The issue of serving disabled people in the subway

Movement is one of the fundamental rights that society should guarantee to its members. The most effective means of public transport is the subway, and it is also used by disabled people. Disabled people are not only those who, due to illness, an accident, or a congenital defect, have difficulty walking, using means of transport, and receiving information. Disabled people also include people with children in strollers or in their arms, all elderly people, pregnant women, people with luggage, shopping carts, those of large build, very short stature, etc. The article focuses on the subway as a rapid means of transport in order to demonstrate existing architectural barriers and the possibilities for changing them to adapt them for daily use by disabled people.INTRODUCTION
Global forecasts indicate a process of rapid aging of the population in all countries and a global increase in the percentage of disabled people. According to literature data, currently in every country about 10% of the population can be classified as disabled, of which 50-70% are invalids with a high degree of disability, hindering functioning in various areas of life [2].
In Poland, the number of disabled people is estimated at about 6 million. In highly developed countries, the application of ergonomics in daily life and professional work is a standard.
Similarly, in Poland, the problem is recognized and requires the removal of architectural barriers in order to adapt many building structures and public utility facilities, including, for example, the subway, for use by disabled people.
The article presents a very important issue of serving disabled passengers in the subway and is a brief summary of the work titled: “Modern solutions in subway construction technology and the possibilities of their application on the second subway line”, developed under the guidance of Prof. Mirosław Nader, at the Faculty of Transport [3].
The aim of the work was to conduct an analysis of modern solutions used in subway station construction technology in terms of the possibilities of their application on the second line of the Warsaw subway. The work also covered issues of passenger safety at the platform-wagon interface. (…)

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