Why Buses Cannot Get Wheelchair Users to Most City Areas
Study in Columbus Finds Lack of Sidewalks Hampers Mobility
Published: 2023-05-10
Author: Ohio State University | Contact: osu.edu
Peer-Reviewed Publication: Yes
Journal Reference: DOI Link to the Study Paper
Library of Related Papers: Public Disability Transport Publications
Synopsis: Study finds the key obstacle is with sidewalks and other infrastructure that wheelchair users need to get from home to bus stops and from bus stops to their destination. In much of the city, people with mobility disabilities had accessibility levels that were 60% to 100% below levels for public transit users without disabilities. Sidewalks are part of our transportation system. We cannot have effective and equitable public transit without having a good sidewalk network.
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Main Digest
“Disparities in Public Transit Accessibility and Usage by People With Mobility Disabilities: An Evaluation Using High-Resolution Transit Data” – Journal of Transport Geography.
Imagine you could travel to only 1% of the city where you live – areas that were easily accessible to other residents. That’s the situation for manual wheelchair users traveling by public buses in Columbus, a first-of-its-kind study finds. The situation for those with powered wheelchairs is only somewhat better – the study found they have access [...]