Seniors In Motion: The Built Environment for Seniors

The “built environment” encompasses all buildings, spaces and products that are created or modified by people. It includes homes, schools, workplaces, parks/recreation areas, greenways, business areas and transportation systems. It includes land-use planning and policies that impact our communities in urban, rural and suburban areas.

Across the state, shopping for basic services has moved from downtown to strip malls miles away. For older adults who no longer drive, sidewalks and their connections to vital destinations are a crucial resource for remaining active and interacting with others. Getting around a community, whether by foot or by motor vehicle, is fundamentally different for senior citizens. According to the New Jersey State Police, senior citizens are struck by cars at a higher rate than any other age group. Accidents occur both when a senior overestimates his or her abilities and when the terrain is not suitable for them. Even for adults who do still drive, providing opportunities for them to walk in their community is a vital part of ensuring their long-term health.

To address these concerns, the Voorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers University and the New Jersey Foundation for Aging have compiled a comprehensive review of safety, transportation, and mobility elements entitled Safe Mobility at Any Age. To view this complete document, please visit www.mayorswellnesscampaign.org.

There are many ways the mayor or town council can make their municipality’s streets and walkways more senior-friendly. To reduce the risk of street-related injury, disability, and fatality, Transportation Alternatives, a non-profit citizen’s group working for better bicycling, walking and public transit, has designed the following list of recommendations.

Here are some ways to improve street safety in your municipality:

1. Create “Elder Districts.” Comparable to a historic district, the elder district designation would prescribe specific guidelines for street design in senior-rich neighborhoods.
2. Retime pedestrian signals to reflect a walking speed of 2.5 feet per second versus the typical 4 feet per second. (source: Federal Highway Administration Highway Design Handbook for Older Drivers and Pedestrians: Recommendations and Guidelines December 2000)
3. Give extra, exclusive crossing time of five to nine seconds on all corners.
4. Repair street and sidewalk imperfections to prevent falls. (Identified during a walkability audit).
5. Install audible, accessible pedestrian signals at busy crossings.
6. Install benches for resting at frequent intervals.
7. Where street widths exceed 60 feet, install bollards on the double yellow line and at the far-end of the middle of the crosswalk.
8. Where street widths exceed 90 feet, install pedestrian refuges or medians, and median tips.
9. Limit speeds on residential streets to 20 miles per hour by installing traffic calming devises. This can be achieved by using vertical deflectors and/or other traffic calming measures including, but not limited to: speeds humps or speed tables, raised crosswalks or intersections, curb extensions or bus bulbs, bicycling lanes, mini roundabouts, and diagonal parking.
10. Enact and enforce rules about keeping sidewalks clear of ice and snow in both residential and commercial areas.
11. Offer snow and ice clearing programs targeted towards seniors residents.
12. Identify and improve areas with poor pedestrian-scale lighting and design in order to address personal security and safety issues.
13. Dispatch police officers to control traffic at or near senior citizen and community events.