Memorandum by Professor Robert Weale
With an increasingly ageing population, and
the Government's continuous exhortations for public transport
to be used, it would seem that transport facilities should become
even more user-friendly than they are.
1. The directions and bus numbers at the
front of buses do not seem to be presented as clearly as they
might. They are not always illuminated when necessary, and, even
in daylight, their legibility is often below par, especially if
an older person's eyesight is not as young as it used to be.
2. It is a matter of common observation
that bus drivers frequently fail to drive as near to the kerb
as is desirable. This may be due to vehicle obstruction, but,
alternatively, to oversight. It also needs to be said that a close
approach of the vehicle to the kerb is only a palliative; often
there remains quite an effort for the ageing passenger to overcome
in boarding the vehicle. Once inside a public transport vehicle,
s/he may find that the four (?) seats reserved for him/her are
frequently occupied by younger posteriors, not always willing
to vacate the seats or, perhaps, failing to understand English.
A pictorial enjoinder might conceivably help.
3. Although cabs are not, strictly speaking,
part of a public transport system, they provide a useful supplement.
Entering and leaving cabs appears to be a nightmare for some older
persons. This may be due to the (excessive?) space left between
the passenger seats and the dividing wall, designed, no doubt,
to accommodate luggage or parcels. In differently designed cabs,
they could be placed in a boot.
4. Train carriages may present problems
when the platform is not level with the floor of the carriage
or on bends. Curved platforms could be eliminated, if, as is the
case in Japan (and now on some stations of the Jubilee Line),
trains were programmed to stop within a a few centimetres of prearranged
marks. Possible gaps could be bridged to ensure safety. There
is also a case to be made for the provision of hand grips inside
the carriages so that the elderly may steady themselves when the
train is in motion, and there is no other means of support.
5. The existence of boarding steps for aircraft
would seem to be an anachronism, especially when they are coupled
to the difficulties offered by steps leading from waiting areas
to the tarmac.
6. Insufficient consideration appears to
be given in general to the legibility of instructions and direction
in general. There is, of course, enormous competition from commercial
advertisers, and it may be the case that, however hard public
transport authorities may be trying to convey a message, commerce
is going to prevail. However, that stage has not been reached.
The shape of letters, their contrast, and their positions often
leave a lot to be desired as regards elderly readers. To be specific,
blue and violet may be found in colour combinations rendering
the information offered of little use.
7. There is a case to be made for information
in all waiting areas being made to attract attention by flashing
at the start of a period needed for an older person to reach the
target (train, plane, coach) indicated. This would not only be
helpful but might also be useful in combating visual commercial
competition.
September 2004
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