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Cities Where Senior Citizens Can't Get Around
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The number of people 65 and older will surge in the next two decades, as baby boomers age. In the future, many of these older Americans will increasingly rely on public transit because they can no longer drive. Despite the growing need, many of America’s largest cities do not have the necessary public transportation systems in place for seniors, a Transportation for America’s report “Aging in Place: Stuck Without Options” shows.
The number of seniors aged 65 and older will increase 36% between 2010 to 2020, according to the U.S. Administration on Aging. By 2030, the number of seniors aged 65 and older will grow by more than 50%. In some states, such as Arizona, Florida and Texas, the number of seniors will more than double. While the impact that the rise in the elderly population will have on health care and social security has been widely discussed, little attention as been paid to issues of public transportation.
The greatest challenges will be in cities with high levels of urban sprawl, according to the report. Discussing the nature of urban sprawl the report observes that “More than three-quarters of older adults are aging in suburban, exurban or rural areas.” As a result, access to public transit will be worst in metropolitan areas like Detroit, Oklahoma City and Nashville, where urban sprawl is a significant issue. These are particularly large metropolitan areas with a number of suburbs where a majority of residents need cars to get around.
And the problem will only get worse as the number of seniors living in suburbs grows as the population ages. “This phenomenon will exacerbate an already problematic mismatch between future demand for transportation options and existing transit services,” the report concludes.
24/7 Wall St. examined the data in the Transportation for America report and identified the 10 cities that will have the greatest number of seniors aged 65-79 in 2015 who will not have access to “acceptable levels of public transportation.” We also looked at population data from the Department of Health and Human Services Administration on Aging.
These are the 10 cities where the elderly can’t get around.
10. Oklahoma City, OK
> Seniors with poor transit access: 136,571
> Pct. of seniors with poor transit access: 86%
> Increase of seniors in state by 2030: 51%-75%
Oklahoma City suffers from exceptionally bad urban sprawl. It is the third-largest city in the country by land area, yet it is only the 31st largest by population, according to Census data. According to the state’s newspaper NewsOK, a major issue for the city is that it “was built in a way that requires a car for almost any resident who wants to get around town.” The city’s Metro Transit system currently suffers from “a limited service area and the lack of frequent buses,” according to one administrator at the Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority.
9. Nashville, TN
> Seniors with poor transit access: 151,995
> Pct. seniors with poor transit access: 85%
> Increase of seniors in state by 2030: 51%-75%
Described by the newspaper, The Tennessean, as “auto-obsessed,” Nashville is lacking a comprehensive mass-transit system. According to the report, the city’s sprawling layout will leave 85% of seniors with poor access to public transportation by 2015 if major changes are not made. The Nashville Metro Transit Authority is on track to complete a study exploring which transit option might be best suited for Nashville — bus rapid transit, light rail or modern streetcar — by this December.
8. Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
> Seniors with poor transit access: 199,226
> Pct. seniors with poor transit access: 85%
> Projected Growth of Seniors in State, Age 65 or Older, 2010-2030: 101%-158%
By 2015, Transportation for America projects that nearly 200,000 seniors aged 65-79 in the Fort Worth-Arlington area will have poor access to public transportation. Located to the west of the city of Dallas, Fort Worth has a rail route running through the middle of the city and a series of bus routes that extend from the urban center. There are, however, several large regions that are not covered by either mode of transportation. Texas is one state where the elderly population is expected to grow between 101% and 158% between 2010 and 2030, meaning the problems for these elderly citizens living outside of the city centers will worsen over time.
7. Kansas City, MO-KS
> Seniors with poor transit access: 230,023
> Pct. seniors with poor transit access: 88%
> Projected Growth of Seniors in States, Age 65 or Older, 2010-2030: 51%-75%
Kansas City will have the worst transportation issues for the elderly among metropolitan regions with a population between 1-3 million people, according to Transportation for America. By 2015, a full 88%, or 230,000 people between the age of 65-79, will have inadequate access to public transportation. The city has made some effort, including the introduction of the TRIP program (Transportation Reimbursement and Information Program), which the Transportation for America refers to as “a low-cost, low maintenance, customer driven approach for providing transportation to older adults.”
