Transport for all

“Blindingly obvious! - how we can make public transport accessible for everyone” was the title of the session chaired by ITS United Kingdom, ITS (UK), at the recent ‘Moving On’ Conference 2008 hosted by Merseytravel in Liverpool

The conference session sought to identify the inadequacy of current transport options and infrastructures for an increasing proportion of the population who is either disabled and/or aged, and who require and expect some form of personal mobility options. A panel of speakers from the Department for Transport, Royal National Institute for the Blind, Help the Aged, Merseytravel and Newcastle University highlighted many of the difficulties that disabled and/or aged travellers encounter by on a daily basis. Overall their statements indicated that travellers’ needs and expectations can be dramatically improved through a diversity of low-cost engineering or bespoke technological measures that would provide greater clarity and assistance to those more vulnerable groups.
    
In addition to having beneficial environmental effects through reducing air and noise pollution on highways and helping create traffic-free zones in cities, ITS also improves transport efficiency through the use of electronic systems that improve traffic control and enforce traffic regulations. Electronic motorway tolling, congestion and road user charging and electronic ‘Smartcard’ ticketing offer additional ITS options that are intended to aid uninterrupted travel flow.
    
Wherever ‘on-line’ information is available it enables faster and easier public transport to be delivered, especially when ‘real-time’ updates and two-way communications link drivers and fleet management operations.

Tackling isolation
Readily accessible transport is essential to tackling the isolation that many disabled and older people face, and although there have been significant improvements since the launch of Help the Aged Transport Council report ten years ago, the case for continued improvements in safe, reliable and affordable public transport remains. The public transport ‘experience’ has been greatly improved through the Disability Discrimination Act’s commitment to free national transport, new transport information technologies and investment in crime reduction.
    
Despite substantial progress in these areas significant barriers still exist for older people. Many find themselves isolated at home as they do not have access to a car nor wish to drive at peak times. Other disabled and elderly people are incapable of using public transport as it is neither readily available nor easy to use.

Accurate information
Many solutions are self-evident and significant improvements can be achieved by a range of low-cost engineering installations, such as the proper locating of lights, signs notification and displays. ITS technologies can supplement this by offering accurate and reliable pre-trip and on-trip travel information. Accurate information provides improved accessibility to multi-modal public transport through the delivery of personalised services to disabled and elderly travellers via integrated mobile phone and location technologies. However, many other innovative technologies will necessitate public transport systems being re-designed to meet individual needs.
    
Having conducted an examination of ticketing and information systems available for people with special needs Dr John Gill, chief scientist RNIB, indicated that ITSO ticketing offers a possible solution for them, and although this approach will alleviate many problems, other approaches are also needed. He outlined and illustrated many of the ‘day-to-day’ technological anomalies that confront all travellers, irrespective of age and ability.
    
None of these issues are unique to the UK population and they will undoubtedly gain ever-increasing importance as the affected global population grows. Individual readers should consider that it is only a matter of time and circumstance before the vast majority of us will all be affected by one or more of the age and/or disability related issues that the speakers addressed. It would appear to make sense therefore, if only for selfish purposes, for ITS professionals to focus their professional and experiential knowledge on this area of research to derive maximum impact and benefits whilst accruing enormously important social inclusion benefits.
    
The challenge for ITS (UK) is how to promote the wide array of ITS technologies and persuade travellers to adopt alternative and more ‘intelligent’ travel options. In particular elderly and/or disabled groups require personal mobility, however, most currently suffer from significant travel disadvantages. By establishing the Inclusive Mobility Interest Group, ITS (UK) intends raising the awareness and profile of these groups by determining and promoting a range of transportation options that are currently being researched.

Neal Skelton
As Head of Professional Services at ITS (UK), Neal is responsible for providing the technical expertise needed to fulfil ITS (UK)’s aims to increase the take-up of ITS solutions within the UK, and promote UK ITS capability abroad. In addition, Neal is a Director of ESVA (European Secure Vehicle Alliance) and innovITS (ITS Centre of Excellence) and until recently was the current interim-Chairman.