In further developing their policies for improving access to allmodes of transport, government should not lose sight of the overarching need to provide seamless transport for disabled travellers,
and to achieve it by a combination of appropriate regulations andencouragement for collaboration between all the organisations
concerned.
7.6

Raising awareness

It is important that disabled people should be made aware of
improvements in accessibility. Government publications, like thosementioned earlier in this section, can help in this process, but the mosteffective means is at the local rather than the national level.
There are various ways in which this can be done. One way is tohave a “campaign week” as was done in Hamburg in July 2001.
Called “Mobility for Everyone – simply HVV” the campaign aimed to
improve communication between HVV staff, disabled and nondisabled passengers, and to provide the latest information on themeasures implemented to adapt public transport in the Hamburg area
to the needs of disabled people.
Throughout the campaign week a specially fitted-out bus visited
institutions and facilities for disabled people as well as various public
places in order to inform people about improvements to stations, stops
and vehicles. A key feature of the campaign week were the journeys
made together on public transport services by staff from the operatingcompanies and disabled passengers. While en-route the disabled
people could explain the sorts of problems they encountered whenusing bus and train services and the staff could make the passengers
aware of the problems they faced in their daily operations: very mucha two-way learning process.
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122 – THE ROLES OF GOVERNMENTIn the UK, Warrington Borough Council employed an adult withlearning difficulties “who used the local bus services as a mystery
traveller”. He was then able to identify the difficulties encounteredwhen travelling and to report back to the Council, so they could thenprovide the appropriate forms of assistance for other people withlearning disabilities who could be encouraged to use local public
transport.
Good publications can also help in raising awareness of what isavailable. Transport for London, for example, publishes a magazine“Transport for All” to promote and provide information for disabledtravellers. It is available in large print, Braille, tape and in various
languages. Internet-based information and journey planning services,like those mentioned in Section 1, and education packs prepared fordisabled school children can all help in raising awareness of what
services are accessible and available.

NOTES
1. “Improving Accessibility of Transport: Report on Implementation at the National
Level of Measures to Improve Accessibility of Transport”, ECMT, Paris(May 2004).
2. “The Design and Operation of Accessible Public Transport Systems”, (p. 74).
3. “ECMT-UITP Guidelines for Transport Personnel on Improving Access to Public
Transport”, ECMT, Paris (2006).
4. The Leeds Buddying Scheme is run by Metro, the West Yorkshire Passenger
Transport Executive.
5. Merseytravel, Liverpool operates this scheme.
6. See Section 1.4.

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ANNEX 1

MEMBERS OF THE ECMT WORKING GROUPON ACCESS AND INCLUSIONALLEMAGNE/GERMANY

Mr Bernd TÖRKEL
Deputy Director General
Federal Ministry of Transport,
Building and Urban Affairs
Mrs Nicole GRAF
Assistant Head of Division
Federal Ministry of Transport,
Building and Urban Affairs

AUTRICHE/AUSTRIA

Mrs Liliana PREROWSKY
Federal Ministry for Transport,
Innovation and Technology

BELGIQUE/BELGIUM

Mr Pierre FORTON
Directeur Général - chargé demission DGTTService public fédéral Mobilitéet Transports

BOSNIE-HERZ./BOSNIA-HERZ.

Mrs Senaida MEHMEDOVSKI
Ministry of Communications
and Transport
Department of Transport
and Transport Infrastructure

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124 – ANNEX 1
BULGARIE/BULGARIAMr Lazar KRASTEVHead of Department
Ministry of Transport
Ms Iskra BONEVAHead of International
Relations Department
Ministry of Transport
International Relations
Directorate

CANADAMr Chris STARKManager, Monitoring, Liaisonand Mediation
Canadian Transportation
AgencyAccessible Transportation
Directorate
Mr Gavin CURRIE
Director General
Canadian Transportation
AgencyAir & Accessible
Transportation Branch
Ms Mary-Jane GRAVELLE
Acting Director, Accessible
Transportation
Canadian Transportation
AgencyAir & Accessible
Transportation
Directorate

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ANNEX 1 -125

Mrs Barbara NELSON
Chief, Transportation
Accessibility
Transport Canada
CROATIE/CROATIAMr Pero KOVAC
Conseiller
Ambassade de la Républiquede Croatie

