1. Council on the Ageing (COTA) NSW
Creating liveable communities for everyone – what we can learn from how older people get around their urban, regional and rural communities.
Council on the Ageing (COTA) NSW

2. What we asked
“Design for the young and you exclude the old. Design for the old and you include everyone.”
Professor Bernard Isaacs
COTA New South Wales

3. Let’s talk about how you get around
COTA NSW’s Report was based on a survey and consultations called, Let’s talk about how you get around, the results of which influenced the inclusion of ‘getting around’ as a priority area in the NSW Ageing Strategy.
COTA New South Wales

4. The 2016-2020 NSW Ageing Strategy
Getting around is one of 6 priority areas in the NSW Ageing Strategy. The Strategy acknowledges that not only are there often a lack of transport options, but there are also common issues such as physical mobility, cost, safety, getting to transport, then getting onto transport, and accessing information that can affect a person’s ability to get around as they age.
COTA New South Wales

5. Let’s talk about how you get around
COTA New South Wales

6. COTA New South Wales

7. Survey and consultations
Surveyed 4,000 people over the age of 55
Consumer consultations with older people in six locations around NSW
COTA New South Wales

8. What we asked We asked people about their challenges getting around.
We asked them to think beyond cars, trains and planes and think also about how the physical environment in their neighbourhood/areas helped or hindered their ability to get around as they aged.
COTA New South Wales

9. What we asked
What happened when they walked out their front gate and to the bus stop? If they had a car, but how easy was it to find a park close to their destination? How far was it from the hospital parking lot to the hospital entrance? Did they feel confident walking around their local park? Were there enough pedestrian crossings?
COTA New South Wales

10. Survey and consultations
In the survey we took the broadest possible view, asking questions about people’s primary form of transport, the types of public and community transport options available to them and the accessibility of the built environment around them. The survey found that transport accessibility was inextricably linked to the built environment.
COTA New South Wales

11. Survey findings
COTA New South Wales

12. Survey findings
COTA New South Wales

13. Survey findings Most people preferred the convenience of driving.
But people everywhere relied more on public transport as they aged.
In many areas there were few alternatives to driving a car, leaving some people isolated in their old age.
The survey revealed that the challenges of getting around for older people in rural and regional areas were particularly difficult.
There was often poor community infrastructure (such as a lack of footpaths) that made getting about easily and safely difficult.
COTA New South Wales

14. The consultation questions
1. Tell us about some of your biggest challenges getting around.
COTA New South Wales

15. The consultation quesitons
2. If you were no longer able to drive a car what would your alternatives be? How would life change for you?
COTA New South Wales

16. The consultation quesitons
3. Tell us about some of the physical improvements that could be made in your neighbourhood/area that would help make getting around easier?
COTA New South Wales

17. The consultation questions
4. Considering where your live and your community, realistically what would be one major initiative that could be delivered quickly that would improve your ability to get around?
COTA New South Wales

18. What people told us
“Disaster! I’m too far from public transport where I live here and there are no footpaths to walk to the nearest bus stop. I supposed I’d have to move. “
Central Coast participant
COTA New South Wales

19. What people told us
“How can they expect us to give up our driver’s licences and then not provide us with any decent transport alternatives? It’s very frustrating!”
Sydney participant
COTA New South Wales

20. What people told us
“I hate my dependence on my car, especially as I no longer enjoy or want to drive.”
Nowra participant
COTA New South Wales

21. What people told us
“There are still parts of Armidale without paved footpaths on even one side of the road. It’s that way outside my retirement village and it really makes me reluctant to walk anywhere.”
Armidale participant
COTA New South Wales

22. What we learned
Outside of the central areas of Sydney, across the groups there was a clear lack of transport alternatives once people could no longer drive, particularly in regional areas such as Nowra and Armidale. People generally reported that they felt there was no real provision has been made for the ageing population and that there was a real need to increase access to transport alternatives, such as community transport, as people aged and gave up their driver’s licences and look for alternative forms of transport.
COTA New South Wales

23. What we learned
The outside built environment, including public buildings and amenities have a major impact on the mobility, independence and quality of life of older people and affect their ability to “age in place”. We found the results of our consultations very much mirrored the WHO age friendly cities eight domains, in particular the domains of ‘outdoor spaces and buildings’ and ‘transportation.’
COTA New South Wales

24. What we found
Our research confirmed what many other researchers has found: features such as wide, even footpaths, good lighting in public places such as carparks, plenty of seating in parks, malls and shopping areas, public transport hubs and hospitals, plenty of lighting at places such as bus stops and parking lots, well placed pedestrian crossings with good signage, and plenty of accessible parking were important and necessary features that ensured people could move around their communities safely.
COTA New South Wales

25. What we learned
Transport and the design of community infrastructure are inseparable, particularly in an ageing city or town. If people are not confident to walk from place to place, this in turn affects their ability to get out and about to socialise and to exercise and stay healthy. We all want to age well - so providing a community with good infrastructure and transport alternatives benefits everyone.
COTA New South Wales

26. Simple improvements can make a difference
In many cases simple improvements such as good signage, helpful, considerate public transport staff, and access to information about transport alternatives participants suggested could make a huge difference to someone’s ability to get around.
COTA New South Wales

27. Communication is essential
Moving information onto the internet doesn’t always work for older people who often do not have access to a computer or internet in their home. The assumption of internet access leaves many older people without computers at a loss. Are we communicating with older people in ways that help them navigate their options?
COTA New South Wales

28. Finally
Our survey and consultations mirror the findings of a large body of research, including that of the World Health Organisation (WHO) - that ensuring people can continue to get around their communities as they age ensures social participation, active ageing and mental health.
COTA New South Wales

29. Thank you
COTA New South Wales