Better mobility for older people Stephen Joseph Campaign for Better Transport Public transport

Campaign for Better Transport Charitable trust promoting sustainable transport Support from wide range of interests Co-ordinates NGOs concerned with transport Commissions and publishes research Conducts public campaigns Promotes pilot projects and good practice

More older people driving… …but what happens when they can’t? Access to key services limited Cuts in bus services Places designed round cars and car use Public realm hostile to non-car mobility … resulting in isolation and exclusion

Access to services Services moving away from where people live – banking, retail, health, leisure In many cases located in places that are accessible easily only by car Service design assumes car use and access

Cuts in bus services 45% reduction in funding for bus services across England and Wales 2010-11 to 2017-18 3347 bus services reduced or withdrawn since 2010-11

Places designed around cars: Transport for New Homes Project reviewing transport impacts of new homes field-based project reviewing a variety of new housing developments in different places in the UK Comparisons with Netherlands and Sweden

Key findings New homes often cut off from surrounding areas with no pavements Car-based living with resulting congestion Minimalist public realm Limited local facilities Public transport often poor or absent

Hostile public realm Pavements are not maintained well and are low priority for repair and gritting Short crossing times for pedestrians at crossings Cycling not treated s a transport mode for older people

Result: isolation, loneliness and ill health Lack of access to other people Increased social care costs Slips, trips and falls Less physical activity “ I do not own a car. Thanks to recent bus cuts I can now only get from where I live in Gillingham to Frome once a week. Services generally in Dorset often finish at five o’clock, run so irregularly they are useless and instead of encouraging people onto public transport ensure poorer and older people have to have a car to just get to a doctor or post office or to do basic shopping”

Ways forward Plan new developments better More and better bus services More funding for road and pavement maintenance Cycling policy as if older people mattered

New developments: better practice does exist Kidbrooke: limited parking, places to walk to Poundbury: 32% of residents walk to work, local facilities Kilnwood Vale: extension of Crawley

Key lessons Think about transport at the beginning – access/ networks for all modes Talk to bus operators/ authorities from the start Plan for something other than 100% car use Conventional transport modelling won’t be very helpful

Key lessons 2 Walking and cycling as main modes: safe routes/ networks linked to surrounding area Mixed use, good local facilities High quality public realm not huge car parks Involve local people

Better buses New Bus Services Act gives new powers for councils for partnerships and franchising “Total Transport”: co-ordinate all local transport contracts Recognise and fund wider benefits of good bus services Training for drivers

Better public realm More emphasis on local pavement maintenance Salting and gritting for pavements not just roads High quality continuous walking routes Better crossing times and places

Cycling for older people Cycling seen as for young fit men who run over older people on pavements In the Netherlands around 25% of journeys made by women over 60 are by bike

Conclusions New generation of older people will be more car-dependent But they won’t all be able to carry on driving Strategies for an ageing population need to offer alternatives to a car-based lifestyle Better access to services Better planning and design of places and housing Better bus services with new forms of funding Increased priority for pavement maintenance Better public realm with high quality walking routes Make it easy and natural for older people to cycle And by the way, reducing car dependence will address other problems and help other groups too Better strategic planning and guidance Development around stations New funding opportunities LEPs Business rates “Total Transport” pilots now underway Workplace parking levy in Nottingham Developer funding Road funding – “integration” Need revenue funding, not just capital Changing transport trends Less car travel Devolution: more control over local transport, including rail stations Rail North/ Transport for the North Combined authorities Transport partnerships Need joint transport/ land use/ economic plans, as in London Bus reforms

For more information Campaign for Better Transport www.bettertransport.org.uk stephen.joseph@bettertransport.org.uk Foundation for Integrated Transport: www.integratedtransport.co.uk and http://www.transportfornewhomes.co.uk from technology to behaviour change