The European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT) which is a forum for political co-operation at the paneuropean level, but also maintains working relations with associated members outside Europe, including Japan, has developed over nearly 15 years a strong policy in favour of adequate provisions in the transport sector for persons with reduced mobility as a way of helping them become fully integrated in society. The underlying considerations are that the proportion of the population concerned is by no means a tiny minority, that with the foreseeable changes in the age pyramid it will continue to increase everywhere, that barrier-free access to transport services is essential to human dignity and autonomy and that specific improvements made in this respect ultimately benefit a broad range of users. The ECMT has a special working party for this issue with the aim to improve knowledge of the problems to be addressed, promote the exchange of information and experience, identify weak points in existing transport systems and awaken overall political consciousness. Step by step, concrete proposals have been adopted by the ECMT Council of Ministers for rail transport (including metros and trams), coaches and buses, air transport and taxis. The article presents more details about the recommendations in each of the sectors mentioned. It also deals with the crucial question of practical implementation. In this respect, a field survey shows that, in spite of undoubted progress, the achievements are unevenly distributed across the different countries and the different modes of transport, so that in many cases, critical links in the transport chain continue to present serious obstacles to access. At the end, the article formulates certain guiding principles which could make the way to further improvement easier. (Author/publisher).
Abstract