This paper summarizes U.S. research on relationship between transportation services and mobility among the elderly and disabled, questioning if the elderly and disabled travel less because they want to or because they must. An analysis of over 30 years of U.S. studies gives little clear evidence of how much the current travel patterns of either the elderly or the handicapped reflect mobility losses. The decline in travel which comes from a reduced desire to engage in activities outside the home cannot be differentiated from a genuine loss of mobility. At the same time, loss of mobility facing those who can occasionally drive tends to be underestimated. The data do definitely show that both the elderly and the disabled seek to keep their independence through mobility as long as possible and that both personal factors are related to choice. Even the most disabled of travellers seek to maintain a repertoire of transportation options, allowing them to choose, for each trip, the travel mode that meets their individual emotional, physical, financial, and trip-related constraints. Both because it is impossible to clearly determine the extent of unmet needs, and because the disabled and elderly clearly want and need choices, the research suggests that mobility and independence can only realistically be enhanced by offering freedom of choice including less restrictive criteria for using special services and expanding the use of the private car.
Abstract