Present State and Issues Concerning
Barrier-Free Transportation in Japan as of 2007
Leadership Development Course 2007 Go back to Global Navigation

Yoshiaki IMAFUKU
Transportation Affairs Officer, DPI-Japan

<THE NUMBER OF RAILROAD STATIONS EQUIPPED WITH ELEVATORS>

Working toward "public transportation that is easy for anyone to get on and off," we have implemented nationwide activities to demand barrier-free transportation every year since early 1990s, jointly with organizations of persons with disabilities throughout Japan. We also have requested to improve transportation to railroad and bus companies, local governments, and the national Government.

The Law for Promoting Easily Accessible Public Transportation Infrastructure for the Elderly and Disabled Persons (Traffic Barrier-Free Law) was enacted in 2000. This law, for the first time in Japan, set a numeric target of making public transportation barrier-free. It was also epoch-making that local governments such as cities, towns and villages were authorized to decide focus areas for improvement and make a basic plan. We studied this law and took part in making a basic plan etc, and we appealed the necessity of more participation of persons with disabilities themselves and strongly requested the improvement to railroad and bus companies, local governments and the national Government.

This law had such an influence. The number of railroad stations with elevators, which we had endeavored to enhance most, increased significantly. Four out of ten major subways in Japan equipped all their stations with elevators (*1).

(*1) These four are the subways in Sendai City, Kyoto City, Kobe City, and Fukuoka City. The rest are the subways of Yokohama City, Sapporo City, Nagoya City, Tokyo Metropolitan, Tokyo Metro Co., Ltd., and Osaka City. They intend to secure at least one route which is thoroughly barrier-free from outside station to a platform (‘one barrier-free route’, hereunder) in all the stations by the year 2010 (*2).

(*2) Yokohama City, Sapporo City, and Osaka City are most likely to secure ‘one barrier-free route’ by installing elevators. However, according to the estimation based on information, Nagoya City, Tokyo Metropolitan, and Tokyo Metro Co., Ltd. have an issue to be solved as they are including wheelchair-accessible escalators and other lifts such as stair-lifts etc. as the measures to guarantee ‘one barrier-free route.’

505 out of a total of 595 subway stations have elevators (85%).

As for all the railroad stations in Japan including subway stations, 1,943 out of a total of 9,469 stations have elevators, (20%).

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<MAKING THE LEVEL DIFFERENCE AND THE GAP BETWEEN PLATFORMS AND TRAINS BARRIER-FREE>

The wheelchair users, the elderly, and those with baby carriages have difficulties when transferring. The level difference and the gap between a platform and a train is a big barrier when they are transferring from a station building to a train. Especially, with such barriers, wheelchair users require the help of station attendants in getting on and off a train, which is a big factor in preventing them from moving independently. Barrier-Free Standard (Smooth Moving Standard) of the aforementioned law is set to clear the level difference and the gap between a platform and a train. Due to the effect of this standard, some railroad lines have accomplished removing this barrier as seen in the example of Nanakuma Line of Fukuoka Municipal Subway, opened on February 3, 2005, which we can be proud of to the world.

According to the first-ever verbal response that we received last year from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the portable ramps are used at over 6,000 out of 9,496 stations in Japan, as an effective measure to provisionally clear the level difference and the gap between a platform and a train.

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<PLATFORM GATES>
(THE BEST MEASURE TO PREVENT PERSONS WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS FROM FALLING OFF PLATFORMS)

The most effective facilities to prevent persons with visual impairments from falling off platforms are the platform door and the platform gate. New transport systems, monorails, and subways are now inclined to install such facilities as their standard facilities. There is a tendency that these facilities are installed at newly established lines among regular railroad lines. Currently, 361 stations of 32 lines in Japan have introduced them, which cover only 4% of all the railroad stations.

New Barrier-Free Law* enacted in 2006 was made combining Heart Building Law** and Traffic Barrier-Free Law. This law mandates the installation of platform gates to the stations where the condition of stations and trains are met. Therefore, from now on the number of installed platform gates is expected to increase.

It is desirable that many platform gates be installed as soon as possible so that there will be no more accident where persons with visual impairments die from falling off platforms.

*New Barrier-Free Law is a popular name of the Law for Promoting Easily Accessible Transportation and Building Infrastructure etc. for the Elderly and Disabled Persons (tentative translation)

** Heart Building Law is a popular name of the Law for Buildings Accessible to and Usable by the Elderly and Physically Disabled Persons.

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<ACCESSIBILITY OF ROUTE BUSES>

As for route buses, 19 non-step buses were introduced for the first time in 1996. Currently its number exceeds 8,639. Also, the total number of low floor buses, which include one-step buses with a ramp and buses with a lift, is over 16,327. From now, under the New Barrier-Free Law, how to deal with the gap between various regional areas in introducing those buses is being questioned.

As to the introduction of non-step buses, there is a problem of regional disparity. No non-step bus has been introduced in Akita Prefecture and Okinawa Prefecture. They are concentrated in Tokyo metropolitan and other large urban areas.

