1. America Walks Assessing the Path of Travel: Considerations and Effects on Older Adults and Persons with Cognitive Disabilities

2. Important Considerations when Assessing the Path of Travel 2

3. Rural Pedestrian Considerations Choosing a safe place to walk Limited visibility of traffic Lack of crosswalks Distance between crossing points can be longer Corners generally have a wider radius Vehicle speeds on rural roads are typically higher 3

4. Urban Pedestrian Considerations Passable sidewalks Curb ramps Signalization at intersections Complex intersection design Crowding 4

5. Cross-Cutting Pedestrian Considerations Lighting for travel at dawn and dusk Terrain (hilly or flat?) Adequate shelters and/or seating at stops or stations Availability of identifiable landmarks Opportunities to ask for help Navigating in and around parking lots 5

6. Effects on Older Adults and Persons with Cognitive Disabilities 6

7. Older Adults Can have multiple conditions/disabilities Conditions that may keep an older adult from outdoor activities: –Badly maintained or no paved path –Lack of benches for resting –Heavy traffic –Lack of adequate time for street crossing 7

8. Persons with Cognitive Disabilities Many, many types of cognitive disabilities Functional ability of persons with cognitive disabilities can vary widely Ways in which the ability of a person with a cognitive disability may be affected when navigating a path of travel –Problem solving skills –Reading, linguistic and/or verbal comprehension –Visual comprehension 8

9. Wayfinding  Process used by people for navigating and moving in the community  Rely on signage, maps, landmarks  Distinct pathways  Lighting and sound Traffic noise? Or lack of?  Marked pedestrian crossing  Audible signals 9

10. Path of Travel Assessment Checklist Section 1: Going to the stop/station/pick-up point Section 2: At the stop/pick-up point (for buses) Section 3: On the vehicle (fixed-route buses) 10

11. Path of Travel 11

12. Path of Travel 12

13. Path of Travel 13

14. Path of Travel Assessment Checklist (cont.) Section 4: Considerations for demand response/paratransit systems Section 5: At the rail stop/station Section 6: On the rail vehicle 14

15. In Summary Why do we assess a path of travel? Name 2 ways an inaccessible path of travel may affect an older adult. Name 2 ways an inaccessible path of travel may affect a person with a cognitive disability. 15

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