May 25, 2009

Planners Display Blind Spot for Older Drivers

Two-thirds of transportation planners and engineers have yet to begin addressing older people in their street planning. As troubling as this is, it is made all the more troubling by the fact that the population is aging. By 2025, 64 million people will be over age 65, according to census projections, and by 2030 a full quarter of all U.S. drivers will be over that age. These are some of the conclusions drawn from the AARP Public Policy Institute’s Planning Complete Streets for the Aging of America, a new report on roadway safety and the aging of the American population.

Streets, sidewalks and roadways designed to conform to “complete streets” guidelines make getting around safer for everyone, the report suggests. Yet in a poll also conducted for the report, two in five adults age 50 and older said their neighborhood sidewalks were inadequate. Nearly half said they could not cross main roads close to their home safely, preventing many from walking, bicycling or taking the bus. (Using scooters and pogo-sticking is completely out of the question.) But safer, more accessible streets won't happen until federal, state and local authorities and planners wake up to the need for roads that address the challenges of the coming age wave, the report charges.

The report recommends that federal, state, and local highway and street design guidelines encompass reduced vehicle travel speeds at intersections where older drivers and pedestrians need to make decisions and execute changes. With more time to notice, read, understand and respond to visual cues, older pedestrians and drivers will navigate roads, crosswalks and sidewalks more easily. Next Driving Today News>>