Identification of Mobility-Impaired Persons and Analysis of Their Travel Behavior and Needs

Mobility is an important prerequisite for equal participation in social life and satisfaction of basic human needs. Mobility impairments can restrict the participation in social life of those affected such that people lack fair opportunities for fulfilling their needs. In the past, mobility problems of people with a physical or sensory disability were the focus of attention, while other attributes causing mobility impairment, such as immigrant backgrounds, poverty, and so forth, were mainly ignored by research and planning, even though, according to estimates, more than one-third of the population are affected. Therefore, there is little qualitative or quantitative knowledge about these impairments and the individual consequences. The objective of this paper is to help fill this knowledge gap. The issue of fair opportunities regarding mobility and the term “mobility impairment” as used in this paper are defined. Fifteen types of mobility impairment are considered. The stratified sample for this survey included 541 mobility-impaired people in Austria with whom semistructured face-to-face interviews were conducted. A key result of the survey is the estimate of the number of people affected and the degree of their impairment. About half of those interviewed were hampered by more than one type of mobility impairment. From the point of view of those affected, there are difficulties that go beyond the mere physical barriers, which have been the focus of traffic planning. Problems are also caused by insufficient welfare systems, gender relations, inappropriate behavior of other transport users, and inadequate information and its transfer within the transport sector. For the solution, new and disregarded strategies are required.