6. Pedestrian and multimodal route guidance adaptation for elderly citizens

Session 6d, 20 May 2010 IST-Africa 2010 Copyright 2010 ACCESS2ALL

Pedestrian and multimodal route guidance adaptation for elderly citizens

Maria PANOU, Katerina TOULIOU, Evangelos BEKIARIS, Evangelia GAITANIDOU

Hellenic Institute of Transport

Greece


The problem

• Up to date, there are many route guidance systems developed for travellers and pedestrians

• However, most of these systems are generic and are addressed to the average population, without taking into account the specific user groups with mobility impairments

• A prototype route guidance system for mobility-impaired (MI) travellers was developed for the first time within the ASK-IT Integrated Project (co-funded by the European Commission). This is followed by the OASIS system, a system which is under development and is focused on the elderly users’ special attributes.


What is ACCESS2ALL

• ACCESS 2 ALL is a Coordinated Action project, co-financed under the 7th FP of the EC, composed of 8 European partners

• It aims at defining appropriate mobility schemes, guidelines and policy recommendations, ensuring accessibility of Public Transport to all users, including mobility-impaired (MI) travelers, through the:– coordination of current research efforts

– production of common research roadmaps

– identification of best practices

– appropriate use of ICT aids and networks

• One of the sub-goals is to develop a holistic and modular travel ability model, considering the needs of different user groups at the planning and operation of public transport services, in order to enhance MI users’ ability to travel.


The TRANSPORTABILITY model

• Novel travelers behaviour model, aiming at the existence of a comparable framework for defining the accessibility of transportation using public transport means for travelers and not at the exact modelling of a traveler’s actions (as is the case with driver behaviour models).

• There are 5 main contributors to TRANSPORTABILITY model: – Individual resources (physical, mental, socio-psychological condition)

– Knowledge/skills

– Environmental factors (public transport means, walking speed, weather conditions, etc.)

– Requested action awareness

– Workload


The TRANSPORTABILITY model (cont.)

Access 2 All – 3rd Plenary Meeting – WP1

Crete, 15-16 June ‘09

TRANSPORTABILITY

V. WORKLOADΙV. REQUESTED

ACTION AWARENESS

Level of attention

Requested action perception

External support

III. ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS

PT means Walking distance/

speed

No. of previous changes

Weather conditions

Time restrictions

Economical restrictions

ΙΙ. KNOWLEDGE /SKILLS

Generic Language understanding

Experience in using PT

Familiarity with the area

I. INDIVIDUAL RESOURCES

Organic

Physical condition

Motor Sensoric

Coordination

Mental condition

Cognition/ perception

Memory Communication Decision

Socio- Psychological condition

Reliance Trust VigilanceStress Concentration

Transport infrastructure

attributes (pavement, etc.)

Ontology for PT and terminals (ASK-IT)

blind deaf

The ‘green areas’ are to be covered in ACCESS2ALL


TRANSPORTABILITY & ACCESS2ALL

• The areas covered decompose the transportation task of MI users from origin to destination in its subtasks on behalf of user resources and PT attributes

• The types of users considered are wheelchair users, elderly and blind people

• The most important elements of the model to enhance the MI users’ transportation ability are: – PT vehicles accessibility (3-level accessibility: accessible, semi-

accessible and inaccessible) for different MI users

– Accessibility of stations and hubs; taking into account several important parameters that influence the accessibility level

• Among the parameters that influence the 2nd element, the user physical condition, and the use of walking stick or other mobility aid (mainly for elderly, but also for other user groups) are included


Route guidance: walking distance and speed

• The walking distance and speed are crucial parameters for reliable and user friendly pedestrian route guidance for elderly travellers – This applies to multimodal transport, i.e. the distance needed to

cross from one PT mean to another & to reach the station of the PT mean.

