AnAlysis of rAilwAy user trAvel behAviour PAtterns of different Age grouPs

In recent years, there have been requirments for a transport environment that will foster comfortable and safe town development. Studies on urban activities in aging societies with falling birthrates and effective use of public transport modes in addressing environmental problems have become particularly important issues. Public transport is of great importance, especially from the perspective of town development and urban transport, and for securing mobility for the young and advanced age groups. The Transportation Accessibility Law was introduced in 2000 to facilitate access by the elderly and the disabled, etc. to public transport. This brought about modification of facilities to comply with the law at railway stations with 5,000 users a day or more. Reviews of urban frameworks were also deemed necessary in progressively aging societies. Thus, the New Transportation Accessibility Law was introduced in 2006 aimed at expanding barrier-free features of public transport to universal design in cities. According to the background, this study focuses on the urban railway aspect of public transport and analyzes travel behaviour patterns by age group in reviewing the role of urban railway in an aging society with a falling birthrate. Railway use by those commuting to work and school is on the decline1,2 and there is a great need to encourage the use of railways based on the urban activities of respective age groups. This paper analyzes the travel behaviour of railway users by age group from the perspective of railway stations and town planning. In addition to summarizing railway trip characteristics, it also analyzes the connection between railway use and urban activities by age group. Thus, it examines urban railway usage by respective age groups. The trend towards an aging population and declining birthrates in recent years must be taken into account in town planning projects aimed at revitalizing city centres. For this reason, this study seeks to identify basic differences in travel behaviour by way of an age group-specific analysis of travel behaviour. AnAlysis of rAilwAy user trAvel behAviour PAtterns of different Age grouPs Takamasa AKIYAMA Professor Department of civil, environmental and Applied System engineering Faculty of environmental and Urban engineering Kansai University Osaka, Japan Masashi OKUSHIMA Associate Professor Department of ecosystem engineering Graduate School of Advanced Technology and Science The University of Tokushima Tokushima, Japan