The increasing population of older people in Europe is producing considerable challenges for future transportation systems. The aim of the GOAL project is to review current knowledge and identify research gaps in order to develop an action plan for innovative solutions to fulfil the transport needs of an ageing society. The physical and mental characteristics of older people were previously identified and used to explore in a structured way the needs, and existing solutions and services provided to older people while using different modes of land-based transport (GOAL, 2012). This included the identification of research gaps and proposed innovative solutions for information systems and guidance services that are required by older people in travelling. This document brings together the previously identified demand for travel information systems and services, and contains a further review to provide collected statements of what information older people require when walking, cycling, driving and using public transport. Although there is much information potentially accessible by the elderly currently through different channels, they have generally not been consulted in their design or development, and therefore lack specific relevance. An assessment of the current travel information provision has been made, from the perspective of different delivery channels, including those from: • Internet websites. • Hand held devices. • In-vehicle systems. • Telephone based enquiries. • Field devices. • Television and Radio. As well as describing the general functions and characteristics of the information available through these channels, an assessment on the suitability of this information for older people, and the key barriers to their use and proposed solutions, have also been provided. Based on this, the research gaps in terms of travel information for older people have been identified, and recommendations made as to how these gaps may be addressed. There is a need to provide more travel information for older people, particularly for walking and using public transport, which is not being met currently. They also require travel information to be delivered generally in a more user-friendly way, which takes into account the physical and mental impairments they may have. In particular, their access to information delivered through technological channels, including websites and hand-held devices, should be encouraged and increased, not only because this content is richer and available in real-time, but also because this expectation will increase as the population ages. Nevertheless, all information delivery channels should remain open to older people, as they are a diverse group, with differing impairments and therefore varying needs. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting