MAKINGSAFESTRIDES:WALKABILITYFOROLDERADULTSSYMPOSIUM

September2016 SanJoaquinCountyAgriculturalCenter,Stockton,California

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MakingSafeStrides:WalkabilityforOlderAdultsSymposium

INTRODUCTIONBeingphysicallyactiveonaregularbasisisoneofthemostimportantthingsweallcandotoimproveourhealth,andwalkingisperhapstheeasiestwaytogetmoving.Thesimpleactofwalkingcanhelpimproveourphysicalandmentalhealth,anditcanevenhelprevitalizeourbusinessdistrictsandfosterastrongersenseofcommunity.However,thewayourcommunitieshavebeendevelopedhascreatedphysicalbarriersthatmakewalkingdifficultandhascultivatedaculturethatdiscourageswalkingforeventheshortestoftrips.Thatiswhy,overthepastyear,SanJoaquinCountyPublicHealthServicesandtheSanJoaquinCountyCommissiononAginghavebeencollaboratingtomakeitsaferandmoreconvenientforallourresidents—andparticularlyourolderadults—tobeabletowalkinandabouttheircommunity.SanJoaquinCountyPublicHealthServicesandtheSanJoaquinCountyCommissiononAgingorganizedtheMakingSafeStrides:WalkabilityforOlderAdultsSymposiumtohelpusidentifywaystostrengthenourcollectiveeffortswithpracticalactionswecantaketomoveforwardtogether.Overthecourseoftheone-daySymposium,theCaliforniaWalksteamandexpertguestspeakersequippeduswiththetools,research,andstrategiessuccessfulcommunity-drivenchange.Justoveroneyearago,theSurgeonGeneralputoutacalltoactiontogetAmericamoving,andthisSymposiumwasanotherstepSanJoaquinCountyistakingtowardcreatingsafer,morewalkablecommunities.BetsyL.Thompson,MD,DrPH,ActingRegionalHealthAdministratoroftheU.S.DepartmentofHealth&HumanServices,kickedofftheSymposiumbyremindingusthatjust22minutesofwalkingadaywillimproveourhealth.Unfortunately,toomanyofusfacehardandsoftbarrierstophysicalactivity,includingperceivedlackoftime,trafficsafetyconcerns,perceptionsofpersonalsecurity,andthebuiltenvironment.TheSymposiumwasjustthebeginningofmanyimportantconversations—andactions—thatwillhelpustacklethesebarriersacrosstheCounty.Pleaseenjoythissummaryreportoftheday’sproceedings,andstayconnectedwiththeSanJoaquinCountyPublicHealthServicesandtheSanJoaquinCountyCommissiononAgingforwaysyoucanhelpmakeourCountyaplacewhereseniorsbecomesomeofourmostavidpedestrians!

WALKING:BENEFITS,BARRIERS,ANDSOLUTIONS

Benefits

Thenumberofolderadultsasapercentageofourtotalpopulationisexpectedtocontinuetogrowrapidly.Infact,by2040,seniors60andolderareexpectedtomakeup1in4adults.HereinCalifornia,theseniorpopulationisexpectedtogrowmorethantwiceasfastasthetotalpopulation.Witha

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rapidlyagingpopulation,itisimperativethatwedesignourcommunitiestobeage-friendlyandtoallowustocomfortablyageinplace.

Transportationforourseniorsisacriticalcomponentofanage-friendlycommunity.Weknowthat1in5seniorsage65andolderdonotdrive1,yetwehavedesignedourcommunitiesinsuchawaythatdrivingmaybetheonlyviabletransportationoption.Thisdisparityhasatremendousimpactonthehealthofourelders,bothphysicallyduetolackofphysicalactivity,andsocially/mentallyduetoincreasedsocialisolation.

Conversely,thehealthbenefitsofwalkingincludealowerriskofheartattack,hypertension,COPD,diabetes,andthereducedseverityofarthritis,depression,dementia,andAlzheimer’s.2Atthesametime,seniorsareatagreatriskofinjuryanddeathwhentheyarewalking—comparedwithotheragegroups,seniorpedestrianfatalitiesoccurattwotothreetimestherateofthegeneralpopulation.3

BarrierstoWalkingandthe“6E’s”ApproachtoPedestrianSafety&Walkability

DuringtheSymposium,wefocusedprimarilyon“builtenvironment”barriers—thatis,howthewaysinwhichourroadsandlandusesarebuiltimpactone’sabilitytowalksafelyandcomfortably.Builtenvironmentbarriersinclude,butarenotlimitedto:

• Lackofsidewalks;• Buckled,cracked,orotherwisedamagedsidewalks;• Hightrafficvolumes;• Hightrafficspeeds;• Widestreets;• Inadequatepedestrian-levellighting;and• Unmarkedandunenhancedcrossings.

