Citation

Blennemann F, Pajonk E. Transp. Plann. Tech. 1979; 5(2): 105-114.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1979, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/03081067908717153

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

If accessibility to the stops of street level transport system (buses and tramways) and to the stations of underground railways and suburban railway is to be given to all mobile handicapped persons, physical barriers in the area of urban footways must be eliminated. Important measures are the lowering of kerbs and facilities for the provision of vertical circulation geared to the needs of the handicapped. Estimates of the total costs of the necessary construction engineering measures have not been made, because an immense number of very difficult measures are necessary, which must have regard to the different topographical local situation. The capital investment required for the raising of bus stop platform heights in order to allow level boarding in the traffic areas served by all VÖV enterprises in the Federal Republic of Germany totals DM 1100 millions or DM 1700 million, depending on platform height; and, if all necessary rebuilding work on the road is taken into consideration, it amounts to somewhere between DM 2200 and 8500 million. The development and acquisition cost of a modified vehicle and of special boarding facilities should hardly affect these totals, if vehicle renewal follows the pattern of normal depreciation. An adjustment of tram stop platforms to the vehicle floor level is not considered as realistic because of limited space in urban streets. To ensure the accessibility of the platforms of metropolitan, urban and suburban railways, the installation of vertical lifts has been envisaged. The direct rebuilding cost of all existing stations in the Federal Republic of Germany has been calculated as a total of DM 340 million, and, when all necessary construction measures, including the redesign of the roads, are taken into account, this has been estimated as somewhere between DM 700 million and DM 1700 million; approximately DM 10.0 million have been computed as the annual maintenance and running cost. Thus the adaption of existing stops and stations requires a total capital investment ranging from a minimum of DM 2900 million to a maximum of 10,200 million (the cost of servicing capital not included). The periods necessary for the implementation of these measures vary. Whereas a period of at least 20 years to completion should be assumed for the rebuilding of all stops and stations, owing to the required amount of work and capital investment, renewal measures on public surface transport vehicles can be implemented within eight to ten years, i.e. the period within which new vehicles have to be purchased. It should, however, be remembered that, if solutions for level boarding at the stops are chosen, such purchases can only be made when the reconstruction has been completed. It has to be noted, that these measures are only a part of all the steps which are necessary for the nearly universal mobility of handicapped persons in urban road areas and urban transport facilities. In addition to this cost?intensive reconstruction, many smaller and more simple measures are necessary but these are probably incalculable.