• Walking distance is a travel-dependent component, generally represented in terms of distance, time, or cost. When referring to “accessibility distance”, the network distance is meant (the distance along the actual travel routes) and this actual distance is used to estimate travel time and cost of a route

• Walking speed represents the actual speed that an individual is able to deploy under certain circumstances– It depends a lot upon disability type and physical condition, it could

even be said that it is a personalised component


Ability to walk parametersWheelchair users

Vision impaired users

Users with age related declines in abilities

Manual

Automatic

Young (55-65 years )

Middle (65-75 years)

Old (75+ years)

INFRASTRUCTURE ATTRIBUTES

Pavement texture

Pavement inclination

Pavement dimensions

Pebbles paving

Paving stones

Paving slabs

Paving bricks

Uphill

Downhill

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS

Rain

Snow

Temperature related

0-150C

<00C

15-300C

>300C

Pedestrian crossings

Lighting

Pedestrian crossings & lighting

Walking stick users

USER GROUPS

Light

Heavy

Ice

Specific tests are currently on-going at the Hellenic Institute of Transport with 30 users, in order to calculate the average walking speed of various groups, including the elderly


PC tool

• The results that are being gathered through the on-road tests will be inserted in an algorithm, for estimating the walking time in route guidance applications. This application is accessible through a PC tool, which aims: – to enable the user/traveller to find out the duration of the pedestrian

route; – to allow PT planners and operators to assess the accessibility level

of their service and be guided to relevant best practices.

• Thus, there are two functionalities that the tool offers: 1. Estimation of walking time for pedestrian route guidance

2. Accessibility level of PT vehicles, stations and hubs


PC tool screenshot


Pedestrian route guidance – PC tool functionality

• According to the data provided, the estimated time needed for walking is calculated by the tool.

• This functionality applies to the following user groups: – manual & electric wheelchair, – walking stick, – healthy elderly of different age groups and – blind


Accessibility level of PT vehicles, stations and hubs – PC tool functionality

• The user is asked to choose one of the following: – pedestrian route accessibility– bus and tram stops accessibility– transportation hubs and terminals accessibility

• There is a three-level accessibility scheme that the software tool supports, in agreement with ASK-IT project: – Accessible– Semi-accessible – Not accessible


Accessibility level of PT vehicles, stations and hubs – PC tool functionality (cont.)

• This functionality is for:– elderly travellers– wheelchair users– users with lower limb

impairments and – visually impaired users

• At the end, when the result is displayed by the system, the user is able to connect to the ACCESS2ALL Best Practices Database to view relevant best practices

Estimation of walking time for pedestrian

route guidance

Software tool

Accessibility level of PT vehicles, stations &

hubsWheelchair users

Blind users

Elderly users

Manual

Automatic

Young

Middle

Old


Pavement texture


Pavement dimensions

Pebbles paving

Paving stones

Paving slabs

Paving bricks

Uphill

Downhill


Rain

Snow

Temperature related

0-15

<0

15-30

>30


Lighting


Walking stick

USER GROUPS

QB1 Number of the stop?

QB2 Name of the stop? QB3 Lateral inclination of the platform area (%)?

Q1 If QB3>5 then orange (wheelchair) "Inclination of the platform greater than 5 %"

QB4 Longitudinal gradient of the platform area (%)?

QB5 Minimum width between the bus / tram-shelter wall and the driveway (cm)?

QB6 Maximum width between the bus / tram-shelter wall and the driveway (cm)?

Q2 If QB6>... then orange (wheelchair) " Width between the bus / tram-shelter wall and

the driveway greater than …."

QB7 Depth of the shelter (cm)?

QB8 Type of the shelter (wide / narrow / other; what?)?

QB9 Height of the kerb between the platform area and the driveway (cm)?

Q3 If QB9>... then orange (wheelchair) " Height of the kerb between the platform area

and the driveway greater than …."

Q4 If QB10>... then orange (wheelchair) " Level difference between the platform area and the pavement greater than …."