6. Riverside-San Bernardino, CA
> Seniors with poor transit access: 278,305
> Pct. seniors with poor transit access: 69%
> Projected Growth of Seniors in State, Age 65 or Older, 2010-2030: 76%-100%
According to a report from the Brookings Institute, only 9% of jobs are reachable within 90 minutes for those in Riverside without a vehicle. This is the second lowest rate in the country. To make matter worse, the Riverside Transit Agency has faced budget issues during the last few years, causing service to be scaled back at times. However, the area does have alternatives to public services. Like Kansas City, one example is the TRIP Program.
5. Dallas, TX
> Seniors with poor transit access: 295,445
> Pct. seniors with poor transit access: 66%
> Projected Growth of Seniors in State, Age 65 or Older, 2010-2030: 101%-158%
Dallas is one of the largest cities in the country by land area. As a result, it is projected to have one of the highest number of seniors with poor transit access in 2015. The city does have successful public transit options, such as the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) system — the largest light rail system in the country. However, DART does not stop in any suburban areas, including Grand Prairie or Arlington. Texas is also expected to experience a growth of between 101% and 158% in its senior population between 2010 and 2030, which will make the transit problem worse.
4. Houston, TX
> Seniors with poor transit access: 372,346
> Pct. seniors with poor transit access: 68%
> Projected Growth of Seniors in State, Age 65 or Older: 101%-158%
Houston is the fourth largest city in the United States and the largest city in Texas. With its rapidly increasing elderly population, it is perhaps not surprising that there are so many seniors with poor transit access. While the city has a metro system, it fails to serve suburban areas as well as urban. The city’s transit access may improve now that its light rail line construction, which has been stalled for a couple of years, is resuming.
3. Detroit, MI
> Seniors with poor transit access: 445,743
> Pct. seniors with poor transit access: 68%
> Projected Growth of Seniors in State, Age 65 or Older, 2010-2030: 51%-%75%
Nearly half a million, or 68% of Detroit residents 65-79, will have inadequate access to public transit. While the urban center of Detroit will have adequate transportation for its seniors, the areas outside of downtown will not only have high percentages of elderly residents, but a lack of transportation as well. Despite these problem, Detroit is making some progress in roadway design, according to Transportation for America, which led to a 35% decline in injury crashes of seniors. Such changes include the size of street signs, brighter stoplights, and repainting of median strips.
2. Atlanta, GA
> Seniors with poor transit access: 503,543
> Pct. seniors with poor transit access: 90%
> Projected Growth of Seniors in State, Age 65 or Older, 2010-2030: 76%-100%
No major city, according to Transportation for America, is at higher risk of the worst effects of this crisis than Atlanta, GA. The report states: “In the worst case among large metros, without taking action, Atlanta, GA will find that 90 percent of its seniors — more than 500,000 residents — will face shrinking mobility options as they age in areas.”
1. New York, NY
> Seniors with poor transit access: 562,464
> Pct. seniors with poor transit access: 41%
> Projected Growth of Seniors in State, Age 65 or Older, 2010-2030: Under 50%
New York City is by far the largest city in the country, with a population of over 8 million. This is at least partially why it will have well over half a million senior facing poor transit access in the coming years. The city does have an particularly large public transit system. But with so many people, over 560,000 seniors will still have poor transit access by 2015. The city has created programs meant to encourage senior citizens to walk, such as the Safe Routes for Seniors campaign. This was the “first program of its kind to address the unique needs of older pedestrians and consider the role of street design in maintaining good cardiovascular health in old age,” according to Transportation for America.
Michael B. Sauter, Charles B. Stockdale
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