Anders Wretstrand

Safety as perceived by wheelchair-seated passengers in special transportation services

The aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of, and to help form a more complete picture of, the perceived safety of wheelchair-seated passengers using special transportation services (STS). A questionnaire was sent out and completed by 801 respondents in five Swedish regions. Additional information was acquired by means of 15 subsequent in-depth interviews. It was found that 5% reported personal incident-related injuries during the period that they had been eligible for STS. Injuries were most likely to occur during normal driving, but the passengers were also exposed to risks during boarding and alighting procedures. Nevertheless, 80% of the passengers were basically satisfied with the degree of safety. A large majority (97%) reported that they always use tie-down systems, and 78% always use safety belts. These results indicate that, despite general satisfaction with the STS system as such, malfunction of the existing safety equipment is a problem, since safety is especially critical for STS passengers-a vulnerable road-user group with few alternative travel modes. Therefore, there is a need for wheelchair tie-down and occupant restraint systems (WTORS) that are easier to handle by the operators and more suitable for the passengers and their wheelchairs. A low-floor vehicle concept might also reduce injury risks related to boarding and alighting procedures.

Everyday Life Mobilities of Older Persons - A Case Study of Ageing in a Suburban Landscape in Sweden

Abstract This paper describes the changing everyday life mobility of an older couple living in a suburb in Sweden. The methods used are longitudinal interviews and time-geographical diaries. The results show a pronounced dependence on car use. Representations of suburbia – as places of freedom, independence and mobility enabled by private cars – devolve into a harsh reality, i.e. disabling lock-in effects for people gradually losing locomotion, and experiencing diminishing mobility capital and social intercourse. From a time-geographical perspective, capability constraints unfold in the form of time-demanding basic needs and limited access to different modes of transport due to deteriorating health and location of residence. Increased neighbourhood barriers and authority constraints also imply restricted access to different spaces and reduced control over one’s life situation.

Changes in community mobility in older men and women. A 13-year prospective study.

Community mobility, defined as “moving [ones] self in the community and using public or private transportation”, has a unique ability to promote older peoples’ wellbeing by enabling independence and access to activity arenas for interaction with others. Early predictors of decreased community mobility among older men and women are useful in developing health promoting strategies. However, long-term prediction is rare, especially when it comes to including both public and private transportation. The present study describes factors associated with community mobility and decreased community mobility over time among older men and women. In total, 119 men and 147 women responded to a questionnaire in 1994 and 2007. Respondents were between 82 and 96 years old at follow-up. After 13 years, 40% of men and 43% of women had decreased community mobility, but 47% of men and 45% of women still experienced some independent community mobility. Cross-sectional independent community mobility among men was associated with higher ratings of subjective health, reporting no depression and more involvement in sport activities. Among women, cross-sectional independent community mobility was associated with better subjective health and doing more instrumental activities of daily living outside the home. Lower subjective health predicted decreased community mobility for both men and women, whereas self-reported health conditions did not. Consequently, general policies and individual interventions aiming to improve community mobility should consider older persons’ subjective health.

Injuries in special transportation services for elderly and disabled - A multi-methodology approach to estimate incidence and societal costs

Objective. Previous research has shown that elderly and disabled travelers using Special Transportation Services (STS) are injured without being involved in a vehicle crash. In order to estimate the true costs for these vehicle-related injuries, the focus needs to be adjusted towards an incident/traveler-oriented perspective. The aim of the project was thus to utilize such a perspective, in order to make a best estimation of the true costs for injury incidents, related to STS in Sweden. Methods. In order to address the chosen perspective, a mixed-method approach was used, involving quantitative as well as qualitative research methods applied on four different sets of data, the hospital-based material (n = 32), two sets of STS material (n = 127), and interview-based material (n = 1,000). Results. The results showed that the injury incidence rate in STS is considerable, i.e., 3.2 per 100,000 trips (ranging from 1.5–1.9 in STS taxis and 3.6–5.6 in STS special vehicles). However, this high incidence rate is not due to road traffic crashes, but to non-collision injury incidents involving elderly and frail passengers, easily sustaining injuries from minor to moderate external violence. Typically, this violence is affecting an older female STS user, while entering and exiting the vehicle. The true costs were estimated to be

Injuries in Special Transport Services: Situations and Risk Levels Involving Wheelchair Users

35 million per annum or

Evaluation of public transport: regional policies and planning practices in Sweden

2.6 per trip. Conclusion. Future injury prevention measures should thus focus on safety in entering and exiting procedures.

