Baby Boomers: Stuck in Traffic Today, Stuck at Home Tomorrow
Tuesday, June 14, 2011 at 2:32PM America's first driving generation is retiring. Having worked through one of the largest economic expansions in history, they are also one of the wealthiest generations. For many, their American Dream took place in suburbs and exurbs, away from public transportation. And as many of these boomers "age in place," they will find it increasingly difficult to get around.
According to a new study by Transportation for America ("Aging in Place, Stuck Without Options"), most baby boomers have no intention of moving as they age. More than 70% over the age of 45 plan to stay in their current homes as long as possible. Only 9% want to ultimately move to a care facility. It is likely that nearly 80% of seniors in coming years will live in suburban or rural areas.
There are approximately 40 million seniors in the United States today. One in five does not drive. And half of these non-driving seniors basically don't leave the house because they have no transportation options other than driving.
That means 4 million seniors in the United States right now are essentially prisoners in their own homes because they are "aging in place" and happen to live somewhere that offers them no real, viable option for getting around without driving. With the first of the nearly 80 million baby boomers turning 65 this year, the number of seniors facing this predicament will skyrocket.
What does the lack of options really mean for seniors stuck at home? It means 15% fewer trips to the doctor. 59% fewer shopping and restaurant trips. 65% fewer trips to see family, friends, and do other social activities.
America's senior population will balloon to 72 million by 2030 so if we don't rapidly expand and improve transit across the nation, 7.5 million of them will have extremely limited access to transportation options. If nothing is done, smaller metro and suburban areas (places with less than 250,000 people) will find that 62% of their seniors will have little or no access to transit.
The human and public health and economic toll presented by seniors aging in place is unacceptable – and avoidable. We must increase investments in transit at the local, state and federal levels.
TransForm has launched "Invest in Transit" – a campaign to increase California's state-level transit funding and expand opportunities for cities, counties and regions to establish additional funding for local needs. Please sign our petition and consider becoming a campaign partner. Let's make sure that our parents and grandparents and all of us will be able to remain active and engaged in life's activities as we age.
