Metro Accessibility Infographics for Moscow, Minsk, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod and Warsaw

13.08.2014

During last year we have collected the amount of data which allows to start analysing and visualising it. Here’s some inforgraphics for 5 metro systems we have covered: Moscow, Minsk, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod and Warsaw, and our comments.

• The amount of metro stations in each city is self-explanatory.
• The amount of routes means the amount of all possible ways from the surface to the train platform for a passenger (entrances), plus all possible ways back from the train platform to the surface (exits) for all metro stations.
• Percentage of stations equipped with elevators and/or wheelchair platform includes all stations where this equipment is installed, notwithstanding if it’s actually working or not.

We used the following criteria to decide if the route is accessible for the certain category of passengers.

• A route is considered accessible for a wheelchair-user if there are:
  – no steps,
  – no escalators,
  – no ramps steeper than 10%,
  – no doors or turnstiles narrower than 75 cm,
  – the installed elevators/wheelchair platforms are working.
• A route is considered accessible for an older person (or other mobility-impaired person) if there are:
  – not more than 2 steps, which can not be avoided via ramps, elevators or escalators,
  – no ramps steeper than 15%.
• A route is considered accessible for a parent with a stroller if there are:
  – not more than 2 steps, which can not be avoided via ramps, rails, elevators or escalators,
  – no doors or turnstiles narrower than 70 cm.

This graph shows the average number of steps a passenger has to climb in each of 5 cities in order to get in or out of the metro station.

• The first bar shows the average number of steps, including the ones which can be avoided if necessary.
• The second bar shows the average number of steps which cannot be avoided using elevators or wheelchair platforms (we took into account only the working elevators/wheelchair platforms).
• The third bar shows the average number of steps which cannot be avoided using rails or ramps.