The scoping paper is the first stage of an ongoing project on older people and transport, commissioned jointly by the Land Transport Safety Authority (LTSA), the Ministry of Transport (MOT) and the Office for Senior Citizens (OSC). The work is clearly aligned with policy strategies adopted by the current government, especially The New Zealand Positive Ageing Strategy. These documents place considerable importance on independence and community participation for older people. Hence the paper examines the transport patterns of older people, the barriers they face in achieving their transport needs and responses to these barriers. Information for the paper was obtained from published and unpublished statistics at the national level, from a search of literature on older people and transport in New Zealand and on 27 telephone interviews with key informants, including road safety coordinators, local government officials and people from groups representing older people. The focus was on four case study areas – Kapiti, Christchurch, Tauranga and Nelson. (Author/publisher)
Abstract