EVALUATION OF TRANSPORTATION SAFETY NEEDS OF SPECIAL POPULATIONS USING PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: PHASE I - IDENTIFYING SAFETY CONCERNS

Many older people and those with disabilities depend on various forms of transit for a large portion of their trips. Although considerable effort has been made to improve and evaluate accessibility of these groups, fewer attempts have been devoted to understanding and evaluating the risks members of these groups are exposed to. Further, the definition of "transit trips" has been constrained largely to the segment of trips when travelers are actually on board transit vehicles. Working from a more comprehensive definition of "transit trip," this research project provides an analysis method that allowed investigators to assess the components of trips that are most threatening to those with various physical and cognitive disabilities, as well as older persons. Transit usage patterns and their applications for transit safety are examined. Incident data from buses are evaluated to determine whether aging riders and those with disabilities are at greater risk than other riders. Data obtained from professional groups, riders of dedicated paratransit, and focus groups are reported in a format that allowed risk assessments to be made of transit use by these special populations. The implications of these evaluations to future transit safety assessments are discussed.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This research was supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation's University Transportation Centers Program through the Southeastern Transportation Center, Region IV. Project name: Evaluation of Public Transportation Safety Needs of Special Populations.
• Corporate Authors:

  University of Florida, Gainesville

  Transportation Research Center, P.O. Box 116580
  Gainesville, FL  United States  32611-6580

  Southeastern Transportation Center

  University of Tennessee
  309 Conference Center Building
  Knoxville, TN  United States  37996-4133
• Authors:
  • Stephens, B W
  • Wallace, C E
  • Gan, A
  • Elias, A M
  • Ghobrial, A
• Publication Date: 1999-12

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 138 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aged; Bus transit; Data collection; Focus groups; Needs assessment; Paratransit services; Persons with disabilities; Public transit; Risk assessment; Transit riders; Transit safety
• Uncontrolled Terms: Transit incidents
• Subject Areas: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00796877
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: Final Report
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 2 2000 12:00AM