Survey of International Best Practices to Accommodate Older Road Users

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Survey of International Best Practices to
Accommodate Older Road Users
Presentation to AASHTO Standing Committee on
Highways October 17, 2008 Pam Hutton, P.E. Chief
Engineer Colorado DOT
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Presentation Overview

• Scan sponsors, team, and purpose
• Older Road User Issues in the U.S.
• Scan itinerary and countries visited
• General Findings
• Recommendations and next steps

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Scan Sponsors

• U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT)
• American Association of State Highway and
  Transportation Officials (AASHTO)
• National Cooperative Highway Research Program
  (NCHRP)

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Who are we ?
Tom Smith, FHWA West Virginia Division Office
Barry Warhoftig, West Virginia State DOT
Thomas Granda, FHWA Research Cntr.
Pamela Hutton, Co-Chair Colorado State DOT
Elizabeth Alicandri, Co-Chair FHWA Office of
Safety
Leanna DepueMissouri State DOT
David Harkey, University of North Carolina
Susan Chrysler Texas Transportation Institute
Howard Glassman, Florida Metropolitan Planning
Organization Advisory Council
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Warhoftig Granda Smith Glassman Harkey Chrysler
Hutton Depue Alicandri
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What is the Problem ?
Fatality Rate by Age per 100 M VMT
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What is the Problem ?
Graying of the US population
Males
Females
Age Brackets (5 year increments)
0-4
Males
Females
65-69
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What has the U.S. done for older road users?

• 1988 - TRB Transportation in an Aging Society
• 1997 - FHWA Older Driver Highway Design Handbook
  Guidelines
• 1999 - FHWA Older Road User Workshops
• 2000 2003 - Revised Highway Standards
• Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices
• AASHTO Green Book

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What has the U.S. done for older road users?

• 2001 Revised FHWA Handbook
• 2003 - AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
  Implementation
• 2003 Safe Mobility for Maturing Society
  Challenges and Opportunities
• 2004 - Travel Better, Travel Longer Pocket Guide
• 2004 A Guide for Reducing Collisions Involving
  Older Drivers

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Where did we go and Why?

• Better safety record than US
• Traffic fatality rates per 100,000 population
• US 14.24
• Australia 9.3
• Japan 6.7

March 8 - 12
March 1 - 4
March 5 -8

• Similar demographic age distribution
• Percent of population over age 65 in 2030
• US 19.7
• Australia 21.5
• Japan 30

March 12 - 16
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What did we hope to learn?

• Strategies to plan for increases in older road
  users
• Innovations in infrastructure design to assist
  older road users
• Research topics specific to older road users
  issues

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Governments Visited

• Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
• Roads and Traffic Authority ( state DOT)
• Austroads ( AASHTO)
• National Roads and Motorists Association (AAA)
• Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
• VicRoads
• Monash University Research Center
• Royal Automobile Club of Victoria

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Governments Visited (cont.)

• Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
• Queensland Main Roads ( state DOT)
• Local Government Association of Queensland
• Royal Automobile Club Queensland
• University of Queensland
• Queensland University of Technology
• Tokyo,Japan
• Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and
  Transportation
• National Institute for Land and Infrastructure
  Management
• Institute for Traffic Accident Research and Data
  Analysis
• Iwate Prefectural University

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Headliners

• Aging of society is a global issue
• Safety must be emphasized at highest levels of
  government
• Local Government involvement in implementing
  safety plans is critical
• Systems approach
• Data are used for planning, policy, and
  evaluation
• Improving safety for Older Road Users improves
  safety for all and vice versa

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Headliners

• Removing driving privileges prematurely has
  unintended consequences
• Infrastructure and operational changes hold great
  promise for improving safety for older road users
• Mobility options are critical for continued
  quality of life

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General Road Safety Initiatives

• Systems Approach to Safety through Strategic
  Plans
• Policy and Planning
• Infrastructure
• Focus on reducing crash severity
• Speed Enforcement
• Speed Zones during times of high pedestrian
  activity
• Pedestrian fencing
• Innovative partnerships with local governments,
  community groups, and automobile clubs