DANEMARK/DENMARKMr Niels HARNE
Head of Section, Planning
Division
Ministry of Transport andEnergyFrederiksholms Kanal 27

ERY MACEDOINE/FYR MACEDONIA

Mr Zoran CRVENKOVSKI
State Secretary
Ministry of Transport andCommunications

ESPAGNE/SPAIN

Mrs Cristina RODRIGUEZPORRERO MIRETCentro Estatal de Autonomia
Personal y Ayudas Tecnicas
IMERSO - Directora del
CEAPAT
Mr José Antonio REDONDO
Ing. RADT
Centro Estatal de Autonomia
Personal y Ayudas Tecnicas
IMSERSO

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126 – ANNEX 1
ESTONIE/ESTONIA

Mrs Katrin TAMBUR
Leading Specialist, Road andRailway Department
Ministry of Economic Affairs
and Communications
Road and Railways
DepartmentETATS-UNIS/UNITED STATESMr Robert ASHBY
Assistant General Counsel,
C-50
U.S. Department ofTransportation
Mr Michael WINTER
Head of the Office of Civil
Rights (TCR-1)
U.S. Department ofTransportation
Ms Rose MCMURRAY
Associate Administrator for
Policy & Program
Development
U.S. Department ofTransportation

FINLANDE/FINLAND

Mrs Irja VESANEN-NIKITIN
Senior Officer
Ministry of Transport andCommunications
Department of Transport
PolicyTransport Service Unit

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ANNEX 1 -FRANCE127

Mrs Catherine BACHELIER
Déléguée Ministérielle àl'Accessibilité
Ministère des Transports, del'Equipement, du Tourisme etde la Mer
Mr Hasni JERIDI
Adjoint à la Déléguée
Ministérielle à l'Accessibilité
Ministère des Transports, del'Equipement, du Tourisme etde la Mer
Délég. ministérielle àl'accessibilité

GRECE/GREECE

Mrs Marily CHRISTOFI
Ministry of Transport andCommunications
Accessibility Committee

HONGRIE/HUNGARYMr Attila KISS
Counsellor
Ministry of Economy andTransport
International Transport
Department

IRLANDE/IRELAND

Mr Noel HUGHES
Department of Transport
Public Transport (Land Useand Planning)
Mr Ed O’CALLAGHAN
Department of Transport
Public Transport Planning
Division

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128 – ANNEX 1
ITALIE/ITALY

Mrs Paola PORZIDisabled Customers
AssistanceFerrovie dello Stato(FS-Soc; Trenitalia)

JAPON/JAPANMr Yasuto KAWARABAYASHI
Counsellor
Permanent Delegation ofJapan to the OECD

LETTONIE/LATVIA

Mr Janis KANCEVICS
Vice Director
Ministry of Transport

LIECHTENSTEIN

Mr. Hubert BÜCHEL
Ambassador/ Director
Office of Economic Affairs

LITUANIE/LITHUANIA

Mr Vytautas GUZYS
Chief Specialist
Ministry of Transport andCommunications
Traffic Safety Department
Extreme Situations Prevention
Division

MALTE/MALTA

Mr David SUTTON
Deputy Chief Executive Officer
Malta Transport Authority

NORVEGE/NORWAY

Mrs Peggy ZACHARIASSEN
Senior Advisor
Ministry of Transport andCommunications

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ANNEX 1 -129

PAYS-BAS/NETHERLANDS

Mr Gerard L M VAN EGMOND
Ministry of Transport, Public
Works and Water
Management
Market Development and
Decentralised
Transport Dept - DG
Passenger Transport

POLOGNE/POLAND

Mrs Malgorzata CHOINSKA
Chief Specialist
Ministry of Transport andConstruction
Department of Programming &Strategy

PORTUGALMr Carlos PEREIRA
Responsable des Etudes etStatistiques
Secretariado Nacional para aReabilitaçao e
Integraçao das Pessoas com
Deficiência
(SNRIPD)
Mrs Lina PEREIRA
Ministère des Travaux Publics,
des Transports et desCommunications
Dir. Gén. des Transports
Terrestres

REP. TCHEQUE/CZECH REP.

