Transportation & Infrastructure - University of Nevada, Reno

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TRANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE Highlights Mobility and transportation safety are crucial to the health and welfare of Nevada’s residents and are of utmost concern to the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) and the Department of Public Safety (DPS). NDOT addresses mobility needs through various forms of public transportation, administration of the government’s Federal Transit Administration grants, and monitoring rural transit providers to ensure compliance with federal guidelines. In Nevada’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan for fiscal year 2012, the DPS also addressed transportation safety through the identification of five areas the DPS deemed crucial to the reduction of traffic accidents and fatalities: seat belt use, impaired driving, lane departures, intersection crashes and pedestrian safety (Nevada Department of Public Safety, 2011, p. 5). The following sections highlight transportation and infrastructure issues and resources particularly relevant to Nevada’s older adults. Transportation Safety • Age-related changes in vision, hearing, cognition and response time can compromise an individual’s ability to drive safely, resulting in the potential for decreased mobility and increased concerns about transportation safety. Older Adult Ridership • From 2009 to 2001, total public-transportation ridership, including seniors, increased by almost 14%. • In 2009 and 2011, Douglas County reported the highest level of ridership, while Storey County reported no use of public transportation. (Note: Ridership data did not provide a rationale for zero reported use of transportation within Storey County.) • From 2009 to 2011, ridership increased significantly in Washoe, Douglas and Lander counties and Carson City. Nevada’s Transportation Infrastructure • In 2011, NDOT began the second phase of the multi-agency study Connecting Nevada. Goals of this study included redefining Nevada’s transportation planning process through collaboration with federal, state, regional and local agencies and stakeholders, and improving Nevada’s transportation network for future generations. The study was expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2013 followed by data analysis and planning. To date, the project has connected with more than 150 stakeholders across the state. Transportation Access for Older Adults • Nevada has four transportation agencies that work to increase mobility for seniors: — Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County — Regional Transportation Commission for Southern Nevada — Carson Area Metropolitan Planning Organization — Tahoe Metropolitan Planning Organization • Annual federal funding of approximately $8 million allows Nevada’s public-transportation system to provide more than 1 million rides per year to seniors, people with disabilities, and the public. 32
Transportation Safety As people age, many experience changes in vision, hearing, cognition and response time that compromise an individual’s ability to drive safely, resulting in the potential for decreased mobility and increased concerns about transportation safety (Staplin, Lococo, Stewart, & Decina, 1999). For example, in one Texas study, adults older than 65 who had been in an automobile accident were 1.8 times more likely than all adults 55-64 to have had a health condition or physical limitation prior to the accident (Griffin, 2004, p. 41). This association increased to 2.4 times in adults 75 and older and to 3.1 times in adults 85 and older (ibid, p. 42). In addition, after controlling for other factors, increases in age were associated with significant increases in the probability of dying from an automobile accident (see Figure T1). Transportation Access for Older Adults 4 3.5 3 2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5 0 Fig. T1: Relative Likelihood of Death in Automobile Accident by Age 1.78 2.59 Death (Griffin, 2004, p. 35-36) To minimize the risk of unsafe drivers while meeting the mobility needs of older adults, it is essential that Nevada offers safe and reliable transportation alternatives. In the sections below, we first highlight Nevada’s general transportation infrastructure issues and the efforts to resolve the issues. Next, we discuss the availability and use of alternative modes of transportation for seniors. 3.72 65 Years and Older 75 Years and Older 85 Years and Older TRANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE Nevada has four transportation agencies that increase mobility for seniors (see Table T1). In addition, the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) has three regional centers, in Las Vegas, Reno and Elko, and six sub-district offices, in Las Vegas, Carson City, Elko, Ely, Tonopah and Winnemucca. Public transportation improves the quality of life for many Nevada seniors and individuals with disabilities by providing access to needed services, food, medical assistance, social activities and employment. Annual federal funding of approximately $8 million allows Nevada’s public transportation system to provide more than 1 million rides per year to seniors, those with disabilities, and the general public (see, Table T3; Performance Analysis Division: State of Nevada 2011 Facts and Figures, 2011). Between 2010 and 2011, Federal Transit Administration funds allowed NDOT to purchase 400 buses and transit vehicles, and to hire additional rural drivers (p. 4). This funding was essential to meet growing public-transportation needs in 60 Nevada communities and the state’s 25 federally recognized Indian colonies. The Grants Management Advisory Committee for the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services conducted a statewide needs survey in May 2012 that included items about barriers to obtaining public transportation. Of the 3,059 participants who completed the online version of the survey, the highest percentage of respondents (~80%) identified the cost of gasoline as a barrier to travel (Grants Management Unit, 2012, p. 20). Other barriers included vehicle maintenance costs, lack of public transportation, lack of knowledge about how to use public transportation, lack of funds to use public transportation, and not driving. Survey participants believed that rural communities have greater problems accessing transportation than do urban communities. For example, respondents noted that Ely is more than a two-hour drive from Elko or a four-hour drive from Reno, but Ely has no public transit system and only one commercial airline flight per week. Over 50% of residents in Humboldt County live in outlying areas with no access to public transportation. However, Elko County has a good public-transportation system. Finally, the public transportation system in Las Vegas, although sophisticated, is not adequate to meet the needs of all its residents (Grants Management Unit, 2012). 33
Page 1: In future years, Nevada will be bil
Page 5 and 6: NDOT also is responsible for 20% of
Page 7: Table T3 ASCE: Key Infrastructure F

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