Project Recommendation #11
Project Recommendation #11
The Area Agency on Aging will partner with communities whose residents have expressed a need for essential pedestrian safety infrastructure (e.g., stoplights, signs, sidewalks), to create safer walking and biking spaces for older adults and people with disabilities.
California's 5 Bold Goals: Inclusion & Equity, Not Isolation
AARP's 8 Domains of Livability: Transportation
Focus group participants in some communities strongly prioritized the need for new or improved pedestrian safety infrastructure so that they can safely walk, wheel, roll, or bike. Community members spoke about dangerous intersections and points of contact with motorists that make it difficult or unsafe to share the road. Examples of needed infrastructure include working stop lights or stop signs, new sidewalks to encourage walking in town, and road repairs to allow for safe parking conditions.
This project is similar to Project Recommendation #5, in that there are a number of tools available to the County and local jurisdictions to implement or repair pedestrian safety infrastructure; however, it will require relationship building, fund development, and a great deal of additional planning.
The Area Agency on Aging is committed to supporting communities to identify age- and disability-friendly pedestrian infrastructure projects that would most impact the livability of the community for older adults and people with disabilities. Programs such as the University of California Berkeley SafeTREC (SafeTREC) and California Walks’ Community Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Training (CPBST) Program are available to assist with safety assessments and fund development strategies. In circumstances where major roadways are also state highways, collaborating with CalTrans is essential.
The Area Agency on Aging will reach out to appropriate city staff and/or local leaders where residents have expressed the need for pedestrian safety infrastructure and meet to identify specific sites for pedestrian safety improvements by December 31, 2025.
The Area Agency on Aging, in collaboration with appropriate city staff and/or local leaders, will apply to the Community Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Training (CPBST) Program in January 2026.
Previous Section: Project Recommendation #10 | Next Section: Project Recommendation #12