The objectives of this study were to produce a guide to good practice for the design and maintenance of footways and pedestrian areas to meet the needs of disabled people and to provide, where possible, recommended standards. The study consisted of a literature review, a series of discussions with organisations involved with disabled people, interviews with around 750 elderly and disabled people in Leeds, York and Beverley, and observations of difficulties caused by various impediments in pedestrian areas for a sample of about 500 people. The study concentrated on the problems of wheelchair users, visually impaired people and people with differing levels of ambulatory impairment. Among impediments, it concentrated on movement distance, surface conditions, gradient and crossfall and the design of seats. The interview data provided information on the use of city and 2 town centres by disabled people, their need for assistance, the modes of transport they used and their reasons for not visiting the centre. The study demonstrated the particular limitations placed on wheelchair users and on access to the largest centres. It also showed the importance of the private car for all but the visually impaired. The observation work demonstrated the wide range of abilities within any one category of disability and led to the principle that design guidelines should be based on provision for a specified percentage of those in any category.
Abstract