Improving GUIDE EUROPEAN CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS OF TRANSPORT Transport TO GOOD PRACTICE Accessibility for All I Improving m Making transport vehicles and infrastructure more accessible to everyone continues p r to be both an important objective and a major challenge for transport authorities, o GUIDE operators and service providers worldwide. v i n Accessibility has long been considered as a transport concern only for individuals with g Transport T particular mobility diffi culties. But it is now increasingly recognized as an integral part r TO GOOD a of high-quality, sustainable transport systems, with benefi ts accruing to all clients. n s Much has been done to improve the accessibility of transport systems in recent years. p PRACTICE o Accessibility One of the key factors in progress has been the indispensable exchange of experience r t – both good and less successful – among countries having committed to working A towards better accessibility. c c e The ECMT has prepared this Guide to Good Practice in order to facilitate such an s s for All exchange of experience. It addresses both countries where improvements to i b accessibility are under way, and those that are just now making that commitment. i l i t With examples from recent experience in a wide range of countries, this Guide updates y the ECMT’s 1999 Guide, pointing to areas where progress has been made as well as to fo those where challenges persist. r A l l G U I D E -:HSTCSC=VUVX^V: (75 2006 10 1 P) ISBN 92-821-0139-8 2006 EUROPEAN CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS OF TRANSPORT Improving GUIDE Transport TO GOOD Accessibility PRACTICE for All EUROPEAN CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS OF TRANSPORT (ECMT) The European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT) is an inter- governmental 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, Bosnia- Herzegovina, 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 of European 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 and meets environmental and safety standards. In order to achieve this, it is important for ECMT to help build a bridge between the European Union and the rest of the European 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 of increased 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 are found in Annex – for their expertise in the development of this report and 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 good practice 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 preparation and 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 a high-quality, efficient and sustainable transport system. Indeed all of us as users of the transport system benefit from easier access to buses, trams, trains, planes and ships. The economic benefits of better accessibility for transport operators and service providers are also becoming progressively clearer. This recognition has been pushed forward over the last 10-15 years by legislation and regulation in many countries. This has helped 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 design and construct transport networks, infrastructure and vehicles that are accessible 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 of individuals with different types of disability: motor, sensory, intellectual. But much remains to be done to improve access to transport, and different countries face specific challenges in making their transport systems more accessible. It is for this reason that the sharing of experience and good practice – what has worked well and what has worked less well – is an essential part of making accessible transport a reality across our countries. IMPROVING TRANSPORT ACCESSIBILITY FOR ALL: GUIDE TO GOOD PRACTICE – ISBN 92-821-0139-8 - © ECMT, 2006 6 - FOREWORD This Guide to Good Practice is designed to facilitate that exchange of experience. With new examples from recent experience in a wide range of countries, it updates the ECMT’s 1999 Guide, highlighting areas where progress has been made, and those where particular 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 have benefited 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 already working 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 CONTENTS FOREWORD 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 IMPROVING TRANSPORT ACCESSIBILITY FOR ALL: GUIDE TO GOOD PRACTICE – ISBN 92-821-0139-8 - © ECMT, 2006 8 – TABLE OF CONTENTS 3. INFRASTRUCTURE...................................................................41 3.1 Introduction...........................................................................41 3.2 Getting into the building........................................................42 3.2.1 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 IMPROVING TRANSPORT ACCESSIBILITY FOR ALL: GUIDE TO GOOD PRACTICE – ISBN 92-821-0139-8 - © ECMT, 2006