Furthermore, the operation of wheelchair-accessible buses (non-step buses, one-step buses with a ramp, and buses with a lift) has “no specific route, no specific time, and no announcement of time schedule.” This can be considered as a discrimination against persons with disabilities as wheelchair users cannot utilize the services as needed and also because only wheelchair users are treated in such an unfair way and not other passengers. This point should be brought up more as a problem.

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<ACCESSIBILITY OF STREETCARS>

There are 19 streetcar companies in Japan. After streetcars are made barrier free by introducing a new type of low-floor vehicles and by raising the level of platforms, it is recognized that streetcars are the easiest to get on and off and the most convenient for wheelchair users, the elderly, and others.

Especially on the Toyama Port Line (popularly called “Portram”) of Toyama Light Rail Co., Ltd., which opened in April 2006, all vehicles and stations are made accessible in accordance with “universal design,” and finally making streetcars with universal design has started on its full scale in Japan.

The accessibility of existing streetcars are also being challenged well. In Tokyo, all the stations on the Toei Streetcar (Toden) Arakawa Line and the Tokyu Setagaya Line are barrier-free. It is very easy for wheelchair users, the elderly, and those with a baby carriage to get on and off at barrier-free stations of super-low-floor streetcars in Hiroshima City, Okayama City, and Kagoshima City. Currently, in various places in Japan, planning for streetcar operations of low-floor vehicles is under consideration.

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<ACCESSIBILITY OF TAXIS AND COMMUNITY BUSES>

The Traffic Barrier-Free Law was not applicable to taxis, but the New Barrier-Free Law requires taxis to be barrier-free, so attention is being paid to future developments In Tokyo, taxis equipped with a lift or a ramp has started to operate. Still, only 5,000 out of a total of 260,000 taxis (only 2%) in Japan are barrier-free.

Also in recent years, local governments are operating “community buses” to secure transportation for those who have difficulties in transferring such as persons with disabilities, the elderly, and citizens living in areas where transportation is insufficient within their administrative regions.

More than 900 cities, towns, and villages operate community buses. Some community buses are equipped with a lift or ramp and also the number of non-step buses is increasing. Accessibility stated in the new law is also applicable to community buses. From now, it is necessary to appeal to local governments to require that a community bus should be a non-step bus.

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<TASKS AND OUTLOOK>

Thus, measures towards accessibility in public transportation in Japan are becoming increasingly diversified. However, new problems have been brought up and still the problem of regional disparity is becoming more serious. In urban areas, barrier removal in railroads and buses is progressing. On the other hand, in local areas, the abolition or decrease of railroad and bus lines bring a critical state of not having public transportation.

Furthermore, there are serious cases of refusal to give services to persons with disabilities in cars, planes, boats, facilities, and accommodations, due to the lack of understanding, prejudice and discrimination towards them.

Also, wheelchair users meet accidents often when using equipments for traffic accessibility. For example, there are accidents such as falls and turnovers from a wheelchair-accessible escalator, from ‘Chair Mate’ (a caterpillar type of lift for going up and down a staircase), and from a slope of low-floor buses. Falls from platforms at railroad stations among persons with visual impairments and wheelchair users are still occurring.

We also have an issue wherein persons with disabilities using an electric wheelchair with a steering wheel are refused to enter into facilities and vehicles which accessibility should be guaranteed. This is not logical. The rights of mobility of persons with disabilities and the elderly to get around using public transport seems violated by the arbitrary policies of railroad companies.

Furthermore, it was revealed that Toyoko Inn Co., Ltd., a major business hotel chain, illegally renovated its facilities and violated both the Heart Building Law and the ordinance to build a comfortable living environments for persons with disabilities. This has made persons with disabilities and the elderly aware of being consumers as hotel guests. This hotel received a strong protest and criticism from organizations of persons with disabilities etc., and later this hotel has changed totally and become a good example of excellent application of universal design for the rank of business hotel.

We have been working so that those who have difficulties in transferring such as persons with disabilities and the elderly will become more aware of their rights as passengers, thereby truly ensuring their free, safe, and smooth participation in society.

Moreover, aiming for information accessibility, railroad, bus, airline, and shipping companies has made information on accessible facilities more open and public through homepages and at stations. However, access to the information we need is not sufficient enough yet. It is necessary that we demand more accessibility to information which we need.

We also need to actively cooperate in deciding the basic concepts under the New Barrier-Free Law and also participate from the planning stage in creating accessible transportation carried out by various companies. Once a barrier-free project is accomplished, it will be used for tens of years. Therefore our participation carries heavy responsibility. Under the concept of universal design, with solidarity, it is necessary to strive for accessibility through ‘spiral-up*’ development so that anyone can move and use facilities safely and smoothly.

*spiral-up:
It is a staged and continuous process in which users participate actively from the preliminary study stage to the post-project evaluation stage and share knowledge obtained through their participation process to apply it to other projects.

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