As personal mobility has increased and is now seen as an acquired right, future transport policies have to be designed inclusively and enable all segments of the ageing European populations to stay safely mobile and lead autonomous lives as long as possible, as outlined in the Commissions White Paper.
With contributing partners from 8 European Countries an interdisciplinary research approach for analysing mobility behaviour, mobility needs and road safety of the growing group of older road users has been applied.
CONSOL aimed at advancing knowledge by combining current knowledge on mobility and safety with newest evidence from basic research (e.g., gender studies, social gerontology & findings on health & functionality with age), while also covering safety issues of seniors (e.g. single-pedestrian & non-crash public transport accidents). In view of urban infrastructures and situations, which pose risks in public environments, Best Practice Analysis and discussion of feasibility of measures have been performed. This has been done by analyzing the roles of the different relevant societal actors and stakeholders in regard to senior road user safety. Insight into decision and policy making processes has been provided.
The general objective was to promote and ensure safe mobility for all segments of the increasingly heterogeneous ageing European population in course of the following work packages:
- Advancing the current understanding of mobility needs and safety issues (with focus on different socio-economic variables)
- Covering under-studied knowledge gaps within this field (e.g.: single-pedestrian and non-crash public transport accidents)
- Mapping and analyzing the interplay of the different involved stakeholders and players, whose actions and decisions influence the creation and success of transport policies from a political perspective
- Best Practice Analysis of solutions for safety management of senior road users with focus on questions such as feasibility, relevant stakeholders, implementation)
The produced results help to understand the roles and responsibilities of the different societal actors and cover existing knowledge gaps in order to ensure that policy decisions are made on a solid ground, with a permanent focus on the heterogeneity of the group of older people in view of their mobility needs and issues.
This report is a summary report of the findings produced in course of the CONSOL project.
CONSOL is a project co-funded by the European Commission – Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport
