Countermeasures for Changes Affecting Older Pedestrians

Some of the same declines in musculoskeletal and physical function that affect older drivers necessarily affect them as pedestrians too. For example, common hip and leg impairments such as arthritis can limit walking comfort and distance. Loss of limb strength, flexibility, sensitivity or range of motion, and reduced ability to rotate the head and neck all can make walking more challenging or impossible. Because walking is one of the most recommended ways for older adults to maintain health and prevent injury, the roadway infrastructure should help increase, rather than discourage, walking.

Just as roadways can be improved for older drivers, so may the infrastructure be enhanced for older pedestrians. According to 2004 NHTSA data on pedestrian safety, adult walkers over age 70 had the highest fatality rate of any pedestrians. Intersection improvements in particular are important because older pedestrians are overrepresented in intersection fatalities.

Many older adults walk more slowly than the MUTCD recommendation of 1.2 meters (4 feet) per second used for timing "flashing don't walk" signals. Slower walking speeds should be used to set traffic signal times in areas where a number of older adults are likely to be walking. The current MUTCD recommendation is based on the walking speeds of average, healthy adults, but the MUTCD allows for slower walking speeds where necessary. A walking speed of 0.9 meters (3 feet) per second covers nearly all walkers, including the elderly and people with disabilities.

Declines in the working memory capacity of older people can affect memory of critical navigation information provided in signs. This change can be addressed in part through redundant street signs. Here, an older man is being tested by an Iowa driver licensing official.

The National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices has reviewed research on this matter and has recently recommended to the FHWA that the MUTCD guidance be revised to use a more refined process for determining pedestrian signal timing, using slower walking speeds. Such changes may be proposed in the formal rulemaking process leading to the next edition of the MUTCD.

Leading pedestrian intervals, which allow pedestrians at a crosswalk to start crossing before the light turns green for vehicles driving in the same direction, are also a good practice. The increased lead times improve pedestrian visibility in the crosswalk because they will have entered it before vehicles are allowed to make turns. Giving all pedestrians a headstart may be advantageous for older drivers as well, making it easier for them to see the pedestrians.

Countdown pedestrian signals can be another useful measure. They may reduce older pedestrians' worry about getting trapped in the road when the traffic light turns green.

Physical changes to the roadway environment can be helpful as well. Median refuges do what their name implies—they provide a safe midpoint for slower pedestrians who may not be able to complete a crossing in one cycle. In short, the transportation community has a number of tools at its disposal to help older pedestrians, and pedestrians in general, cross roads more safely and comfortably.

Many pedestrian-related infrastructure improvements will benefit everyone, including walkers of all abilities and wheelchair users. And many measures that enhance accessibility, per the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and United States Access Board recommendations, often benefit older pedestrians as well. In fact, adding curb ramps, reduced cross slope, and clearing the sidewalk of obstructions are ADA design guidelines that probably improve conditions for all pedestrians.

"One of the first things municipalities need to do is to make sure that sidewalks are installed where they do not yet exist, and that all sidewalks are wide enough, unbroken, level, and not too close to high-speed roadway traffic," says John LaPlante, P.E., P.T.O.E., vice president and chief transportation planning engineer for T.Y. Lin International. "But there is a bit of a catch-22 that some measures which make it easier for the elderly to drive may increase traffic overall, making walking even less feasible for them in many areas," he adds. "One retrofit that might strike a balance between both needs is squaring corners off, or decreasing turning radii, which encourages all drivers to slow to make turns, and decreases crossing distances for pedestrians."

Arthritis and joint replacements may limit walking comfort for older pedestrians. Reducing the MUTCD design standard for signal timing to 0.9 meters (3 feet) per second can help older pedestrians cross safely. Here, a police officer halts motorists to allow time for an older woman to cross an intersection.