It is generally believed that around 11% of the UK passengers have some form of disability and many of these people find it difficult or impossible to use public transport. However, in addition to disabled people there are a large number of other people who find it difficult to use public transport such as elderly people or those with young children, baggage or injuries. Recent developments in transport policy in the UK have recognised the importance of removing, where possible, barriers to travel and developing in urban areas public transport systems. However, provision of a fully accessible transport system is likely to be expensive particularly where retrofitting is involved. Therefore, the size of the market and the scale of benefits which might accrue from the provision of these facilities is essential to determine whether the cost can be justified. The purpose of this paper is to describe the research undertaken for the Cross Rail project to explore the potential demand for, and benefits of, fully accessible rail systems. Little reliable data exists on the number of mobility impaired people and their use of public transport. This paper seeks to fill in some of these gaps. (A)
Abstract