BEAT – a Matrix-based Tool for Analyzing and Assessing Accessibility

Kurzfassung

The EU encourages the development and implementation of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) in cities and regions across Europe to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality in urban areas by prioritizing sustainable and active modes of transportation, including walking, cycling, and public transport. This requires a shift from private car use to active modes, such as walking, cycling and public transport. However, people with disabilities often rely on private cars for their trips because public infrastructure and public transport vehicles are still often considered as being inaccessible due to various barriers. Policy makers and transport planners aim for accessible infrastructure and vehicles in line with the the European Accessibility Act (EAA) and the mandates of the EU-ratified United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). But a barrier free mobility for people with disabilities is still largely a dream of the future. It should be noted, that disabled-friendly infrastructure services all pedestrians not just those who are disabled. For example, curb ramps are essential for wheelchair users but also convenient for persons with luggage or baby carriages. Against the background of the limitations of existing methods for the identification of barriers, such as interviews, questionnaires and standardized checklists, holistic and systematical methods are missing to identify mobility barriers in an objective, reliable and efficient way. The contribution addresses three overarching research questions: 1) How to measure and plan for better access to daily needs for people with disabilities? 2) How to select and operate transport mode types offering healthy and affordable options for users? 3) What urban form and spatial design patterns should be the basis of more inclusive urban transport activities and how can authorities foster them while taking into account the needs of people with disabilities? More specifically the contribution aims to show how a novel recording and analysis tool can support researchers, practitioners and policy makers to assess accessibility of transport systems and urban infrastructure. The contribution presents the tool BEAT. BEAT is a matrix-based approach to shed light on specific deficiencies within a mode of public transport that limit the usability for persons with certain impairments. The matrix-based approach offers a possibility to identify the impact of each functional restriction on each individual step within a travel chain. To this end, the matrix is based on two dimensions. First, functional restrictions that are related to disabilities are described by the specific skills and abilities of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) of the World Health Organization. Out of the 34 core sets of the ICF, the two main components body functions and activities and participation as well as five sub-components were chosen that are related to requirements for travelling (e.g. hearing and vestibular functions). Second, the entire travel chain of trips with various transport means is described. A hierarchical task analysis (HTA) was used to break down trips into sequential goals, sub-goals, operations and plans to cover each step in between the planning of the trip and the arrival at the target destination. The combination of the two dimensions results in a matrix. The matrix comprises of cells that link a specific step of the travel chain to a certain functionality. Subsequently, each cell was assessed in terms of the need for assistance in performing the specific task. The need for assistance was classified by specific colors (red for tasks that were not possible under any circumstances, orange for tasks only possible with human support, yellow for tasks only possible with technical support and green for tasks possible without restrictions). The cells were first classified by Human Factors experts and then verified in two workshops with 30 wheelchair users in total. The first use case – an intermodal trip by bus and train was implemented in a software. The development of the software pursues two goals. First, to make available a tool for transport planners and authorities to analyze and assess accessibility in a holistic and standardized but yet human-centered way. Second, to integrate users’ data input by offering a survey-based platform to enter views and opinions about barriers and accessibility-related topics. The contribution aims to support policy makers, authorities and transport planners in reach their goals for accessible public transport and infrastructure by proving a tool for the assessment of accessibility. In addition, the matrix-guided approach offers the possibility of deriving sharp requirements for planning and tendering of vehicles as well as transport infrastructures, with the goal to ensure the accessibility for people with a variety of disabilities. The presented research contributes to the processes of developing and implementing transport policy