Older people’s travel and mobility needs: a reflection of a hierarchical model 10 years on

In 2010 we published a model of older people’s travel and mobility needs in the Quality of Ageing and Older Adults journal (Musselwhite and Haddad, 2010). The model comprises three levels, practical (the need to get from A to B as quickly, cheaply and efficiently as possible), psychosocial (the need for independence, control and status) and aesthetic needs (the need for travel for its own sake), all which need to be fulfilled to achieve wellbeing and quality of life. Since then, the model has been translated into different languages and been cited 119 times across different formats.Design/methodology/approach: Using 10 years of analysing feedback that includes articles that cited the model, discussions with academics, policymakers and practitioners as well as from older people themselves, this paper reflects on the original model.Findings: Five key themes are generated from the re-examination: (1) the validity of the model; (2) the utility and usefulness of needs in understanding travel behaviour and turning them into policy or practice; (3) application of the model to different contexts; (4) understanding the relationship between travel needs and health and wellbeing; and (5) fitting the model to future changes in transport and social policy.Research limitations/implications:Practical implications:Originality/value: This reflection on this well cited and well used model allows a re-adjustment of the model, updating it to be used in conjunction with policy and practice, especially highlighting the need to further distinguish mobility for aesthetic needs

Motor traffic on urban minor and major roads: impacts on pedestrian and cyclist injuries

This article compares per-mile risks posed by motor traffic to pedestrians and cyclists on urban major and minor roads. Carrying out new analysis of police injury data from 2005-15, the paper finds that per billion vehicle miles, motor vehicles on minor roads create more pedestrian casualties than motor vehicles on major roads. Specifically, for KSI (killed or seriously injured) injuries the rate per billion motor vehicle miles is 17% higher on minor roads (47 versus 40 KSIs per billion vehicle miles), while for slight injuries it is 66% higher (188 vs. 123 slight injuries per billion vehicle miles). Examining the costs of injuries sustained, these are 7.4% higher for pedestrians per motor vehicle mile travelled on urban minor roads, compared to major roads. For cyclists, injury costs are slightly higher (4.2%) on major roads per mile driven, compared to minor roads. These results suggest that re-routing motor traffic to major roads in urban areas may reduce pedestrian casualties. However, if cyclist safety on major roads is not improved, shifting motor traffic from minor to major roads may result in unintended negative injury consequences for cyclists

Evaluating the long-term impacts of bus-based park and ride

Many park and ride (P&R) schemes worldwide are based on rail transport, however there has also been substantial development of bus-based P&R in which an enhanced bus service operates between a P&R site and an urban centre. This has been particularly marked in Britain, often in historic cities (such as York, Oxford and Cambridge). Development of busways has also provided opportunities for complementary P&R development. Nonetheless, a net increase in passenger car unit (pcu)-kilometres may be observed, despite a reduction on the principal radial corridor. This is due to increased car-kilometres in catchment areas of P&R sites, but this simple additive approach to changes in pcu-km may not reflect overall impacts if pcu-km are removed from a congested urban corridor. By using monetised external cost per pcu-km for different road types and traffic conditions (such as those in ‘WebTAG’ guidance in Britain), the net effect can be expressed in economic terms. Presented here is a case study of the Chelmsford system, showing that a net economic benefit may be attained, even though a net increase in pcu-km has occurred. Energy savings through diversion of car occupant trips to the Cambridgeshire busway are also assessed

Modelling transport energy demand : a socio-technical approach

Peer reviewedPostprin

Sustainable travel behaviour and the widespread impacts on the local economy

Statistics show that unsustainable travel behaviour and global greenhouse gas emissions are growing and due to the perceived indispensable nature of personal travel, shifts to more sustainable modes remain a challenge. Automobility supports sustained local economic growth but also raises issues around safety, health, road fatalities, traffic and congestion, and detrimental environmental impacts. This article addresses the issue of sustainable mobility by investigating how to increase sustainable travel choices and, where this is not possible, ensure existing travel choices and patterns are as environmentally friendly as possible. Existing soft initiatives aimed at increasing sustainable travel behaviour fail to fully acknowledge that travel decisions are made at the individual level and that tailored strategies would be more effective at targeting distinct behavioural patterns. Influencing changes in travel behaviour at the local level demonstrates significant potential where individual behaviour can be influenced if appropriate support at the system level is in place and complies with the needs of individuals. This article demonstrates that, in doing so, this will simultaneously address other areas, such as accessibility, employability, health and sustainable growth, crucial to the establishment and survival of automobility by both supporting local economic growth and achieving reductions in carbon emissions