Mr Jan EXNER
Ministry of Transport

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130 – ANNEX 1
ROUMANIE/ROMANIA

Mrs Dana
CONSTANTINESCU
Director General
Ministry of Transport,
Construction and Tourism
Department for EU
and International Co-operation

ROYAUME-UNI/
UNITED KINGDOMMrs Ann FRYE
Head, Mobility and Inclusion
Unit
Department for Transport
Mrs Sue SHARPHead of Disability Policy
Department for Transport
Mobility and Inclusion Unit

RUSSIE/RUSSIA

Mr Vadim DONCHENKO
Director
State Scientific and ResearchInstitute for Road Transport(NIIAT)SLOVAQUIE/SLOVAKIAMr Dusan RIZEKMinistry of Transport, Posts
and Telecommunications
Directeur de la Section
de l'Intégration Européenne
et des Relations
Internationales

SUEDE/SWEDEN

Mrs Natasa POPOVIC
Ministry of Industry,
Employment andCommunications
Division for Transport Policy

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ANNEX 1 -131

SUISSE/SWITZERLAND

Mr Hanspeter OPRECHT
DETEC
Federal Office of Transport
Section Rail Network
Mobility Issues

TURQUIE/TURKEY

Ms Gülcan DEMIRCIHead of Co-ordination
Department of EC
Ministry of Transport andCommunications

UKRAINE

Ms Nina BARYSHNIKOVA
Ministry of Transport andCommunications
Department of International
Relations
Mr Ruslan SIROBABA
Ministry of Transport andCommunications
Department of International
Relations

EUROPEAN COMMISSION
CE/EC

Mrs Carine CLOOT
DG - Transport and Energy
CE/EC
Mr Riccardo RONCORONI
Assistant
CE/EC

INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION
FOR TECHNOLOGY ANDACCESSIBILITY
ICTA

Mrs Maggie ELLISSecretary
ICTA Europe
c/o West Square Associates

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132 – ANNEX 1
EUROPEAN DISABILITY FORUM
EDF/FEPH

Ms Maria NYMAN
Policy Officer
EDF-FEPH

CEMT/ECMT

Mrs Mary CRASS
Principal Administrator
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ANNEX 2

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
OF THE ECMT-UITP REPORTON IMPROVING ACCESS TO PUBLIC TRANSPORT[CEMT/CM(2003)6/FINAL]
Ministers:•

Approved the Conclusions and Recommendations of the joint
ECMT-UITP report.

•

Agreed to disseminate them to local authorities and public
transport operators.

•

Re-affirmed their commitment to improving the accessibility of
public transport.

•

Agreed to examine existing laws and legislation to ensure thatthey provide a supportive national framework within which
local authorities and transport operators can work together toimprove accessibility of the transport system.

•

Agreed that ECMT should review progress on implementing
the above recommendations in due time with UITP.

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134 – ANNEX 2
1.

CONTEXT

Governments and public transport operators share a common
goal to ensure that public transport is accessible to all, and that thepedestrian and traffic environments are designed and managed toenable people to reach and use public transport safely and withconfidence. Public transport has a key role to play in improving
accessibility for all individuals, thereby minimising social exclusion andenhancing social cohesion. In this pursuit, government and the public
transport community must work together to reduce not only physical,
but also psychological barriers (cognitive, information, fear,
discrimination) to safe and seamless travel in cities.
The importance of improving accessibility to transport systems isclear: at any one time, an average of 25% of the population may havea degree of reduced mobility due to a physical or mental disability,
impaired sight or hearing, or through having to carry heavy bags ortravel with small children. Further, physical and sensory disabilities areoften related to age and, as is well known, the proportion of the older
population in western countries is growing and will continue to do sowell into the 21st century.
The present and future needs of people with reduced mobility
cannot be ignored. To do so would be to exacerbate inequality ofaccess to a wide range of facilities and, from the point of view of thetransport service providers, to miss out on a substantial sector of themarket for public transport. Indeed, benefits from improvements intransport accessibility are accrued not just to the disabled and ageing
communities, but to all clients of the transport system. Providing
access for disabled people to public transport is not an isolated
endeavour: it is a crucial part of a quality approach to public transport
services, which ensures that all passengers are provided with a highstandard of public transport.
Much progress has been made toward meeting the goal of better
accessibility in local areas. However, implementation of policies toimprove accessibility for all clients of the transport system has provendifficult and slow in many urban regions.
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ANNEX 2 -

2.

