JTLU Volume 2, No. 2 (2009)
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Table of Contents:
Access, Aging, and Impairments Part B: Accessibility Planning, pp. 1-2
Implementing accessibility in municipal planning— Planners’ view, pp. 3-21
Can measuring the benefits of accessible transport enable a seamless journey?, pp. 21-30
Assessing the extent of transport social exclusion among the elderly, pp. 31-48
Older people and local public transit: Mobility effects of accessibility improvements in Sweden, pp. 49-65
Correspondence: Urban Mobility Plans and Accessibility, pp. 67-78
Book Review: The Code of the City: Standards and the Hidden Language of Place Making, pp. 79-81
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Item Access, Aging, and Impairments Part B: Accessibility Planning(Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2009) Schmöcker, Jan-DirkThis article introduces vol. 2, no. 2 issue of Journal of Transport and Land Use.Item Implementing accessibility in municipal planning— Planners’ view(Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2009) Wennberg, Hanna; Ståhl, Agneta; Hydén, ChristerAccessibility in public outdoor environments for those with reduced functional capacity has been gaining interest on both the international and national levels. This study investigates how acces- sibility issues are currently treated in Swedish municipalities in order to examine how the accessibility needs of older people are met in daily practice. A postal questionnaire was sent to all municipalities in Sweden (N=290) with questions mainly regarding three categories: (1) existence of policies & planning documents, cooperation with interest organizations, and measures implemented, (2) awareness and use of governmental directives and recommendations relevant for accessibility issues and (3) statements of how accessibility issues are treated among municipal politicians and employees as perceived by the re- spondent. In the data analysis, a quantitative ranking of each one of the three categories was created using questions from the questionnaire to indicate the level of accessibility implemented in municipal planning. The results show a large variation in the accessibility standard among the municipalities in Sweden. In municipalities that have planning documents, e.g. accessibility plan, accessibility issues are treated more positively among the municipal politicians and employees. This positive relationship with the treatment of accessibility was also found with factors such as municipalities have an accessibility ad- viser employed, municipalities cooperate with senior organizations, and municipalities use governmen- tal directives and recommendations relevant for accessibility issues. This paper concludes that although there is still much to do to accomplish a society accessible to all citizens, a majority of the Swedish mu- nicipalities are nevertheless positive to accessibility issues.Item Can measuring the benefits of accessible transport enable a seamless journey?(Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2009) Maynard, AliceFor disabled and older people, journeys need to be seamless – with no failures in access from origin to destination. Because the public transport environment, including walking and cycling modes, is not accessible, the use of private cars remains essential to social inclusion. Consequently, social goals re- lating to private car use in relation to health, environment and land-use will be harder to achieve. Greater attention needs to be paid to the detail of the “journey chain” with access consistently provided through- out, making for seamless journeys. This attention needs to be paid in all aspects of transport planning as well as delivery, including in the appraisal process. In transport projects appraisal, the costs of providing access are monetized, but not the benefits. The author undertook an experiment to value the benefits of step-free access for everyone and found significant economic benefit that enhanced the benefit:cost ratio. Until the benefits of accessible transport are properly considered for everybody across the whole planning process including appraisal, providing access will continue to be an uphill struggle and access throughout the journey chain will remain hit and miss.Item Assessing the extent of transport social exclusion among the elderly(Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2009) Titheridge, Helena; Achuthan, Kamalasudhan; Mackett, Roger; Solomon, Juliet“Social exclusion” is a concept that has become increasingly prominent in the UK and else- where in the last ten years. Social exclusion occurs as a result of a series of problems that prevent people from being able to participate in activities that are considered normal in their society. Some of these problems are related to issues of accessibility. This paper outlines work carried out in the context of the AUNT-SUE (Accessibility and User Needs in Transport in Sustainable Urban Environments) project to develop and model an appropriate set of accessibility benchmarks for older people. Results confirmed that the travel patterns of older people are very different from those of the average person in the UK and that it was necessary to tailor accessibility benchmarks to the characteristics of this group. A set of benchmarks was developed based on ability to undertake different types of activity. these benchmarks are currently being incorporated into AMELIA, a GIS-based tool for assessing the effect of different policy actions on accessibility. Issues that have arisen include how to model the myriad micro-level cir- cumstances that affect the mobility of older people. Some initial analysis has shown that these details can make a substantial difference to the assessment of the accessibility of a destination. Examples are drawn from St Albans in Hertfordshire, UK.Item Older people and local public transit: Mobility effects of accessibility improvements in Sweden(Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2009) Wretstrand, Anders; Svensson, Helena; Fristedt, Sofi; Falkmer, TorbjörnSeveral transportation factors concerning older and disabled people are under transition in Sweden at present. By the year 2010, the public transit system must be fully accessible for all passengers. The present survey studied older people, in order to assess the perceived travel opportunities. Questionnaires were sent to a sample of older citizens (75+) in three Swedish mid-sized municipalities. The general conclusions were that even though older people show appreciation of the existing travel opportunities, there was evidence for restricted mobility for some sub-groups of these older people, due to various perceived barriers. These groups have few optional modes, and despite various accessibility measures, special transportation services – the mandatory demand-responsive transport service – continues to provide crucial mobility. Hence, there is more to be done regarding accessibility and usability in public transit for older people. Further studies have to clarify reasons for bus travel cessation. Even larger efforts have to be put into accessibility improvements, in particular intermediate transit solutions in order to meet the regulations and policies.Item Correspondence: Urban Mobility Plans and Accessibility(Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2009) Dejeammes, MaryvonneIn France, as in other European countries, towns and cities have committed to reducing the negative effects of automobile traffic—accidents and air pollution—either by regulation or voluntarily in order to improve their inhabitants’ quality of life. Creating urban transport plans (PDUs) involves favoring non-automotive travel modes—walking and cycling—as well as public transport. Investment choices and planning of corresponding facilities are an excellent opportunity for improving accessibility to the town and public transport for disabled people and those with reduced mobility. The French law of February 11, 2005 “for equality of rights and chances, participation and citizenship of disabled people” included an obligation for PDUs to include an accessibility appendix whenever they are created, changed or revised. After a short review of the new regulatory obligations for authorities responsible for public transport and cities, this paper examines how PDUs approved since 1997 have dealt with the issue of accessibility for pedestrians and users of public transport. Two examples are analyzed. The first is the PDU for the town of Mulhouse, the actual decisions made concerning highways and public transports and the lessons learned by following indications and the difficulties encountered in involving local authorities responsible for accessibility modifications. The second example is the experience of Valenciennes in creating a street accessibility plan that will form part of the revision of the PDU. these examples highlight the institutional difficulties encountered and suggest methodological elements to facilitate cooperation between the various partners concerned and agreements with disabled people’s associations.Item Book Review: The Code of the City: Standards and the Hidden Language of Place Making(Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2009) Huang, ArthurThe author reviews the book The Code of the City: Standards and the Hidden Language of Place Making by Eran Ben-Joseph (MIT Press, 2005).