In order to assess the benefits of accessibility policies, it is important to monitor how far the transport system meets the travel needs of people with a handicap or medical condition. This research issue grows in importance as our society ages, and the number will increase. Due to the definition and registration problems concerning the issue ‘disability’, previous studies often used statistics based on ‘age’. Other studies focussing on ‘disabilities’ used samples from specific client or interest groups. Consequently the question regarding the prevalence of travel-impeding handicaps in the total population remained unclear. In a pilot survey, Transport Research Centre AVV added a question to the Mobility Study, which covers annually 30,000 Dutch households. Respondents were asked to do a self-assessment. 6.1% of the respondents affirmed to have a travel-impeding handicap, corresponding to approximately 900,000 people in the Netherlands. They were also asked additional questions regarding their handicap. It proved possible to identify the points on which the travel behaviour of this group differed, without negatively affecting the response to the basic survey. Even when the results are corrected for age, persons with a travel-impeding handicap do travel considerably less. Almost 50% do not leave the house on any given day. The trips they do make are shorter on average. They drive and cycle less; for these people travelling as car passengers and using paratransit systems are much more important fallback options than public transport. (Author/publisher)
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