135

ECMT-UITP TASK FORCE

To better ascertain the difficulties involved in improving
accessibility to public transport, the ECMT and the International Public
Transport Union (UITP) together established in 2001 a joint Task
Force on Improving Access to Public Transport. The broad mandate
for this Task Force, which was comprised of representatives ofnational and local Governments as well as transport operators, was to
examine how urban public transport vehicles, systems and associatedinfrastructure can be further improved so that they provide better
access to people with mobility difficulties.
Specifically, the three main objectives given to the Task Forcewere to:•Identify examples of partnerships between public authorities(at different levels) and transport operators which can improveaccess for all and deliver other advantages for local public
transport services (increased patronage, reduced congestion).

•

Draw up guidance on good practice for training transportpersonnel to understand and respond to the needs ofpassengers with mobility difficulties.

•

Propose solutions to particular problems that occur inimproving access, including liability in case of accident,
specific technical solutions for boarding aids and theintegration of accessible vehicles in the urban environment.

Drawing from inter alia the ECMT’s 1999 guide to good practice,“Improving Transport for People with Mobility Handicaps”, and the2001 ECMT Consolidated Resolution (no.2001/3) on accessible
transport, as well as UITP’s revised position on accessibility issues,
adopted in 2000, the Task Force examined accessibility initiatives inthe transport systems of four cities: Grenoble, Prague, Göteborg andLiverpool. Task force members met with local and transport authorities
as well as the public transport operators in these cities to better

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136 – ANNEX 2
understand how policies to improve accessibility are made andimplemented.
3. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
OF THE ECMT-UITP TASK FORCE
Whilst the organisational structure of public transport and local
authorities varied in the four cities examined, a number of key
conclusions can be drawn from their experience in improving theaccessibility of their transport systems.
Role of national governments in improving accessibilityof local public transport•

National legislation requiring the provision of fully accessible
public transport over a period of time provides a framework
within which local authorities and transport operators can work
together to achieve accessibility. The existence of such
legislation is important in all circumstances and is essential
when public transport services are provided solely or largely
on a commercial basis.

•

Although implementation of measures to improve theaccessibility of public transport is mainly a matter for local
authorities and operators, national government has animportant role in setting the legal framework, providing
incentives and producing guidance on standards of goodpractice.

Co-operation between local authorities
and public transport operators•

Close, continuing and frequent co-operation between local
authorities, local transport authorities and transport operators
is essential. Where these are all public authorities, or where
there is control over private operators, there is no evidence tosuggest that formal, contractual agreements are essential.

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ANNEX 2 -•137

Where operators are independent, authorities should stipulate
clearly the accessibility level required in agreements that arecontractually enforceable between the public transport
authority and the operators.

Planning for accessibility•

Forward planning, with a time horizon of approximately ten
years, is necessary. More detailed plans should cover a
period of five years, and should be updated on an annual
basis.

•

There should be regular monitoring of progress towards
achieving forward plan objectives. Monitoring should cover
improvements to public transport infrastructure, introduction of
fully accessible vehicles (buses, trams, trains) and use madeof accessible services by disabled people and others with
reduced mobility.

Co-operation with disabled people in defining
and developing better accessibility to transport•

Collaboration and consultation with disability associations on
all aspects of accessible transport is essential. This should
cover vehicles, infrastructure and information. The public
transport authority should have a focal point specificallycharged with dealing with all disability issues. Care should betaken to ensure that consultation covers the whole range of
disabilities: physical, sensory and cognitive.

Ensuring full accessibility: vehicles, infrastructure, and stops•

In urban areas, gapless and stepless boarding should become
the norm. This requires action by both local authorities andoperators. Infrastructure modifications should be undertaken
to allow such boarding, either by making existing highplatforms accessible or by arranging street-level infrastructure
to maximise the benefit of low-floor vehicles. The authorities
responsible for the transport infrastructure should conduct

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138 – ANNEX 2
accessibility audits of bus and tram stops as well as related
infrastructure using consistent standards. The objective
should be to match the introduction of accessible vehicles withappropriate infrastructure. If this is not done, much of thevalue of accessible vehicles will be lost.
•

While the development of accessible bus and tram stops isessential, it is also important to ensure that the surrounding
pedestrian environment is also accessible. This responsibility
rests primarily with the local authority.

