Brussels public transport accessibility is lacking, study finds

Brussels' public transport network is still "insufficiently accessible" to disabled people, according to a new study published in the scientific journal Brussel Studies.

The study found that the feasibility of travelling within the transport network of Brussels public transport operator Stib leaves much to be desired for people with disabilities, and that improvements to stations and public spaces are urgently needed.

“The research results clearly show that public transport is insufficiently accessible,” the authors of the study concluded.

“Moreover, the qualitative part of the research shows that travel routes are only suitable for disabled people if the stops are also effectively accessible to them.”

Geographer Frédéric Dobruszkes (ULB), bioengineer Martin Grandjean and urban planner and sociologist Arthur Nihoul (UCLouvain) examined the extent to which people with a disability can move freely and efficiently in the Belgian capital, in part by modeling the travel times needed to reach 20 destinations from any stop on the network, with or without a travel restriction.

They also calculated the number of transfers and the average walking distance for the journeys.

The study found that people with a disability often have to take longer routes (up to 68% longer depending on the travel restriction), change trains more often (up to 70% more often) and travel a longer distance (up to 54% longer) to reach their destination than people without a disability.

According to the authors, a weekday trip from Place Flagey to the Solbosch university campus, for example, would take people without disabilities an average of 13 minutes, while for disabled people it would take up to 52 minutes.

Accessible metro stations are still scarce, the researchers found. As a result, destinations that can only be reached by metro are de facto very difficult for people with disabilities to reach.