Improving Safety and Mobility for Older Road Users in Australia and Japan

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October 2008

Table of Contents

• Executive Summary
• Chapter 1: Background
  • Purpose
  • Organization of Report
  • Scan Team Members
  • Host Delegations
  • Travel Itinerary
• Chapter 2: A Systems Approach to Safety Benefits Older Road Users
  • Strategic Safety Plans
  • Strategic Partnering
    • Local Governments
    • Motoring Clubs
    • Health Service Providers, Insurance Companies, and Retirement Planners
• Chapter 3: Policy and Planning for Older Road User Safety
  • Examples of Evidence-Based Planning and Policy Development for Older Road Users
    • Personal Travel Surveys
    • Long-Range Land-Use and Development Plans
    • Local Government Safety Planning
    • Roadway Infrastructure Inventory
    • Surveys of Transport System Users and Citizens
• Chapter 4: Infrastructure Improvements for Older Road Users
  • Standards and Guidelines
  • Institutional Issues in Implementing Infrastructure Changes
    • Jurisdictional Funding Priorities
    • Regional Coordination and Partnerships
    • Design Flexibility
  • Implementation Examples
    • Intersection Operations and Design
    • Traffic Control Devices
    • Pedestrian Facilities
    • Colored Pavements
• Chapter 5: Driving Reduction and Cessation Issues for Older Road Users
  • Licensing and Assessment
  • Training and Education
  • Community-Based Mobility Options
• Chapter 6: Future Trends and Research Initiatives
  • Future Trends
    • Societal Change Toward Aging in Place
    • Transport Mode Changes: Mobility Scooters, Motorcycles, and Recreational Vehicles
  • Research Initiatives
• Chapter 7: Major Findings and Implementation Plan
  • Findings
  • Implementation Plan
    • Enhancement of U.S. Roadway Design and Operations Practice
    • Outreach to Nontraditional Partners
    • Targeted Research Program
    • Establishment of Development Guidelines
    • Professional Training for Transportation Professionals
• Endnotes
• Appendix A: Amplifying Questions
• Appendix B: Itinerary and Meeting Schedule
• Appendix C: Host Country Contacts
• Appendix D: Scan Team Members

• Figures
• Figure 1. Older road users scan team in Tokyo, Japan
• Figure 2. Illustration of a systems approach to safety from VicRoads' Arrive Alive!
• Figure 3. Automated speed enforcement warning sign in Sydney, Australia
• Figure 4. Reduced speed zone in high-pedestrian traffic area in Brisbane, Australia
• Figure 5. Examples of state strategic road safety plans in Australia
• Figure 6. Logo for community RoadSafe program sponsored by VicRoads in Victoria, Australia
• Figure 7. Local Government Association of Queensland Community-Based Transport Toolbox
• Figure 8. Protected right-turn signals in dedicated right-turn lanes in Melbourne (equivalent to left turn in the United States)
• Figure 9. Median barrier treatments and pavement marking text in Tokyo
• Figure 10. Underground pedestrian walkway under a busy urban intersection in Tokyo
• Figure 11. A crosswalk in Tokyo with separate lanes for bicycles and pedestrians
• Figure 12. Raised crosswalk with curb extensions in Sydney, Australia
• Figure 13. A pedestrian crossing with refuge islands and gates in Sydney, Australia
• Figure 14. Midblock pedestrian-actuated crossing with pedestrian fencing in Melbourne, Australia
• Figure 15. Tram-bus transfer station in Melbourne
• Figure 16. Red-colored pavement used to mark a bus queue-jump lane at a signalized intersection in Melbourne, Australia
• Figure 17. Green-colored pavement used to highlight a bicycle lane as it crosses an unsignalized intersection in Sydney, Australia
• Figure 18. Bus lane with red pavement on the Sydney Harbor Bridge
• Figure 19. An elderly shopper using a mobility scooter in Tokyo, Japan
• Figure 20. Scan team members test the Monash University Accident Research Centre driving simulator
• Figure 21. Example of a road train heavy vehicle used in rural Australia

Sponsored by:

U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration

In cooperation with:

• American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
• National Cooperative Highway Research Program

NOTICE

The Federal Highway Administration provides high-quality information to serve Government, industry, and the public in a manner that promotes public understanding. Standards and policies are used to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of its information. FHWA periodically reviews quality issues and adjusts its programs and processes to ensure continuous quality improvement.

Technical Report Documentation

International Technology Scanning Program

The International Technology Scanning Program, sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), evaluates innovative foreign technologies and practices that could significantly benefit U.S. highway transportation systems. This approach allows for advanced technology to be adapted and put into practice much more efficiently without spending scarce research funds to re-create advances already developed by other countries.

FHWA and AASHTO, with recommendations from NCHRP, jointly determine priority topics for teams of U.S. experts to study. Teams in the specific areas being investigated are formed and sent to countries where significant advances and innovations have been made in technology, management practices, organizational structure, program delivery, and financing. Scan teams usually include representatives from FHWA, State departments of transportation, local governments, transportation trade and research groups, the private sector, and academia.

After a scan is completed, team members evaluate findings and develop comprehensive reports, including recommendations for further research and pilot projects to verify the value of adapting innovations for U.S. use. Scan reports, as well as the results of pilot programs and research, are circulated throughout the country to State and local transportation officials and the private sector. Since 1990, more than 75 international scans have been organized on topics such as pavements, bridge construction and maintenance, contracting, intermodal transport, organizational management, winter road maintenance, safety, intelligent transportation systems, planning, and policy.

The International Technology Scanning Program has resulted in significant improvements and savings in road program technologies and practices throughout the United States. In some cases, scan studies have facilitated joint research and technology-sharing projects with international counterparts, further conserving resources and advancing the state of the art. Scan studies have also exposed transportation professionals to remarkable advancements and inspired implementation of hundreds of innovations. The result: large savings of research dollars and time, as well as significant improvements in the Nation's transportation system.

Scan reports can be obtained through FHWA free of charge by e-mailing international@dot.gov. Scan reports are also available electronically and can be accessed on the FHWA's Office of International Programs Web site at www.international.fhwa.dot.gov.