Future of an Ageing Population

Policy Implication
Different age groups have particular challenges remaining well-connected.
Transport and other mobility policies should be sensitive to this diversity and
to the growing numbers of older people living in rural and semi-rural areas.
7.3 The built environment
Factors throughout a journey, from planning to arrival, determine how it is
experienced and how likely a person is to repeat it. For example, inclusively
designed buses are less likely to be used if the pavement next to the bus stop is
poorly maintained and does not allow easy access 205 .
The built environment is an important facilitator of active transport which
involves physical activity, such as walking and cycling. Active transport can
bring social and physical benefits, but a poorly designed built environment can
present safety problems for older people walking and cycling. Cycling accounts
for only 1% of all journeys amongst people aged 65 and over in the UK
compared to 23% in the Netherlands, 15% in Denmark and 9% in Germany 216 .
In the UK, older people represent around 23% of the population, cover 19%
of all trips and miles walked, yet account for around 44% of all pedestrians
killed 217 .
Older people report various factors that impact on access to their wider
neighbourhood including lack of seating and public toilets, the condition of
pavements, lack of provision of local shops, fear of crime, fear of going out
after dark, lack of space for community activities, and major roads acting as
barriers, (for example between a local park and the housing area) 218 . Adapted
environments can address some of the challenges related to vision, hearing
and mobility that older people face when travelling, for example ensuring that
places are dementia-friendly or that signs are in legible fonts. Toolkits already
exist to provide practitioners with advice on factoring the needs of older
people into inclusive design of neighbourhoods 219 . A potential challenge is
that adaptations to help some people may hinder other groups. For example,
meandering routes and curved walls that are helpful for people with dementia
could be hazardous to people with sight loss 220 . Similarly, tactile paving can
help those with sight loss, but hinder wheelchair users and older people with
balance problems 221 .
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