01025656

Component

Passenger ferries have proliferated in recent years. The US Access Board, a Federal agency tasked with developing accessibility standards, is in the process of developing accessibility standards for passenger vessels. A milestone in this process was reached with the publication in November 2004 of the Draft Passenger Vessel Accessibility Guidelines and Supplementary Information for vessel accessibility (PVAG). This paper applies the PVAG accessibility criteria for toilet facilities to a sampling of existing ferry vessels, and assesses and demonstrates the feasibility of incorporating those criteria to a range of ferry vessel designs. The paper concludes that with roughly 10 additional square feet per toilet space, (one passenger unit of deck space, and about a third more deck space than the existing toilet rooms) the existing toilet spaces could probably have been designed to satisfy the PVAG criteria for door clear opening and maneuvering space, wheelchair turning space, and fixture clearances, critical elements for getting in and out of and being able to use toilet room facilities. The paper provides insights on the design challenges of ferry and similar passenger vessel accessibility. The purpose of the paper is to inform marine designers and vessel operators of responsibilities for and opportunities to provide accessible toilet spaces on ferry vessels.

01020180

06-1349

English

21p

2006

Transportation Research Board 85th Annual Meeting

CD-ROM

Figures (9) ; Tables (1)

Accessibility; Barrier free design; Ferries; Passenger ships; Persons with disabilities; Toilet facilities

ADA Accessibility Guidelines

Administration and Management; Marine Transportation; Society

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2006 Paper #06-1349

BTRIS, TRIS, TRB

Mar 3 2006 10:39AM