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Example of Systems Approach Strategic Planning

• Victorias Arrive Alive initiatives include
• Road users
• Education enforcement
• Alcohol
• Speed
• Fatigue
• Drugs
• Inexperience
• Road and roadsides
• Infrastructure
• Vehicle Safety

Slide 17
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Policy and Planning Issues

• Safety is critical issue at highest levels of
  government
• Aspirational and practical goals
• Integrated data from multiple sources used for
• Policy development
• Planning decisions
• Program evaluation

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Example of Systems Approach Speed Reduction

• Speed Zoning
• In high pedestrian areas
• At times of high pedestrian activity
• Public Education
• Automated Enforcement
• Traffic calming
• Speed zoning by district

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Speed Zoning in High Pedestrian Areas
Entertainment Zone in Brisbane
School Zone in Sydney Suburb
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Automated Enforcement
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Intersection Improvements

• Turn Signal Phasing to eliminate go / no-go
  decision

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Intersection Improvements

• Changes to intersection geometric design to
  accommodate limited range of motion of older
  drivers

Minimum receiving lane width for rural
unsignalised intersections Source Vic Roads
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Pavement Markings Pedestrian Safety
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Pavement and Barrier Markings

• Reflective chevrons on barrier wall
• Wider lines to indicate start of exit lane

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Traffic Calming

• Speed Humps
• Raised Pedestrian Crosswalks
• Reduced Residential Area Speeds

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Colored pavements

• Lane Prohibition
• Curve Warnings
• Positive Guidance in coordination with
  color-coded diagrammatic signs

Highlighting Bike Lane at Intersection, Sydney
Marking Prohibition to Entry to Bus Lane,
Melbourne
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Transit Improvements

• Accessible tram stops
• Median transfer points to reduce pedestrian
  activity in street

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Improvements for Pedestrians

• Median refuge islands

Sydney
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Improvements for Pedestrians

• Extended pedestrian phase signal time
• Actuated signals

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Improvements for Pedestrians

• Separation of pedestrians and other vehicles,
  including bikes

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Improvements for Pedestrians

• Pedestrian Fencing
• Directs pedestrians to marked or signalized
  crosswalks
• Prevents jay-walking

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Driving Reduction and Cessation

• Policies vary from mandatory re-testing after age
  75 to no age-based testing
• Emphasis in all states is education,
  self-assessment, and self-regulation

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Addressing Mobility

• Peer-to-peer training use of transit,
  para-transit, home delivery services
• Mobility Advisor training home health care
  workers
• Community-based alternative transportation
  services creative use of available vehicles

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Future Trends

• Aging in place
• increased transit demand
• more older pedestrians
• transit-oriented development
• Rising number of older motorcycle riders
• Increased use of mobility scooters
• Increased use of recreational vehicles

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Motorcycle Safety Education

• Mandatory Helmet Law
• Partnerships with Motorcycle club for riders
  over age of 50
• Reconsideration of license endorsement testing
  requirements

Slide 36
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Mobility Scooters
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Recreational Vehicles

• Rural areas
• Road Trains
• Narrow paved surfaces

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Research Activities

• Older Driver Naturalistic Driving Study
• Age-related Eye Disease
• Medication Interactions
• Older Recreational Vehicle Drivers
• Enhanced Nighttime Pedestrian Identification
  through Bio-motion markers

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Monash University Portable Driving Simulator
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Queensland University of Technology Test Track
and Instrumented Vehicle
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Implementation Topics

• Enhancement of U.S. Roadway Design and Operations
  Practice
• Outreach to Non-Traditional Partners
• Targeted Research Program
• Establish Land Use and Development Guidelines
• Training for Transportation Providers

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Implementation Plan

• Integrate infrastructure improvements seen in
  Australia and Japan into relevant US documents
  and training programs
• Increase involvement of organizations not
  traditionally working in road safety programs
• Develop targeted research program on policies
  and countermeasures developed for older road user
  mobility
• Establish development guidelines for planners of
  congregate housing and related transportation
  facilities
• Develop training materials for transportation
  providers

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Questions