•

The effective enforcement of parking restrictions at andaround bus stops is absolutely necessary, otherwise thebenefit of low-floor, step-free access is lost. This requires
stringent, consistent and enforced policy at the local authority
level.

•In order to make construction provisions more effective,
affordable and easier to design, it is desirable for local
authorities, operators and vehicle manufacturers to rely onsome degree of standardisation in wheelchair dimensions andrestraint devices for transport purposes. Wheelchair
manufacturers should adopt existing ISO standards, andassociations of wheelchair users should make theirconstituencies aware of the standards on which public
transport vehicle manufacturers are basing their designs forwheelchair accessibility.

Specialised services•

Specialised services will continue to be needed by some of
the most severely disabled people, as well as to provide
connecting services for those people otherwise unable toreach public transport. It should not, however, be regarded as
an acceptable substitute for accessible public transport, butrather as a complement to it.

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ANNEX 2 -139

Training•

Ensuring that drivers and other public transport staff havedisability awareness training is essential to the effective
delivery of accessible services.

Information•

As services become fully accessible, operators should ensurethat accurate up-to-date information and publicity are madeavailable in appropriate (audio/visual) formats for disabled
people. Good, comprehensive information is essential if
disabled people are to be encouraged to use accessible
services. Information should cover the whole transport chain:pre-journey and during the trip.

•

Some operators believe there are problems associated withparticular features of accessible vehicles, notably buses. Useof a ramp and securing of wheelchair passengers areexamples. Continued exchange of information and goodpractice on these aspects of operation between authorities
and operators would be helpful.

Costs and benefits•

Clearly there are costs associated with creating a fully
accessible public transport system, but it should be
remembered that there are financial benefits to be had fromincreased use of the public transport services.

•

Additional investment and financing costs should beincorporated into long-term transport development plans to theextent possible, and discussed and shared based on
responsibility and jurisdiction.

•

Opportunities should be sought for cost-effective
improvements to accessibility based on better enforcement ofexisting traffic laws (e.g., fines for illegal parking in and aroundbus stops).

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ANNEX 3

CONSOLIDATED RESOLUTION No 2001/3
ON ACCESSIBLE TRANSPORTThe ECMT Council of Ministers, meeting in Lisbon on 29th-30th
May 2001,CONSIDERING that the integration of older and disabled people
in the occupational and social life of the community very closely
depends on whether they are able to move about freely and easily forjourneys to and from work or for any other purpose.
NOTING THAT:•

Demographic changes will result in a significant increase in
the number of older people in ECMT Member and Associatecountries in the coming years.

•

There is a growing demand for travel among older anddisabled people and others whose mobility is impaired.

•

Significant progress has been made to render some modes oftransport more accessible to everyone.

•

Despite this progress much remains to be done.

AGREES THAT in order to give a new impetus to improving thesituation across all Countries it is useful to consolidate previous
Ministerial Resolutions and other relevant work in a single document(see Annex).

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ANNEX 3 -141

RECOGNISING THAT:•

Accessibility contributes significantly to the welfare andcomfort of the entire population and constitutes an importantelement in the promotion of public transport and in theimplementation of sustainable development.

•

Difficulties in mobility may be due to a permanent disability(sensory, physical or cognitive) or to a temporary condition or
disability (pregnancy, accident) or to external circumstances(accompanying young children, carrying luggage, etc) or age;
this resolution concerns all these categories but for simplicity,
the term “older and disabled people is used” in the text.

•

Well designed accessibility of buildings, the environment,roads and transport, whether public or private, enables people
with mobility difficulties to move freely and independently.

•

More accessible transport increases educational, employment
and recreational opportunities and can reduce social services
and welfare costs to governments and communities.

•

Accessibility is not only a social issue but also a very
important commercial issue, and the population in question,
which is significantly larger than the number of disabled
people, represents considerable commercial potential.

EMPHASISES THE FOLLOWING PRINCIPLES:•

All policy initiatives or developments in transport and land use
planning should include an evaluation of their potential impact
on safety and accessibility of older and disabled people.

•

All links in the transport chain need to be improved so that anaccessible environment is created door-to-door and increased
efforts must be made to connect the different means oftransport and thereby create an integrated, safe andaccessible transport system.

