Impact of the built environment of rail transit stations on the travel behavior of persons with disabilities: Taking 189 rail transit stations in wuhan city as an example

Abstract

Mobility of persons with disabilities is an important aspect of equality of societies. Due to their special physical and socioeconomic conditions, the travel behavior of persons with disabilities has unique characteristics and is more susceptible to the impact of the built environment. Based on the smart card data of Wuhan rail transit, this study explored the spatial and temporal characteristics of rail transit trips of persons with disabilities in Wuhan City, and further explored the spatial heterogeneity of the impact of the built environment around rail transit stations on the passenger flow of persons with disabilities by using the geographically weighted regression (GWR) model. The findings are as follows: 1) 29.7% of the persons with disabilities who travel by subway show the characteristics of commuting, the frequency of travel on working days is higher than that on nonworking days, and they all show the trend of off-peak travel in the mornings and evenings. 2) Traveling is mostly within the short and medium distance of 15-30 minutes, and the range of activities is concentrated in the main city within the Third Ring Road, with the most frequent trips in the same area and few trips across the river. 3) In most research areas, bus stop density, road density, and large park density and opening time all have positive influence on the ridership of persons with disabilities. 4) The daily average ridership of persons with disabilities in transfer stations is significantly higher than that in non-transfer stations. 5) Different from the conclusions of previous studies, the mixed degree of land use and barrier-free facilities have no significant influence on the ridership of persons with disabilities. The result of this research can provide data support for the optimization of the built environment of disability-friendly subway stations and the land use of new stations, and enhance the people-oriented development of urban public services.