December 2006 - Vol. 3 No. 3
In this issue:
Local Efforts in Community Transportation
Reports examine behaviors, needs of transportation disadvantaged
Society’s reliance on private automobiles as well as low-density development creates mobility challenges for the elderly and the developmentally disabled. Although some in these populations can meet their transportation needs with the existing system, others cannot.
Two recent studies by Associate Professor David Levinson and research fellow Rania Wasfi, both with the University of Minnesota’s civil engineering department, sought to learn about the transportation needs and concerns of members in these specific population groups.
To learn about the elderly, the researchers partnered with area senior centers and service providers to distribute surveys to approximately 8,000 residents of Hennepin County aged 60 to 90 years old. Besides gathering demographic information about the participants, the survey also gauged their attitudes about traveling and asked them to complete a travel diary. Specifically, the survey asked questions about the difficulty of reaching desired destinations in order to attend medical appointments, work, shop, conduct business, or visit family or friends, among other things.
The first component of the study was measuring existing travel behavior patterns for the elderly, and the next, determining unmet needs and wants of the groups. This provided a baseline of information to proceed with subsequent planning and decision making.
Of the surveys distributed, 854 were completed and returned. Responses showed that around 77 percent of those surveyed used the automobile as their primary means of travel for shopping. Independence, however, declines steadily with age. Those seniors who were not fully independent were unable to make all the trips they needed or wanted to make (or both) on a given day. The reasons given for this included lack of an available vehicle and bad weather, with “other” cited frequently as well.
Public transit was the second most-used mode of transportation. Seniors in the sample showed a willingness to use public transit, yet often did not because of a lack of service near their homes or destinations.
Although some seniors have a difficult time using public transit (for example, getting up the stairs), a bigger concern was fear of being a victim of a crime; more than half were also concerned about waiting for transit or the length of time of the trip.
In the study exploring the transportation needs of adults with developmental disabilities, the researchers conducted a survey similar to that used for the senior population. To design and distribute these surveys, the researchers partnered with community agencies that provide support to the targeted population group.
Of just over 900 surveys distributed, 114 completed surveys were returned. Respondents ranged in age from 18 to over 60. Developmental disabilities included mental retardation, cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorder, and other generally unspecified disabilities.
The survey revealed that more than half of these adults live in group homes, while about a quarter live with relatives. Despite not living independently, many (40 percent) consider themselves independent travelers, and 70 percent reported that the mode of transportation they used was their choice.
About half of the trips these adults took were work related, with recreational and shopping trips cited as well. More than half of the sampled population worked every day, while recreation occurred at least once a week for about two-thirds of the population.
About 30 percent reported being unable to make trips they wanted to make, and about 46 percent were unable to make trips they needed to make.
Walking, public transit, and dial-a-ride were listed as the primary modes of transportation the participants used to meet their transportation needs.
Public transit, however, poses challenges for this population; many have difficulty standing, reading transit schedules, or understanding announcements. Many were also concerned with becoming a victim of crime. Fewer than 30 percent ever use public transit services.
Among the comments received from respondents were complaints about the long lead times for scheduling and unreliability of public paratransit services, but there was much praise for the paratransit provided by community service providers directly.
This research was funded by Hennepin County using Federal Transit Administration funds. The final reports, The Transportation Needs of Seniors and The Transportation Needs of People with Developmental Disabilities, have been published by the Center for Transportation Studies. Copies may be ordered or downloaded from the Community Transportation Web site.
State Efforts in Community Transportation
New coordination resource available online
Last year, the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Office of Transit and the Metropolitan Council completed an 18-month study on community transportation coordination. Their goal was to use study results to educate public transit and human service transportation stakeholders at the local level about the benefits of coordination. Content from this Minnesota Coordination Action Plan Study is now available on the Community Transportation Web site in an interactive format that allows users to read specific sections of the study, download the study’s final reports, and search content.
One product of the study now online is the Transportation Coordination Toolkit, a collection of short articles that address ten specific coordination topics (e.g., planning, fully allocated costs, incentive funding, insurance, and others). The toolkit also includes best practices that describe how specific coordination challenges were overcome as well as a list of useful resources such as Web sites, reports, and contacts.
Results of the study’s three primary tasks—assessing stakeholders, identifying best practices, and developing a coordinated action plan—are also included on the Web site. Stakeholder assessment consisted of surveys, workshops, and interviews to learn what the public transit and human service transportation network does well and what it needs to improve. The best practices section describes innovative and successful coordination strategies that address the barriers named in the stakeholder assessment.
In addition, the study discusses the economic benefits of coordination and describes action plans for both the metro area and Greater Minnesota. These plans consist of a proposed framework to improve transportation coordination based on findings from the stakeholder assessment and best practices.
Finally, the site includes the study’s implementation plan, which describes the steps needed to improve coordination, as well as a budget and timeline for doing so.
For more information on this transit coordination study, contact Noel Shughart, principal planner, at noel.shughart@state.mn.us.
Speakers address older driver issue at traffic safety conference
Older drivers will need training, alternatives to driving
By 2020, an estimated 40 million people with a driver’s license in the United States will be over age 65. At the 2006 Toward Zero Deaths conference, held November 3 and 4 in Duluth, Minn., speakers in one session discussed several current programs aimed at meeting the needs of older drivers.