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142 – ANNEX 3•

In particular, all new investments in transport must takeaccount of and plan for the needs of older and disabled
people in accordance with the Charter adopted by Ministers in
Warsaw in 1999.

•

Close co-operation between governments, public authorities,
manufacturers, operators and the people concerned isessential.

MAKES THE FOLLOWING RECOMMENDATIONS:
Governments should:
Generally
Objectives•

Define clear, concrete and measurable objectives to improvesafety and accessibility of older and disabled people, with aprogramme of specific actions.

Training•

Work with transport authorities and companies, tour operators,
travel agents and others to ensure that staff who are incontact with the public are aware of and sensitive to the
problems encountered by older and disabled people whenusing transport.

•

Ensure that the designers and decision-makers in all relevanttransport fields are trained in the principles and requirementsof accessibility.

Information and communication•

Use their influence to improve systems of information
provision for older and disabled people and ensure that all
those concerned by the issue are consulted.

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ANNEX 3 -143•

Endeavour to ensure that transport authorities andcompanies, tour operators and travel agents include, as anintegral part of their services, information for older anddisabled people on the facilities available to them, including
the different links in the mobility chain.

•

Continue to make efforts to improve the clarity of signing andsignalling systems and to harmonise at international level,
particularly where safety is an issue.

•

Work towards introducing dynamic, audible and visual
announcements capable of providing information in real time.

Research•

Endeavour to strengthen their research and development
activities in relation to the accessibility and safety issues foran ageing population.

Transport planning•Work to improve co-ordination between the competentauthorities at national, regional and local level in order toassure a coherent approach to the accessibility and safety oftransport infrastructure and pedestrian facilities.

•

Together with governments and international organisations a
set of guidelines on good practice should be developed
including on the function and design of the road system, as
well as lighting, intersections and pedestrian facilities.

Personal vehicles
Parking facilities•

Enable people with severely reduced mobility who havedifficulty in moving about and using public transport to park
their vehicles where parking is otherwise restricted.

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144 – ANNEX 3•

Where necessary, provide reserved parking spaces for suchpeople by means of appropriate road signs. These spaces
should be designed in accordance with recognised design
criteria.

•

Provide those eligible for such facilities with a parking badge
in accordance with (for EU member states) or similar to (fornon-EU member states) that of the model defined by the EU;
as a minimum the badge should contain the international
symbol for disabled people and the name of the badge holder.

•

Give the same parking facilities to holders of this document
coming from another Member or Associated member country
as they do to their own nationals.

•

Take the necessary steps to ensure that police and otherparking enforcement authorities are fully informed about thenature of this arrangement.

Legal requirements for seat belt wearing•

Mutually recognise exemptions from wearing seat belts fordisabled nationals from other countries.

Design of vehicles•

Facilitate and encourage the design of vehicles for all whichtake into account the needs of an ageing population.

•Work together with other governments, ECMT and industry to
draw up a set of design guidelines for vehicles.

Driving licences•

Study and draw up guidelines on the conditions for issuing
and retaining driving licences for older and disabled drivers.

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ANNEX 3 -145

Air travel•

Improve access to air travel by:- Implementing the ECAC guidelines on aviation and airport

access.
- Focusing more attention on improving transport links toairports.
Rail, light rail and tram systems•

Make renewed efforts to stimulate improved accessibility torailways as well as light rail and tramway systems by:- Implementing the COST 335 guidelines for heavy rail inboth domestic and cross-border services.
- Ensuring that all new tram and light rail systems build in fullaccessibility from the outset.
Public transport
Buses•

Continue to facilitate and stimulate the positive trend towards
the introduction of fully accessible buses by:- Implementing the recommendations of the COST 322

report on low-floor buses.
- Assisting the competent authorities to provide theconditions whereby buses can get close to stops and theresources to implement and enforce this.
- Continuing to work with people with disabilities andindustry to implement appropriate solutions to therequirements both of wheelchair users and other older anddisabled.
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146 – ANNEX 3
Coaches•

Urge manufacturers and operators to develop, provide anduse vehicles capable of meeting the needs of older anddisabled people.

•

Ensure that coach classification systems include a set ofcriteria for levels of accessibility provided.

More flexible public transport services•

Promote the development of new types of intermediate
services between public transport and specialised services
such as demand responsive public transport services which
can be used by the general public but are especially planned
to meet the needs of older and disabled people.

