Tuesday, July 14, 2009

AARP Releases Study On Need For Complete Streets For Older Americans

The AARP Public Policy Institute has just released their report "Planning Complete Streets for an Aging America."

This report addresses the need to create Complete Streets that are safe and convenient for travel by automobile, foot, bicycle and transit regardless of age or ability. Some findings from research conducted for this study show that:

* 2/3 of planners and engineers report they have not begun considering the needs of older road users in multi-modal planning.

* More than 80 states and localities have adopted Complete Streets policies, but less than 1/3 of these explicitly address the needs of older road users.

* 40% of adults age 50 and older report inadequate sidewalks in their neighborhoods. Nearly 50% report they cannot cross main roads close to their home safely.

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

To read the report in its entirety, click here.
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About SRTC

SRTC is the federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for Spokane County. Urbanized areas with populations exceeding 50,000 people are required to have an MPO. SRTC was formed to address the county's transportation planning needs. It provides coordination in planning between the public, cities, small towns, the county, the state, transit providers, and tribes.

SRTC offers services including transportation monitoring, transportation modeling, census information analysis, travel demand forecasting, historical traffic count analysis, geographic information systems, and trip generation rates.