Analysis and Optimization Strategy of Travel System for Urban Visually Impaired People

Xiaoyang Liu, Sen Zhang, Jian Zeng and Fei Fan
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Xiaoyang Liu: School of Architecture, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
Sen Zhang: School of Architecture, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
Jian Zeng: School of Architecture, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
Fei Fan: School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 6, 1-14

Abstract: The urban transportation system should meet the requirements of various social groups and be fair and comprehensive. In China, it is rare to see disabled people use public transportation facilities to travel. In this research, we have selected visually impaired people as the research object and taken the central urban area of Tianjin as the research area. First, through questionnaires, this paper analysed the travel methods of visually impaired people through four aspects: destinations, transportation, walking ability and blind sidewalk system. Second, a travel system for visually impaired people was established based on ArcGIS and analysed by network service area analysis. Finally, a discussion of the research and suggestions for improving the travel system were presented. From the results, it can be concluded that visually impaired people have a clear travel purpose, and it is, in turn, most important to focus on disabled service centres, urban parks, hospitals, restaurants and so on. The blind sidewalk system in the research area is low-density and has a weak correlation with travel destinations, etc., which cannot guarantee the success of the travel of visually impaired people. Data from this paper can provide a reference for other cities in China to carry out research work for the equity of disabled people using transportation.

Keywords: visually impaired people; travel methods; blind sidewalk system; network service area analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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