A Study on the Analysis and Investigation about Barrier-Free in Railroad Facilities

The mobility and accessibility enhancement is gradually becoming a global interest due to the growth in the aging population and concerns about people with disabilities. The main purpose of this study is to know the current situation in barrier-free level in railroad facilities in order to allow the mobility handicapped to travel in a safe and convenient manner. The research has started with investigating current situation for the mobility handicapped people and explores the needs of barrier-free facilities. 84 domestic railroad facilities were evaluated based on assessment tool developed from the mobility handicapped act. As a result, the fact that the mobility handicapped experienced limited accessibility due to various types of obstacles in the facilities was discovered. Based on the evaluation, obstacles in the facilities were analyzed and categorized by specific dimensions, users' accessibility, mobility, usability, and clarity (way-finding). This study suggests barrier-free design for passenger facilities focused on train station. Because mobility and accessibility are emphasized in current society, improvement of the mobility handicapped' movement should be considered. Barrier-free design for passenger facilities should be realized throughout comprehending the reasons why these obstacles occur in the facilities not using installation convenience facilities. This study has meaning in finding out the obstacles in each cause of occurrence(accessibility, mobility, usability, and clarity (way-finding)).

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