Are we building what the mobility impaired really need?

We need to understand how people cross the road, what is the process and what are the critical features that can assist a pedestrian with a disability. According to the research undertaken as part of this study we may need to rethink how crossing facilities are provided. Results of focus group discussions with people with disabilities have been compared to responses to the same questions from local government practitioners responsible for the implementation of crossing facilities. Alarmingly the research found that for almost every characteristic there was a difference between practitioners and people with disabilities about how critical that element is to safely cross the road. There is general agreement on the need for various characteristics, with the difference being the relative importance each group places on the characteristic. The disabled community had a greater tendency to consider characteristics ‘critical’ to the crossing task whilst local government considered the same characteristic ‘important or desirable’. (Author/publisher) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E213531.