The Journey Experience of Visually Impaired People on Public Transport in London

The use of public transport is critical for Visually Impaired People (VIP) to be independent and have access to out-of-home activities. Despite government policies promoting accessible transport for everyone, the needs of VIP are not well addressed, and journeys can be very difficult to negotiate. Journey requirements can often differ from those of other categories of people on the disability spectrum. Therefore, the aim of this research is to evaluate the journey experience of VIP using public transport. Semi-structured interviews conducted in London are used. The results show that limited access to information, inconsistencies in infrastructure and poor availability of staff assistance are the major concerns. Concessionary travel, on the other hand, encourages VIP to make more trips and hence has a positive effect on well-being. The findings suggest that more specific policies should be introduced to cater to the special needs of particular disabilities rather than generalising the types of aids available. It is also concluded that the journey experience of VIP is closely related to an individual’s independence and hence inclusion in society

The effectiveness of ‘shared space’ residential street interventions on self-reported activity levels and quality of life for older people

AbstractThe role of the built environment in facilitating physical activity is well recognised. However, longitudinal studies into the effects of changes to the built environment on levels of activity and quality of life outcomes are lacking, especially for older people. This paper presents results from a longitudinal study of ‘home zone’ style changes to residential streets, designed to make streets more ‘liveable’ by reducing the dominance of vehicular traffic and creating shared space. The interventions were focused in deprived areas, where the changes followed an inclusive, community-led approach. The intervention sites were matched with comparison sites receiving no intervention. Whilst existing studies into the outcomes of home zone type interventions have tended to focus on tangible measures such as road casualties or traffic speeds, this study examines broader, self-reported behavioural (i.e. activity levels and perceptions), health and quality of life outcomes. Results were gathered pre-intervention in 2008 and then, post-intervention, in 2010 or 2011 for participants aged 65 or older. They show that interventions are associated with a significant improvement in perceptions of how easy it is to walk on the street near home. Participants also considered that they were significantly more active post-intervention. However, there was less evidence of positive change in health, quality of life, frequency of activities outdoors, time spent outdoors, or better social connectedness. One potential reason is that a greater time period post-implementation is needed for such outcomes to become manifest

Policy making under uncertainty in electric vehicle demand

The introduction of electric vehicles (EVs) into the passenger vehicle market has, in recent years, become viewed as a primary solution to the significant carbon dioxide emissions attributed to personal mobility. Moreover, EVs offer a means by which energy diversification and efficiency can be improved compared to the current system. The UK government and European Commission have played an active role in steering the development and market introduction of EVs. However, a great deal of uncertainty remains regarding the effectiveness of these policies and the viability of EV technology in the mainstream automotive market. This paper investigates the prevalence of uncertainty concerning the demand for EVs. This is achieved through the application of a conceptual framework that assesses the locations of uncertainty. UK and EU documents are assessed through a review of the published policy alongside contributions from academia to determine how uncertainty has been reduced. This assessment offers insights to decision makers in this area by evaluating the work done to date through a landscape analysis. Results have identified six different locations of uncertainty covering: consumer, policy, infrastructure, technical, economic and social issues

Assessment of computer-based training packages to improve the safety of older people’s driver behaviour

Examination of police records in Wales (STATS19 database) suggests older drivers are over represented in collisions turning across traffic and those involving failure to look properly, failure to judge the other vehicle or person’s path and performing a poor manoeuvre. A convened expert group suggests this is due to changes in attention, cognitive overload, processing speed, perceptual speed, working memory, task switching and eyesight associated with ageing. Training using computer-based packages can improve these cognitive and physiological issues associated with age. Performance on Useful Field of View (UFoV), Delayed Recall, Maze test and Dual N task computer tasks have all been shown to be related to number of crashes older drivers have. Of these only UFOV and Dual N task training improvements have been demonstrated to translate into improved driver behaviour, but overall more research is needed

Autonomous vehicle interactions in the urban street environment: A research agenda

© ICE Publishing 2018. All rights reserved. The Venturer project is trialling an autonomous vehicle (AV) in the context of use on urban roads. This paper summarises a literature review undertaken to assist in developing a research agenda for the trialling. The first contribution of the paper is a framework of four use scenarios for AVs as follows: (1) fully segregated AV network, (2) motorway or expressway network, (3) typical urban network, (4) shared space. The paper then focuses on a review of the social interactions in the street environment and discusses issues concerning human behaviour in relation to autonomy. The second contribution of the paper is a set of research questions for AV trialling in relation to other road users, including, pedestrians and cyclists, which have emerged from the literature review.