May 2007

Getting Around in an Aging Society

Planners need to start thinking about parking, buses, and electric cars.

By Katharine Hunter-Zaworski

There is no doubt that we are part of an aging society. Yesterday's baby boomers are becoming the senior citizens of tomorrow. The largest increase will be in the over-80 female population. The year 2050 will mark the first time in human history that the percentage of older people (over 60) will exceed the percentage of children (under 14).

Tomorrow's seniors are likely to be more affluent and more mobile than their parents; better health care and nutrition are among the reasons. At the same time, environmental changes that are affecting the whole world — particularly declining fossil fuels and global warming — are likely to impinge on today's baby boomers and their children and grandchildren in ways that are difficult to imagine.

With these changes come new challenges for planners and engineers involved with public transportation. Clearly, the two groups must work together to come up with sustainable solutions. 

Although the examples are still sparse, it is possible to find communities in this country and abroad that are developing land-use and transportation systems that ensure access and mobility for a large spectrum of the population. These communities are attractive to people of all ages who enjoy active lifestyles, have reduced car ownership, and support public transportation.

But it is the elderly who are most in need of innovative transportation options. As people age, they tend to change their driving habits and stop driving altogether. Older drivers reduce nighttime driving, shorten trips, seek parking spaces that are easy to get in and out of, and look for less congested and lower speed roadways. Often the loss of driving privileges also signifies a lifestyle change that includes moving to new housing and relocating to be near adult children. 

It is important that communities provide public transportation for older people to ease the transition from driving to nondriving, while still supporting an active lifestyle.

There are three emerging issues related to aging drivers and mobility options that impact community planning and public transportation. These include parking for disabled drivers and passengers, community buses, and neighborhood electric vehicles.

A start, but not enough

For a disabled person, a parking permit is a valued possession. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 required communities to ensure that a certain number of parking spaces be reserved for people with disabilities. The number of required spaces depends on the type of facility being served and the total number of parking spaces. According to the ADA accessibility guidelines, one accessible space is required for every 25 spaces, up to 100 spaces. After that the requirement is roughly two percent of the total.

However, supply has not kept up with demand. The shortage of parking spaces is most acute for people who use mobility aids (walkers and wheelchairs, for instance) and who drive or ride in lift-equipped vans. Generally, accessibility guidelines require one van space for about every six accessible parking spaces. This guideline implies that, if there is only one accessible space, it must be van-accessible. Vans require wider spaces with enough room on the passenger side of the vehicle to deploy the lift or ramp. Car parking spaces must be 96 inches wide; van spaces are generally 132 inches wide.

These reserved parking spaces are often marked "van-accessible." Often, however, holders of disabled parking permits drive vehicles that do not have special lift or ramp equipment. These vehicles take up the spaces needed by those who use the specially equipped vans. It is possible that many disabled permit holders, particularly those who have temporary permits, do not recognize the difference between non-van-accessible and van-accessible parking spaces. They may be occupying the van-accessible spaces without realizing the consequences of their actions. 

 Another problem is the abuse of disabled person parking placards by able-bodied family members and caregivers. As parking becomes more expensive and harder to find, it is likely that the abuse and misuse of disabled parking permits will increase. It should also be noted that, while the ADA guidelines are federal, parking rules, regulations, and enforcement are under local control.

So what can be done? Motor vehicle licensing authorities could issue special permits to people who need van-accessible parking, and limit the use of van-accessible parking to those vehicles. In addition, all new accessible parking spaces could be designed to be van accessible. But doing that might decrease the inventory of parking spaces available for all vehicles.

The best solution might be education. Users of van-accessible parking spaces are usually people who drive or ride while seated in power wheelchairs and cannot transfer to a vehicle seat. Many of these individuals are independent, but they also have fewer mobility options. Educating other disabled parking permit holders about the special parking needs of accessible van users could help to ease the parking shortage.

The enforcement of disabled parking is an essential part of any parking management system. As our population ages and the percentage of people with disabilities increases, planners, transportation professionals, and architects need to be aware of special parking needs.

For an example of the problem, think of a college football game. The parking closest to the stadium is most often reserved for the largest donors to the athletic program. The rest of the parking is related to ticket price. Ideally, institutions would provide a large inventory of accessible and van-accessible parking near the stadium and make those spaces available to holders of disabled parking permits, unrelated to donor level or ticket price. 

Buses fill the gap

We're all familiar with the typical, full-size city buses that run on fixed routes, often from the downtown to outlying neighborhoods. But these buses are not necessarily practical for non-peak-hour runs and may not be flexible enough to serve the needs of riders with disabilities.

