Cecily O'Connor
RedwoodAge.com
Although they're driving less to avoid high gas prices, Americans are facing a new strain of road rage.
In their attempt to save money and the environment, many in the over-50 crowd are challenged by crumbling sidewalks and the absence of bike lanes, as well as insufficient public transportation options in the cities where they live.
In extreme cases, unsafe roadways in various communities can have fatal consequences.
"How do you safely get to places where there isn't an accessible bike lane?" said Pati Brown, a Sacramento, Calif., boomer who began commuting to work by bike this summer.
While much needs to be done, some American communities such as Marin County, Calif., Sacramento and Columbus, Ohio, have been working on new ideas to curb transportation-related problems. National efforts also are underway as two separate bills aimed at providing safer streets were introduced this spring.
Several European cities, notably Amsterdam, have successfully reduced traffic headaches by making streets more friendly to bikes and pedestrians, providing bike parking, and often separating bike lanes from car traffic.
The issue is taking on increased importance as more people make the decision to leave their cars behind. Nearly a third of respondents say they are walking to avoid rising fuel costs. But after they lace up their sneakers, nearly 40 percent find their neighborhood lack adequate sidewalks, according to a poll conducted by AARP.
About 44 percent of adults are struggling because they don't have nearby public transportation that is accessible. Nearly half said they cannot cross the main roads safely, which is a chief concern given that four in 10 pedestrian fatalities are over the age of 50.
The worst states for pedestrian fatalities over age 65 are Hawaii, Alaska, New York, California, New Mexico, Delaware, New Jersey, Florida, Washington, DC, and Arizona, according to AARP's analysis of government data.
Complete Streets
Two bills have been introduced at the national level that would ensure that
roads built and improved with federal funds serve everyone on the roadway,
including pedestrians, people on bicycles or those catching the bus, as well as
those with disabilities.
The adoption of "complete street" policies is one way communities are trying to solve transportation issues, enabling pedestrians, bicyclists and public transit riders to share the road safely with automobiles, said Elinor Ginzler, AARP's senior vice president for livable communities. The Columbus City Council passed a complete streets resolution at the end of July, while Decatur, Ga., and Seattle adopted policies in the spring. Marin County in California is part way through a multiyear effort to reduce reliance on cars.
"More cities and states are adopting policies requiring their transportation agencies to ensure that roads are routinely designed or redesigned for all modes of travel," Ginzler said. "And instituting these new standards makes it safer for residents of all ages."
Cities such as Sacramento and Kirkland, Wash., are "ahead of the curve" because they have extra-wide sidewalks, flowered medians and flashing lights embedded in crosswalks at busy intersections, Ginzler noted.
Ed Cox, bike and pedestrian coordinator for the City of Sacramento, said the city is planning to adopt a new revision to its general plan "that includes discussion at the policy level on complete streets."
"It's going to be a holistic approach toward developing our city that we didn't really quite spell out in the past," he said. "Coupled with that, is a new perspective toward congestion..."
'Road Diets'
But in the meantime, Sacramento residents are noticing several significant
improvements, including bike lanes on new streets that have been widened to six
feet from five feet. And a "road diet" has been instituted in some
areas to take excess street space used for cars and convert it into bike lanes,
Cox said.
The city also opened up K Street, a pedestrian-only downtown mall, to bike traffic as part of a short pilot project that coincided with a freeway closure this summer to help alleviate concerns about increased motor traffic on heavily biked streets. The K Street opening lasted only several weeks, but the city is considering a modified ordinance that would allow bikes permanently on that roadway, Cox said.
Brown, one of the bike commuters who lobbied for to open up K Street, said she has been working on other ways to make bike commuting easier where she works at the Capital District State Museums and Historic Park. She encouraged the maintenance staff to buy bike racks, as well as ensure the showers were in working order for other commuters in her office.
