Safety of People with Special Needs in Public Transport

Abstract

Safety is one of the most important needs of all people, but especially those with limited mobility, who face barriers of all kinds on a daily basis. The article includes a review of organizational and legal solutions for the safety of people with special needs in public transportation, as well as preliminary research aimed at identifying and classifying barriers in public transportation that limit the independent movement of people with special needs. The obtained results will be used in the development of the methodology for assessing the degree of accessibility of the studied objects and will form the basis of guidelines formulated in order to modify the existing and design the future elements of the transport system according to the principles of universal design. The problem of the lack of accessibility of public transport is the center of interest of many entities. Its solution requires a complex approach in the design process, taking into account both engineering knowledge and knowledge of the needs and constraints of different user groups. The results obtained from the study will allow the categorization of public transport modes in terms of their accessibility.

Use of Auditory Cues and Other Strategies as Sources of Spatial Information for People with Visual Impairment When Navigating Unfamiliar Environments

“…Train users encounter more problems than those who use other means of transport. In many cases, they have to rely on their own judgment to accomplish certain tasks, such as buying tickets, reading fares, and moving to a platform [ 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 ]. Such tasks require auditory cues based on the behavior of other users, and these may not be available when needed, as discussed in [ 23 ].…”

Physical Activity and Ecological Means of Transport—Functional Assessment Methodology

“…The search for alternative solutions, providing a range of benefits to both people and the environment, is nowadays the responsibility of designers. Ecotransport is not only a way to reduce pollution, but also a way to spend time, improve one’s physical conditions or participate in the social life of people with different dysfunctions [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ].…”