QB20 Is the passage from the pavement to the stop accessible? (yes, no)

Q8 If QB20=2 then orange () "The passage from the pavement to the stop not fully

accessible"

If Q1+Q2+Q3+Q4+Q8= TRUE then RED

• pedestrian routes• bus and tram stops• transportation hubs and terminals

Connection with Best Practices Database

For travellersFor PT planners and operators

TRANSPORTABILITY modelInput of data for its contributors (walking

distance/speed, weather conditions, PT means, etc.)

Estimation of walking time for pedestrian

route guidance

Software tool

Accessibility level of PT vehicles, stations &

hubsWheelchair users

Blind users

Elderly users

Manual

Automatic

Young

Middle

Old


Pavement texture


Pavement dimensions

Pebbles paving

Paving stones

Paving slabs

Paving bricks

Uphill

Downhill


Rain

Snow

Temperature related

0-15

<0

15-30

>30


Lighting


Walking stick

USER GROUPS

QB1 Number of the stop?

QB2 Name of the stop? QB3 Lateral inclination of the platform area (%)?

Q1 If QB3>5 then orange (wheelchair) "Inclination of the platform greater than 5 %"

QB4 Longitudinal gradient of the platform area (%)?

QB5 Minimum width between the bus / tram-shelter wall and the driveway (cm)?

QB6 Maximum width between the bus / tram-shelter wall and the driveway (cm)?

Q2 If QB6>... then orange (wheelchair) " Width between the bus / tram-shelter wall and

the driveway greater than …."

QB7 Depth of the shelter (cm)?

QB8 Type of the shelter (wide / narrow / other; what?)?

QB9 Height of the kerb between the platform area and the driveway (cm)?

Q3 If QB9>... then orange (wheelchair) " Height of the kerb between the platform area

and the driveway greater than …."

Q4 If QB10>... then orange (wheelchair) " Level difference between the platform area and the pavement greater than …."

QB20 Is the passage from the pavement to the stop accessible? (yes, no)

Q8 If QB20=2 then orange () "The passage from the pavement to the stop not fully

accessible"

If Q1+Q2+Q3+Q4+Q8= TRUE then RED If Q1+Q2+Q3+Q4+Q8= FALSE then GREEN

• pedestrian routes• bus and tram stops• transportation hubs and terminals

Connection with Best Practices Database

For travellersFor PT planners and operators

TRANSPORTABILITY modelInput of data for its contributors (walking

distance/speed, weather conditions, PT means, etc.)


Business benefits

• Different standards exist in PT services, e.g. digital maps of central Europe are standardised by Navtech and Teleatlas, but several other areas have their own protocols (NAVI in Finland, from Topolisz in Hungary, etc.), thus hindering seamless service provision

• Differences in telematic infrastructure and lack of service roaming agreements further limit the availability of seamless PT services. This is a problem that is even more severe in countries under development.

• The decomposition of the transportation task in sub-tasks and the estimation of the accessibility level of PT means, forms an important input to various services that can be offered on-line, s.a. route guidance, personalized multimodal-trip planning and, in general, personalization of infomobility services for travellers.

• This is an important market, as services that match the elderly (and other groups) needs and preferences are totally lacking in todays market.


Business benefits (cont.)

• The proposed PC-based tool can be easily used in all countries (including countries under development), as it can be easily customised and integrated by any PT service provider

• What needs to be taken into account is the adaptation of the walking time algorithm to the conditions and concept of each country. E.g. the local pavement infrastructure may differ significantly, thus new measurements for defining the walking speed of the elderly population may be required

• The current national accessibility schemes need to be adopted, for the definition of the accessibility level of PT stations, means and hubs. Finally, in case of absence of national accessibility schemes, the ACCESS2ALL scheme can be adopted and it would be a very good and reliable option

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6. Pedestrian and multimodal route guidance adaptation for elderly citizens

Technology