This paper describes how, for many years, the major barrier to integration of physically disabled persons was the difficulty in making a journey; consequently, accessibility to line haul aspects of transportation systems has been the focus of considerable attention. The net result of these efforts is that the weak link now lies in the access, egress and ancillary modes. Improvement to these modes might not be viewed to be as glamorous as improvements done to aircraft, buses and rail coaches but they are nevertheless the necessary elements towards total accessibility. This paper describes the concept of a complete mobility continuum, and outlines developments, both in vehicle development and related systems research that have beenundertaken in Canada and a direction for future research is proposed.
Samenvatting