AARP report addresses urban planning issues for senior-friendly streets

AARP Public Policy Institute Releases “Planning Complete Streets for an Aging America”

This report addresses the need to create Complete Streets that are safeand convenient for travel by automobile, foot, bicycle and transitregardless of age or ability.  The study encourages roadway plannersand engineers to approach road design through the lens of CompleteStreets and employ design strategies that support older drivers andpedestrians. Findings from original research conducted for this studyshow that:

* Two-thirds of planners and engineers report that they have not yetbegun considering the needs of older road users in their multi-modalplanning.

* More than 80 states and localities have adopted Complete Streetspolicies, but less than one-third of these explicitly address the needsof older road users.

* Forty percent of adults age 50 and older report inadequate sidewalksin their neighborhoods. More sobering, nearly 50 percent report theycannot cross main roads close to their home safely.

* The report suggests revisions to five intersection treatments in theFederal Highway Design Handbook for Older Drivers and Pedestrians tobetter balance the needs of both older drivers and pedestrians.

This paper is available electronically at http://www.aarp.org/research/housing-mobility/transportation/2009_02_streets.html.