An emerging public transportation mode is the "community bus," which can accommodate 12 to 20 passengers. The smaller buses are generally integrated with the large, mainline or fixed-route transit buses, bus rapid transit, or rail service. 

The community bus service may run on fixed routes, or the buses may respond to calls for service. Generally, however, the service is flexible. For many seniors, the community bus is a lifeline to independence. It does not require reservations or set eligibility requirements. And the bus provides service in areas that do not have enough ridership to justify regularly scheduled transit service.

The community bus often serves as a feeder or neighborhood bus, permitting the area's public transportation system to penetrate further into suburbia and lower density neighborhoods. In some places, the community bus provides after-hours service. For seniors who have given up driving, the community bus is essential to independence.

The term community bus is appropriate for this service because the community bus is such a visible part of the community. The variations in vehicles, routes, and operating structures reflect the needs and values of the different jurisdictions that operate this new mode of transportation. 

Almost all of the new flexible bus service in North America is provided by accessible vehicles. A challenge for operators is to find vehicles that can meet the rigorous demands of public transportation both in terms of service life and durability. Another challenge is to find the appropriate low-floor transit vehicle to replace the typical high-floor vehicle, which is built on a truck chassis and is usually lift-equipped. High-floor vehicles are hard to board for people who have difficulty walking.

Today, many transit agencies use large, low-floor buses that are easier for everyone to board. There are a few smaller low-floor vehicles; they're often used as hotel and airport shuttles. For the most part, however, these are light-duty vans, which do not have the long service life needed for public transit operations. In the U.S., the typical transit bus has a 12-year life, and in other parts of the world it may be as long as 20 years. In contrast, light-duty vans have a three-to-five year life. Public transit agencies need robust, reliable, and durable low-floor vehicles to meet the needs of this emerging transit mode.

All public transportation providers, whether they provide weekly senior bus service in a rural community or operate transit bus service in downtown New York, face ever-increasing challenges, not least the difficulty of meeting local, state, and federal regulations. The demand for public transportation is increasing as fuel costs continue to rise. For some agencies, the price of fuel will be the tipping point, the point at which they can no longer function. For others, it will reaffirm their vital role in community life.

Community transportation is a new and essential transit mode for an aging society. There is a need for the transit operators to work with vehicle manufacturers to develop functional specifications for heavy-duty, low-floor vehicles that can meet the needs of a community bus transit system.

Scooting through the neighborhood

"What was that? Is it a scooter? No, too big. Is it a golf cart? Not really. What then?"

A new class of vehicle is emerging on the neighborhood streets and bike lanes of Western Europe, Japan, and North America. It's called the Neighborhood Electric Vehicle, or NEV (or sometimes a Low Speed Vehicle, or LSV). The NEV is capable of traveling up to 25 miles per hour, five miles more than a golf cart. It's equipped with safety features like headlights, turn signals, and seat belts. In most states and in Canada, it can be operated on roads where the posted speed limit is 35 mph or less. GEM (Global Electric Motorcars) is one of the more common brands available in the U.S.

Most of these devices are electric powered and "zero emission." They're common at resorts and senior communities — and among people with mobility problems. Don't confuse the NEV with a scooter, although at first glance it is hard to tell them apart. The Segway, which actually evolved from the iBOT, an all-terrain wheelchair, is generally not marketed as a mobility aid. (See the May 2006 issue of Planning for a discussion of scooters and Segways.)

As fuel prices increase and people look for more environmentally friendly driving options, it is likely that the number of NEVs will increase. Most states already regulate them in some way, and transportation planners are beginning to examine the role of such vehicles in the roadway hierarchy. In some parts of the country, NEVs are most common in communities where there is a network of multiuse paths. In other places, they are found on bike paths.

Speed is an issue that has yet to be resolved. Slow-moving NEVs, which are not built for crashworthiness, are a clear safety risk when operated on mixed roadways. They are generally banned on sidewalks and walking paths. Communities that cater to seniors or focus on recreation — Playa Vista, California, is an example — often plan a network of paths specially designed for these vehicles.

As urban planners design communities for livability, they need to consider the needs of an aging population. This includes the design of multiuse paths that will accommodate NEV and Segway-type vehicles. Planners need to provide more van-accessible parking spaces. Communities need to work with bus and van manufacturers to develop smaller low-floor transit vehicles that will be able to provide long years of reliable service.

Katharine Hunter-Zaworski is the director of the National Center for Accessible Transportation at Oregon State University in Corvallis.