Specialised transport services•

Assist in providing specialised door-to-door transport services
for those most severely disabled people who experience
particular difficulties and who cannot use public transport.

Taxis
•

Implement the recommendations agreed by the Joint IRUECMT Task Force for taxi services, and in particular:•

Encourage regional and local authorities to secure theprovision of accessible services in their areas.

•

At national, regional and local levels as appropriate
investigate the need for direct and indirect subsidies to enablepeople with mobility handicaps to make use of taxis where
there is no accessible alternative.

•

At national, regional and local level consider the possibility of
incentives (financial and/or legislative) to encourage thepurchase and operation of accessible vehicles.
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ANNEX 3 -•147

In cooperation with other Governments and international
bodies and in consultation with industry and with older anddisabled people, draw up design parameters for accessible
taxis (based on ISO standards for wheelchair dimensions).

REQUESTS:
Member countries to:•Disseminate this Resolution widely in their countries.

•

Implement this Resolution and the related documents to which
it refers.

•

Report regularly on progress towards implementation and on
general improvements in accessibility.

Associate countries to:•

Subscribe, as far as possible, to the principles andrecommendations contained in this Resolution.

•

Discuss implementation and other policy issues with ECMTMember countries.

The Committee of Deputies to:•Continue to work closely with governments, industry, older
and disabled people to review progress on implementing
these recommendations.

•

Update regularly the Guide to Good Practice and otherreports.

•

Take new initiatives, wherever needed, to improve safe andaccessible mobility for older and disabled people.

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148 – ANNEX 3
PREVIOUS ECMT RESOLUTIONS SUPERSEDED BY
PRESENT CONSOLIDATED TEXT1

97/4

Reciprocal Recognition of Parking Badges for Persons with
Mobility Handicaps.

97/3

Comprehensive Resolution on Transport for People with
Mobility Handicaps.

94/2

Access to Taxis for People with Reduced Mobility.

91/8

Information and Communication.

90/4

Access to Buses, Trains and Coaches for People with Mobility
Handicaps.

89/68 Access for Pedestrians.
87/63 Transport for Disabled People.
85/54 Transport for Disabled People.
81/45 Transport for Handicapped Persons Obliged to Use
Wheelchairs.
78/38

Transport for Handicapped Persons.

NOTE
1. Resolutions available at www.cemt.org

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ANNEX 4

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150 – ANNEX 4

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REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING

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152 – REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING“Draft Ergonomic Guidelines for Accessible Information Systems”,
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REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING -153“Revised Guidelines for: Reducing Mobility Handicaps, Towards a
Barrier-Free Environment”, The Institution of Highways andTransportation, 3 Lygon Place, Ebury Street, London SW1W 0JS,
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154 – REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING“Making railway stations accessible”, Philip Oxley, Christine Gallon
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“Passenger’s accessibility of heavy rail systems”, Proceedings of the
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“Principles for travel centre design”, Ministry of Transport andCommunications Finland, Helsinki, Finland (1997).
“Bus Stops. A Design Guide for Improved Quality”, prepared by The
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IMPROVING TRANSPORT ACCESSIBILITY FOR ALL: GUIDE TO GOOD PRACTICE – ISBN 92-821-0139-8 - © ECMT, 2006

REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING -155“Code of Practice Air Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities”,
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156 – REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING“Disability Discrimination Act: The Government’s Proposals for Taxis”,
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REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING -157e) Maritime“Recommendations on the design and operation of passenger ships torespond to elderly and disabled persons’ needs”, IMO Circular,
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Via Nizza 250, 10126 Torino, Italy (1998).