Elin Schold-Davis with the American Occupational Association said changes associated with aging affect driving safety, so it’s vital to recognize those changes and do something about them. She pointed out that the majority of seniors do “self-limit,” but in order to do that, they need an awareness of what their limits are.
One way to identify impairments is through a comprehensive driving evaluation, conducted by a driver rehabilitation specialist. This evaluation has two components: a clinical assessment of vision, physical function, and condition, and an on-road assessment of performance in a driving context. The evaluation could result in continued driving, with appropriate education; addressing the impairment through treatment; addressing the impairment through adaptation; or cease and transition, which necessitates finding appropriate alternatives.
Schold-Davis mentioned several related resources, including the American Society on Aging’s DriveWell toolkit, which promotes driver safety and transportation choices for adults over 65; CarFit, which helps older drivers make their personal vehicles better “fit” them; and guides for families of aging drivers published by The Hartford (www.theharford.com/talkwitholderdrivers and www.thehartford.com/alzheimers). In addition, NHTSA has recently developed a course designed to help law enforcement officers address the needs of older drivers in their communities.
Jennifer Pancer, a licensed clinical social worker with the Alzheimer’s Association, addressed driving as it relates to persons with dementia. An estimated 4.5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease, and by 2050, that number will increase to 16 million unless there is a cure, Pancer said.
Though not always consistently, persons with dementia tend to driver slower, make errors at intersections, have less awareness of other drivers, have worse lane control, and exhibit more frequent and unexpected braking, she continued.
“There’s no cookie-cutter way to get people to stop driving,” Pancer continued. People with dementia can be very resourceful. Some ideas for dealing with the “insistent unsafe driver” include installing a “kill switch,” disconnecting wires or the battery, or involving Elder-at-Risk programs, the local police, or DMV, she said.
Wrapping up the session, Mark Hoisser, president of DARTS (Dakota Area Resources and Transportation for Seniors), talked about the Minnesota Partnership for Safe Mobility, a statewide collaborative group that DARTS convened.
The partnership’s mission is to improve the safety and mobility of Minnesota’s aging population by influencing policy, creating initiatives, and promoting research, Hoisser explained. Members include the State Departments of Transportation and Human Services, FHWA, University of Minnesota, and others.
The issue of mobility for seniors is “really about the health and independence of older adults in your communities,” Hoisser said. Loss of mobility can lead to depression, loss of satisfaction in life, health problems, isolation, and loneliness.
Providing good alternative transit options is challenging, Hoisser noted: public transportation is often inadequate, especially for users with special needs; funding for alternative systems is stretched; family members may be unavailable to give rides; transportation options are often lacking in rural areas, and in urban areas there are concerns about crime; and there are fewer people overall available to support older adults.
Some ideas to consider, Hoisser said, are rebalancing long-term care, making transit part of the long-term care system, and creating age-friendly communities (with nearby amenities, safe walking paths, and a range of housing options, for example).
Another idea is using mobility managers to facilitate coordination efforts at the county level—a concept proposed in Mn/DOT’s statewide coordination study.
When considering alternatives, it’s helpful to think of the characteristics of your car, Hoisser said. It’s available, accessible, acceptable, affordable, and adaptable. “People are going to ask for that for their mobility options,” he said.
National Efforts in Community Transportation
TCRP reports
The federal Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP), administered by the Transportation Research Board (TRB), provides practical transit research to address technical and operational issues. TCRP emphasizes putting research results into the hands of organizations and individuals that can use them to solve problems. TRCP publications may be viewed at www.trb.org/CRP/TCRP/TCRPProjects.asp.
The following recent TCRP publications, with associated reference information from the TRB Web site, focus on the topic of community transportation:
Commuting in America III, prepared by author Alan E. Pisarski under a joint project of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) and the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP), is one of the most comprehensive documents of its kind. Based on the latest census information available, it contains 155 figures, 79 tables, and some 100 “factlets” that tell the story of America’s commuting trends and patterns over the last ten years.
Guidebook for Evaluating, Selecting, and Implementing Suburban Transit Services (TCRP Report 116) examines the current status of suburban transit services and land-use environments and the relationship between the two. The guidebook describes also the emerging trends that significantly influence the availability and operation of suburban transit services.
Legal Research Digest 22: The Case for Searches on Public Transportation examines the ability of public transportation systems or their agents, within the context of federal or state law, to conduct either random searches or targeted searches of passengers on public transportation vehicles or on public transportation property.
Research Results Digest 78: Managing Capital Costs of Major Federally Funded Public Transportation Projects examines strategies, tools, and techniques to better manage major transit capital projects over $100 million. The report also examines various estimation, project-management, and cost-containment approaches that were applied to 14 case studies.
Research Results Digest 79: Design of Track Transitions explores various transit track transition designs among ballasted and nonballasted track forms and structures and offers guidance to improve track and operating performance.
Traveler Response to Transportation System Changes, Chapter 2–HOV Facilities (TCRP Report 95) examines how travelers respond to high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) applications. Among the approaches for giving priority to HOV applications over general traffic are HOV and bus-only lanes in separate rights-of-way, on freeways and tollways, on ramps, and on arterials and city streets. (This report does not cover busways primarily on their own alignment.)