City Council Agenda - November 26, 2012 - City of Guelph

Attachment 1Areas for ImprovementThere was general consensus among those olderadults who use public transportation that recenttransit planning did not take their needs intoaccount. While there was general appreciationfor the new community buses, there wassubstantial criticism about the moving of busstops, creating routes where longer walksand/or transferring became necessary. The newterminal was cited often as creating achallenging distance from the downtown coreand given as an example of inadequateExamples of Innovative Practices:• Some cities offer travel training to assist riderswith disabilities and older adults to understandhow to use public transit• Research in the Department of Transport, NewYork City, found that average walking speeds of3 feet/second were 1foot/second slower thanprogrammed times at most traffic lights• Subsidized taxi program in Waterloo allowsseniors to take the bus to the grocery store andsubsidizes taxi homebathroom facilities. Availability of public transit was perceived to be inequitable across the city,resulting in more challenges to some residents.Fear of falling was a theme in many discussions about transportation and transit. There areexamples of priority seating being taken by moms with young children and bus drivers notintervening on behalf of the older adults.Communication about recent changes to the transit routes and schedules has not been effective inreaching many of those dependent upon public transportation. Improvements are not fullyappreciated and such things as bus schedules and options for using the new swipe pass toaccommodate those with walking assists are not clear.The “clash of the wheels” was raised consistently. People are unclear about the various rules of theroad and sidewalk when it comes to cars, bicycles, e-bikes, scooters, motorized wheelchairs, skateboards and other such devices. Fear of collisions and injuries were paramount in people’sconversations.3. Housing (cost, safety, proximity to services, in-home supports, accessibility)LikesPeople identified specific housing and services that they liked. These included:• St. Joe’s new affordable housing• the Elliott• the Grange building• the Evergreen & Riverside• social housing for seniors and adults close to shopping and bus services• the partnership between Guelph Community Living and Housing to provide support servicesin three building locationsOlder Adult Strategy for the City of GuelphPrepared by The Osborne Group, October 201224