Comfort and Safety as Perceived by Wheelchair-Seated Bus Passengers

Previous research has shown that wheelchair-seated passengers using special transportation services (STS) have been injured without being involved in a vehicle crash. In order to estimate incident rate and societal costs for these vehicle-related injuries, the focus needs to be adjusted towards a traveler/incident-oriented perspective. The aim of the project was to utilize such a perspective, related to travelers using STS in Sweden. In order to address the chosen perspective, a mixed method approach was used, involving quantitative as well as qualitative research techniques applied on four different sets of data: one hospital-based record, two sets of STS incident report databases, and interviews with wheelchair-seated STS passengers. The results showed that the injury incidence rate in STS is considerable, i.e. 10 per 100,000 trips. However, this high incidence rate is not due to road traffic collisions, but to non-collision injury incidents involving many elderly and frail passengers, who easily sustain traumas ranging from minor to moderate. The costs were estimated to be 23 million USD per annum or 14 USD per trip. Results suggest that future injury prevention measures should focus on safety in boarding and alighting procedures, as well as the continuing development of WTORS.

How usable is the city for older bicyclists

Abstract This paper analyses regional public transport planning in Sweden. The aim is to provide an insight into how policy objectives are translated into action and to investigate how public transport measures are evaluated. The analysis is based on interviews with civil servants in five Swedish regions. Cost-benefit analysis is sparsely used (if ever) and the results further indicate that planning and evaluation of public transport is to a large extent centred around monitoring on-going trends, e.g. patronage and market share. Such information seems policy-relevant, i.e. is commonly asked for by the political level. The informants do ask for more knowledge regarding various effects (mainly social). However, it is less certain whether or not this knowledge would be used for economic evaluation. Regional and local public transport systems are complex, and intrinsically linked to land use and long-term regional ambitions. Instead of asking how public transport planning should be carried out, following CBA analyses, we should perhaps ask how the economic analysis could be tuned so that it becomes relevant for public transport planning. We foresee that the broader role of the public transport system will increase goal conflicts between, and within, authorities.

Predicting decreased community mobility in older men and women. A 13-year prospective study.

Abstract Wheelchair-seated passengers on European and Swedish urban transit buses can travel rearwards, resting against a bulkhead, without the use of tie-down equipment. However, users sometimes disapprove of being the only passengers who have to travel rearwards, and also unrestrained. In order to investigate comfort and safety as perceived by wheelchair-seated bus passengers riding either forwards or rearwards, an experimental field study was carried out. Participating subjects were 31 wheelchair users and a group of 44 ambulant passengers. Each subject made two consecutive, identical 15-minute trips, randomly beginning either forwards or backwards, and interviews were conducted after each trip. During the trips, three-axis bus motion was recorded. The concept of categorization was used as a theoretical background and basis for discussion of the comfort and safety constructs. The results indicated that while the majority preferred the forward-facing position regarding comfort issues, a minority felt that the level of perceived safety was better. Wheelchair-seated passengers were more positive towards the rearward position than the ambulant group.

Older People and Local Public Transit: Mobility Effects of Accessibility Improvements In Sweden

The aim of this paper was to examine how useable and inclusive the city is from the perspective of older bicyclists. Methods used were quantitative questionnaires and qualitative focus group interviews. Participants were people aged 65 years or older. The results showed that respondents were fairly satisfied with the transport infrastructure design. However, other road users seemed to complicate cycling, e.g. as communication and interaction between other road users was perceived as difficult and poor.