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UNITED NATIONS ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL

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E/ESCAP/CTC(3)/5
16 October 1997

ORIGINAL: ENGLISH


ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

Committee on Transport and Communications

Third session
1-4 December 1997
Bangkok

MAJOR ISSUES IN TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS:

PROMOTION OF USER-FRIENDLY PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEMS FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES


(Item 5 (d) of the provisional agenda)


Note by the secretariat


SUMMARY

The attention of the Committee is drawn, through the present note, to the following:
  1. The invisibility of people with disabilities as a group has misled many transport planners and operators into concluding that they are too few in number to be of consequence;
  2. Transport planners have not taken into consideration the large numbers of transport-disadvantaged persons among whom are people with disabilities;
  3. Universal access benefits all users of disabled user-friendly public transport systems;
  4. While, in some cases, planning and action have been initiated, overall there are few examples of the introduction of policy and programme measures on accessible public transport systems in the developing countries of the ESCAP region;
  5. There is an urgent need for transport planners to give stronger emphasis to a more user-focused, people-friendly approach in long-term integrated transport planning, in order to anticipate demographic and other development trends and to avoid the expense of retrofitting and providing special, segregated transport services.

Finally, the note raises key issues for consideration and action by the Committee. Annexed to the note are illustrative technical design options for the introduction of user-friendly public transport systems in the ESCAP region.



CONTENTS

Introduction

I. MAGNITUDE OF THE PROBLEM OF INACCESSIBLE PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEMS

A. Invisibility of people with disabilities
B. Emergence of ageing societies
C. Definition of transport-disadvantaged persons
D. Urban transition
E. Present situation of public transport systems
F. Significance of public transport

II. CURRENT POLICIES AND MEASURES TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO PUBLIC TRANSPORT

A. Policy
B. Existing measures
C. Measures proposed by respondents

III. ISSUES FOR CONSIDERATION AND ACTION

A. Political commitment to overcome invisibility and exclusion
B. Long-term, integrated transport planning
C. Local initiatives and solutions
D. Development assistance

Annex: Technical features

Appendix A: Bus stop

Appendix B: Bus interior

Appendix C: Railway stations

Appendix D: Railway cars

Appendix E: Taxi, aircraft, ship and ferry

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
Major issues in transport and communications: Promotion of user-friendly public transport systems for people with disabilities
- Contents -

E/ESCAP/CTC(3)/5
16 October 1997

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