This category includes information and resources around Safe Routes for Seniors programs, including materials from the model campaign in New York City.

Connecting Senior Pedestrian Safety to Seniors in New York City (Transportation Alternatives)

In this study, Transportation Alternatives identifies dangerous intersections, streets and walking zones of particular use to seniors and aims to transform them into places that are safe and enjoyable for seniors. The study specifically examines the neighborhoods of Lower East Manhattan within the boundaries of Council District 2.

Walk the Walk: Connecting Senior Pedestrian Safety to Seniors in New York City (PDF)

Memo on New York City's Safe Routes for Seniors Program
This memo from Transportation Alternatives for Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood outlines why Safe Routes for Seniors has the potential to be a national model for improving pedestrian accessibility for seniors. It underscores the importance of creating safe, walkable streets for seniors and lists the recommendations that Safe Routes for Seniors made to the City when it started its own senior traffic safety program, Safe Streets for Seniors.

Memo: Safe Routes for Seniors (PDF)

Safe Routes for Seniors - 10/26/11 (Alliance)
Many Alliance organizations work on Safe Routes to School programs that encourage more kids to walk and bike to school. In 2003, advocates with Transportation Alternatives in New York City applied that concept to the aging population, launching their Safe Routes for Seniors initiative. The effort was the first program of its kind to address the unique needs of elderly pedestrians and consider the role of street design in maintaining good cardiovascular health in old age. During a Mutual Aid Call in October 2011, Noah Budnick of Transportation Alternatives, Ann Marie Doherty from the New York City Department of Transportation and Will Stoner with the New York state AARP explained how they built their programs and how they continue to move forward.

Call recording (MP3)
Safe Routes for Seniors Tip Sheet (PDF)

Safe Routes for Seniors Final Report
This report from Transportation Alternatives summarizes Safe Routes for Seniors' efforts to improve the pedestrian environment in New York City. It details achievements related to each of the three objectives of the program: 1) work with seniors in underserved communities to identify obstacles to walking, 2) develop design solutions that improve walkability for seniors and 3) advocate for and win physical changes on the street. It also analyzes the community impact of the program and outlines next steps.

Safe Routes for Seniors Final Report (PDF)

Safe Streets for Seniors
This April 2009 presentation from the NYC DOT outlines senior pedestrian injuries and fatalities and the development and implementation of the city's Safe Streets for Seniors program as a response.

Safe Streets for Seniors (PDF)

Safe Streets for Seniors Design Recommendations
These reports from Transportation Alternatives outline strategies for designing streets and pedestrian infrastructure that are accessible to seniors. The recommendations were gathered through several workshops and community meetings, and they focus on improvements in three New York communities: Washington Heights, the Nagle Avenue corridor and the Upper West Side.

Street Design Recommendations: Washington Heights (PDF)
Street Design Recommendations: Nagle Avenue (PDF)
Upper West Side Senior Safety Plan (PDF)

Senior Citizen Pedestrian Access in the Upper East Side
This study from Transportation Alternatives analyzes 18 locations in New York City's Upper East Side, an area with a number of crashes between motor vehicles and senior citizens each year. The research sought to determine what unique difficulties senior citizens might face crossing streets of 60 feet or more in width versus streets of 30 feet in width, and what aspects of these streets might be modified for better safety.

Discriminatory by Design: Senior Citizen Pedestrian Access in the Upper East Side (PDF)