Citation

Strohmeier F. Transp. Res. Proc. 2016; 14: 1134-1143.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, Elsevier Publications)

DOI

10.1016/j.trpro.2016.05.184

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

"Walking for the sake of walking and not for the sake of mobility" is a common motive of elderly pedestrians to maintain their level of activity and thereby independence. In order to improve the walkability of streets and urban spaces, and to design accessible mobility services, it is important that urban and traffic planners consider different kinds of barriers and understand their influence on mobility like detours, avoidance, etc. For instance, diverse situations and conditions like social interaction, lack of resources or emotional barriers may hinder Persons with Reduced Mobility (PRM) from accessing services or from moving independently. This PhD-study focuses on the barrier perception from senior citizens, who are a subgroup of PRM. The aim is to collect and examine all possible obstacles, their influence on mobility behaviour and to outline user needs of older pedestrians with surveys and personal interviews. Thus, a checklist based on collected user needs is proposed, which can be used as a planning tool to evaluate the quality of pavements and its surroundings. Its implementation and contribution to plan accessible environments is further described, focusing on the impact and usability of the checklist which is based on results of the mobility diaries.

Language: en