A Study and Evaluation on the Accommodations of Railroad Station Facilities in relation to Universal Design - Focused on major stations in some metropolitan cities -

유니버설디자인의 관점에서 분석한 국내 철도역사 편의시설의 환경 평가 및 개선안 연구 - 일부 광역시에 위치한 역사들을 대상으로 -

The number of people utilizing a railroad system in our country has been increasing steadily, and new modern railroad stations are having been built mainly due to the introduction of high-speed railroad system and more efficient transfer facilities. Meanwhile, our society is becoming a super-aged; the average age of our population is rising fast. Therefore, we need to re-exam current barrier-free environment for mass transit facilities in our country and find out what would need to be done to provide better environment for unspecific majority. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the application of universal design at major railroad stations and find out which areas need our attention and suggestions for improving their environment so everybody could use the facilities safely without physically discriminational problems at least. The scope of this research is focused on the application of The Mobility Enhancement For The Mobility Impaired Act toward three major railroad stations in the metropolitan cities along the Gyeongbu Line. The result of the research shows the followings: first, the application toward the visually handicapped is the weakest area compared to others and it needs to be improved immediately. Secondly, it turned out that some of detailed guidelines provided by "The Mobility Enhancement For The Mobility Impaired Act" are not clear, and even some of the guidelines collide with those from "Act on the Promotion and Guarantee of Access for the Disabled, the Aged, and Pregnant Women to Facilities and Information". These need to be reexamed and reworked immediately so the accommodations are applied properly.