Seeking Transportation Supports by Amy Spiegel
When searching for ways to move around your town or city, not only do you need to look at the mode of transportation (walking, driving, riding a bus,etc) but you also need to look at the access to those ways of travel including getting to them as well as getting on and off of them. You also need to look the environment such as noise, heat/cold and smells of the transportation itself as well as the costs.
The path of travel is the route that one has to take to get from one place to another. This route may be from the house to the car, from work to the bus, the sidewalks to the store, the bicycle path and any other route between two places. Evaluating the path of travel is the most important piece of going somewhere and, for most people, this evaluation is done automatically. For people with access difficulties or mobility issues, this evaluation becomes an important piece of the planning -sometimes even for as seemingly simple trip to the neighborhood grocery store.
Walking is wonderful exercise and might be an excellent way to get somewhere. For those who have balance problems or other walking problems, walking on sidewalks that are broken up or where there are no sidewalks, the path to be traveled may not be safe. Alternative means of transportation may need to be looked at such as car or bus.
Taking a car is convenient and easy but when you have back problems or leg problems, getting to the car is the first step and then getting into the car can be an adventure by itself. Traveling by car-especially an old one-may mean poor shocks for buffering those speed bumps.For those in rural areas, going to the store may be close to an off-road experience of bumping down gravel roads with potholes.
Riding a bus in the city can also be an adventure. For those with mobility devices such as walkers and wheelchairs, getting to a bus stop can be very difficult. For someone who is blind, ditches along the road or potholes can result in injury. Some elders and people with disabilities can take advantage of paratransit but for those who do not qualify or live outside of the covered area, taking the bus means walking to the bus stop, boarding the city bus, knowing where/when to ring the bell to get off. The next step is to actually get up and get off and go to the destination. Buses are often crowded, noisy and sometimes smell-all of which may be hard to cope with.
Transportation often seems simple but when there are mobility issues, planning the trip must come first. Getting to the transportation, getting on and off the transportation and getting to the destination can all be difficult steps. These difficulties are multiplied in inclement weather. The next time we will talk more about each of these modes of transportation.
Let us know the difficulties you have with modes of transportation!
