Citation

Starks JK. Transp. Res. Rec. 1986; 1098: 1-8.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1986, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Two remarkable and complementary trends have recently emerged in the treatment of mentally retarded persons: a marked increase in the quantity and availability of a great variety of services and a strong programmatic emphasis on the delivery of these services in community rather than institutional settings. The availability of multifarious services, the increasing decentralization of delivery of these services, and the propensity of mentally retarded persons to use these services extensively result in a demand for transportation that is particularly concentrated and exceeds that of elderly or physically disabled persons. Demographic factors that underlie the travel demand of mentally retarded persons are reviewed, and data that illustrate the distinctive travel patterns of these citizens are introduced. In the abasence of adequate foresight or planning, these travel patterns inflate agency transportation costs and induce distortions in the demand-responsive ridership of special-efforts paratransit systems. Both social service agencies and special transit providers are more efficiently and equitably accommodating the travel demand of this segment of the transportation-handicapped population.

Record URL:
http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1986/1098/1098-001.pdf

Language: en

Keywords

REGIONAL PLANNING - Transportation; TRANSPORTATION; TECHNOLOGICAL FORECASTING