Survey of International Best Practices to Accommodate Older

Survey of International Best Practices to Accommodate Older Road Users March 2008 1

Presentation Overview Scan sponsors, team, and purpose n Older Road User Issues in the U. S. n Scan itinerary and countries visited n General Findings n Recommendations and next steps n 2

Scan Sponsors U. S. Department of Transportation (U. S. DOT) n American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) n National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) n 3

International Technology Scanning Program “…means to access innovative technologies and practices in other countries that could significantly improve highways and highway transportation services in the United States. ” 4

Who are we ? Pamela Hutton, Co-Chair Colorado State DOT Tom Smith, FHWA West Virginia Division Office Barry Warhoftig, West Virginia State DOT Thomas Granda, FHWA Research Cntr. Leanna Depue Missouri State DOT Elizabeth Alicandri, Co-Chair FHWA Office of Safety David Harkey, University of North Carolina Susan Chrysler Texas Transportation Institute Howard Glassman, Florida Metropolitan Planning Organization Advisory Council 5

Warhoftig Chrysler Granda Smith Hutton Glassman Depue Harkey Alicandri 6

What is the Problem ? Fatality Rate by Age per 100 M VMT 7

What is the Problem ? Graying of the US population Males Females Age Brackets (5 year increments) 0 -4 Males Females 65 -69 8

What has the U. S. done for older road users? n 1988 - TRB Transportation in an Aging Society n 1997 - FHWA Older Driver Highway Design Handbook & Guidelines n 1999 - FHWA Older Road User Workshops n 2000 & 2003 - Revised Highway Standards ¨ Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices ¨ AASHTO Green Book 9

What has the U. S. done for older road users? n 2001 – Revised FHWA Handbook n 2003 - AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan Implementation n 2003 – Safe Mobility for Maturing Society – Challenges and Opportunities n 2004 - Travel Better, Travel Longer Pocket Guide n 2004 – A Guide for Reducing Collisions Involving Older Drivers 10

Where did we go ? n Australia Sydney ¨ Melbourne ¨ Brisbane ¨ March 8 - 12 n March 1 - 4 March 12 - 16 Japan ¨ Tokyo March 5 -8 11

Why Australia and Japan ? n Similar demographic age distribution ¨ Percent of population n US: 19. 7 % n Australia: 21. 5 % n Japan: 30 % n over age 65 in 2030 Better safety record than US ¨ Traffic fatality rates n US: 14. 24 n Australia: 9. 3 n Japan: 6. 7 per 100, 000 population 12

Scan Team Pedestrian Safety in Left-Side Drive Countries 13

What did we hope to learn? n Strategies to plan for increases in older road users n Innovations in infrastructure design to assist older road users n Research topics specific to older road users issues 14

Headliners Aging of society is a global issue n Safety must be emphasized at highest levels of government n Local Government involvement in implementing safety plans is critical n Systems approach n Data are used for planning, policy, and evaluation n Improving safety for Older Road Users improves safety for all and vice versa n 15

Headliners Removing driving privileges prematurely has unintended consequences n Infrastructure and operational changes hold great promise for improving safety for older road users n Mobility options are critical for continued quality of life n 16

General Road Safety Initiatives n n Systems Approach to Safety through Strategic Plans Focus on reducing crash severity ¨ Speed Enforcement ¨ Speed Zones during times of high pedestrian activity ¨ Pedestrian fencing n Innovative partnerships with local governments, community groups, and automobile clubs 17

Example of Systems Approach: Strategic Planning Victoria’s Arrive Alive initiatives include: ¨ Road users n Education & enforcement ¨ ¨ ¨ Alcohol Speed Fatigue Drugs Inexperience ¨ Road and roadsides n Infrastructure ¨ Vehicle Safety Slide 18 18

Example of Systems Approach: Speed Reduction n Speed Zoning ¨ In high pedestrian areas ¨ At times of high pedestrian activity n n Public Education Automated Enforcement 19

Speed Zoning in High Pedestrian Areas Entertainment Zone in Brisbane School Zone in Sydney Suburb 20

Automated Enforcement 21

Policy and Planning Issues Safety is critical issue at highest levels of government n Aspirational and practical goals n Integrated data from multiple sources used for: n ¨ Policy development ¨ Planning decisions ¨ Program evaluation 22

Infrastructure Improvements for Older Road Users n Intersections Left turn signals exclusive phase ¨ Dedicated turn lanes ¨ Geometric Design ¨ 23

Intersection Improvements n Turn Signal Phasing to eliminate go / nogo decision 24

Intersection Improvements n Changes to intersection geometric design to accommodate limited range of motion of older drivers Minimum receiving lane width for rural unsignalised intersections 25 Source: Vic Roads

Traffic Control Devices Pavement marking brightness and width n Sign brightness n Sign letter size n Barrier treatments for horizontal curavature (Japan) n 26

Pavement and Barrier Markings n n Reflective chevrons on barrier wall Wider lines to indicate start of exit lane 27

Speed Control Traffic calming n Speed zoning by district n Backed up by automated enforcement n 28

Traffic Calming n n n Speed Humps Raised Pedestrian Crosswalks Reduced Residential Area Speeds 29

Colored pavements n n n Lane Prohibition Curve Warnings Positive Guidance in coordination with colorcoded diagrammatic signs Highlighting Bike Lane at Intersection, Sydney Marking Prohibition to Entry to 30 Bus Lane, Melbourne

Transit Improvements n n Accessible tram stops Median transfer points to reduce pedestrian activity in street 31

Improvements for Pedestrians ¨ Median refuge islands Sydney 33

Improvements for Pedestrians Extended pedestrian phase signal time ¨ Actuated signals ¨ 34

Improvements for Pedestrians ¨ Separation of pedestrians and other vehicles, including bikes 35

Improvements for Pedestrians n Pedestrian Fencing ¨ Directs pedestrians to marked or signalized crosswalks ¨ Prevents jay-walking 36

Driving Reduction and Cessation n n Policies vary from mandatory retesting after age 75 to no agebased testing Emphasis in all states is education, self-assessment, and self-regulation 37

Addressing Mobility Peer-to-peer training – use of transit, paratransit, home delivery services n Mobility Advisor – training home health care workers n Community-based alternative transportation services – creative use of available vehicles n 38

Future Trends n Aging in place increased transit demand ¨ more older pedestrians ¨ transit-oriented development ¨ n n n Rising number of older motorcycle riders Increased use of mobility scooters Increased use of recreational vehicles 39

Motorcycle Safety Education Mandatory Helmet Law n Partnerships with Motorcycle club for riders over age of 50 n Reconsideration of license endorsement testing requirements n Slide 40 40

Mobility Scooters 41

Recreational Vehicles n Rural areas ¨ Road Trains ¨ Narrow paved surfaces 42

Research Activities Older Driver Naturalistic Driving Study n Age-related Eye Disease n Medication Interactions n Older Recreational Vehicle Drivers n Enhanced Nighttime Pedestrian Identification through Bio-motion markers n 43

Queensland University of Technology Test Track and Instrumented Vehicle 45

Implementation Topics n n n Enhancement of U. S. Roadway Design and Operations Practice Outreach to Non-Traditional Partners Targeted Research Program Establish Land Use and Development Guidelines Training for Transportation Providers 46

Questions 47