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158 – REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING
6. Policy Framework“International Coordination and Standardisation of Measures andPolicies to promote Mobility”, European Conference of Ministers ofTransport, Paris, France (1987).
“Transport for People with Mobility Handicaps: Policy andAchievements in Europe”, European Conference of Ministers ofTransport, Paris, France (1991).
And if all else fails:“Accessibility Complaint Guide”, Canadian Transportation Agency
Ottawa, ON K1A ON9, Canada (July 1996).
“Towards Accessible Transport. Accessibility Strategy of the Ministryof Transport and Communications”, Finland (2003).
“Barrierefreier Öpnv in Deutschland”, Bundesministerium für Verkehr,Ball-und Wohnumgswesen, Germany (April 2003).
“Improving Accessibility of Transport: Report on Implementation at the
National Level of Measures to Improve Accessibility of Transport”,
ECMT, Paris (2004).
7. General and Multi-modal“Transport for people with mobility handicaps: policy andachievements in Europe”, European Conference of Ministers ofTransport, Paris, France (1991).
“Bergerfreundliche und behindertengerechte Gestaltund desStrassenraums”, Bundesministerium für Verkher, Referat A22, Robert
Schuman Platz 1, D-53175 Bonn, Germany (1992).
“Construction adaptée aux personnes handicapées”, Norme
SN 521 500, édition 1988 avec Guide édition1993, Association Suisse
des Invalides, CH-4601 Olten, Suisse (nouveau nom à partir de 2002:
Procap, CH-4601 Olten, Suisse).
IMPROVING TRANSPORT ACCESSIBILITY FOR ALL: GUIDE TO GOOD PRACTICE – ISBN 92-821-0139-8 - © ECMT, 2006

REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING -159“The Design and Operation of Accessible Public Transport Systems”,
Thematic Group 8, Helios 11 programme (November 1996).
“Technological Developments to meet the Needs and Requirementsof Sensory and Cognitively Impaired Travellers”, Goss Gilroy Inc. forTransportation Development Centre, 800 René Lévesque BoulevardWest, Montreal, Quebec H3B 1X9, Canada (1997).
“oud <=> nieuw”, ouderen ab uitgangspunt voor innovatief ontwerpen(the elderly as a starting point for innovative designs), Netherlands
Design Institute, Amsterdam, Netherlands (March 1998).
“Mobility for All, Accessible Transportation Around the World”, AccessExchange International, San Francisco, USA (1998).
“TELSCAN”, European Commission supported project, co-ordinatedby A Naniopoulos, University of Thessaloniki, Greece, has produced anumber of reports on different aspects of travel and travel information
for disabled and elderly people. Information on the project and thedesign guidelines it has produced is available on
http://hermes.civil.auth.gr/telscan /telsc.html.
“Making Transportation Accessible”, Transportation Development
Centre, 800 René Lévesque Boulevard West, Montreal, Quebec H3B
1X9, Canada (1998).
“Agenda 22 Local Authorities - Disability Policy Planning Instructions”,
The Swedish Co-operative Body of Organizations of Disabled People,
Stockholm (2001).
“Barrierefreier Öpnv in Deutschland”, Bundersministerium für Verkehr,
Bau-und Wohnungswesen, Germany (April 2003).
“Accessibility in Collective Transport Systems”, CEN/CENELEC
Workshop Acts, Brussels (2004).
“Toegankelijkheid collectief personenvervoer – Uitgangspunten”,
CROW, Ede, Netherlands (October 2005).

IMPROVING TRANSPORT ACCESSIBILITY FOR ALL: GUIDE TO GOOD PRACTICE – ISBN 92-821-0139-8 - © ECMT, 2006

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Improving GUIDETransport TO GOOD
PRACTICE
Accessibility
for All
Accessibility has long been considered as a transport concern only for individuals withparticular mobility diﬃculties. But it is now increasingly recognized as an integral partof high-quality, sustainable transport systems, with beneﬁts accruing to all clients.
Much has been done to improve the accessibility of transport systems in recent years.
One of the key factors in progress has been the indispensable exchange of experience– both good and less successful – among countries having committed to working
towards better accessibility.
The ECMT has prepared this Guide to Good Practice in order to facilitate such an
exchange of experience. It addresses both countries where improvements toaccessibility are under way, and those that are just now making that commitment.
With examples from recent experience in a wide range of countries, this Guide updates
the ECMT’s 1999 Guide, pointing to areas where progress has been made as well as tothose where challenges persist.

Improving Transport Accessibility for All

Making transport vehicles and infrastructure more accessible to everyone continues
to be both an important objective and a major challenge for transport authorities,
operators and service providers worldwide.

EUROPEAN CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS OF TRANSPORT

GUIDE-:HSTCSC=VUVX^V:(75 2006 10 1 P) ISBN 92-821-0139-8

2006

Improving GUIDETransport TO GOOD
PRACTICE
Accessibility
for All