Acomprehensiveapproachtowalkabilitymustdealwiththeinterrelationshipofthewalkingenvironment,driverbehaviors,andpedestrianbehaviors.Accordingly,thenonprofitorganizationCaliforniaWalkspromotesacomprehensive“6E’s”approachtoimprovingpedestriansafetyandwalkabilitythatincludesthefollowingstrategydomains:

• Equity&Empowerment;• Evaluation;• Engineering;• Enforcement;• Education;and

1 Bailey,Linda(2004),“AgingAmericans:StrandedwithoutOptions”SurfaceTransportationPolicyProject,Washington,D.C. 2 EveryBodyWalk!,"HealthBenefitsofWalking,"KaiserPermanente. 3 TransportationforAmerica,“DangerousbyDesign2014”.Availableathttp://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/documents/dangerous-by-design-2014/dangerous-by-design-2014.pdf

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• Encouragement.

TonyDangandJaimeFearerofCaliforniaWalkspresentedpotentialstrategiesrelatedtoEngineeringandEncouragementduringtheSymposium.

EngineeringSolutionstoImprovePedestrianSafety&Walkability

Engineeringsolutionsshouldbedesignedwitha“CompleteStreets”approach—meaningthateverystreetprojectshouldbedesigned,constructed,andmaintainedforalltypesusersofallagesandallabilities.Anadditionalguidingprincipleforengineeringstrategiesis“UniversalDesign,”whichaimstoconstructprojectsandcommunitiesthatwillbeaccessibletopeopleofallagesandabilities.

SomeoftheengineeringsolutionscoveredduringtheSymposiuminclude:

• High-visibilitycrosswalks;• High-visibilitysignage;• Increasedwalking/crossingtimes;• LeadingPedestrianInterval(LPI);• Advancedyieldmarkings;• Cornerparkingrestrictions,or“daylighting;”• Curbextensions,or“bulb-outs;”• Curbramps;• Pedestriansafetyislands/refuges;• RectangularRapidFlashingBeacons(RRFB);• PedestrianHybridBeacon(PHB);• Roaddietor“rightsizing;”and• SeniorSafetyZones.

WhenworkingonEngineeringsolutions,wewereencouragedtoexploretheseessentialpoliciesinourcommunities:

• IntegrateCompleteStreetsimprovementsinsystematic,annualmaintenanceprojects;• Maximizedesignflexibility;• Establishclearcrosswalkmarkingpolicies;and• Developaprioritizationprocesswithcommunitystakeholders.

EncouragementOpportunitiestoIncreaseWalkingAmongOlderAdults

Encouragingwalkingamongolderadultscantakeanumberofforms.DuringtheSymposium,CaliforniaWalksprovidedanoverviewofgeneralbestpracticesforencouragementprogramsanddiscussedafewspecificcasestudiestogetusmotivated.

Ingeneral,successfulencouragementprograms:

• Makeiteasytoparticipate;• Takeadvantageofpositivepeerpressure;

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• Createacultureofactiveliving;• Developpartnershipswithcommunityorganizationsandresidents;• Cultivatecommunityleadersforlong-termprogramsustainability;and• Makeitfun!

ThefourcasestudiessharedbyCaliforniaWalks—includingtheSantaClaraCounty’sWalkwithEaseprogram,theUnitedSeniorsofOakland&AlamedaCounty,theLaMesaIntergenerationalSafeRoutestoSchool(SRTS)program,andSanJose’sSeniorSafariWalkabout—allembodiedthesebestpractices.

Seniorwalkingclubsareaprovenstrategyforincreasingphysicalactivityamongolderadults—nationally,participantsinwalkingclubsreporteda44%increaseintimespentinactivityduetosocialsupportsanda20%increaseintheirexercisefrequency.4SantaClaraCounty’sWalkwithEaseprogramwasasuccessinlargepartbecauseitofferedaflexible“curriculum”,developedpeerleadership,andleveragedexistinggatheringplacestopromotetheprogramandrecruitparticipants.Similarly,theLaMesaIntergenerationalSRTSprogramhadquiteabitoforganizationalflexibilityandwasrelativelylow-costwhilemakingsuretoinvestinthestart-upphase.Ultimately,seniorvolunteersintheLaMesaprogramreportedthattheyhadmoreopportunityforregularexerciseandsocialization,and75%ofparticipatingschoolsreportedanincreaseinthenumberofstudentswalkingtoschool.

STAKEHOLDERINVOLVEMENTINADVOCATINGFORMOREWALKABLECOMMUNITIESThegoaloftheSymposium’safternoongroupdiscussionexercisewastoidentifyactionablenextstepsandcommitmentsthatwouldformthebasisofaconcreteactionplantoimprovewalkabilityinparticipants’communities,andparticularlyforolderadults.Participantsbrokeoutintosmallgroupsbasedontheirlocalmunicipality,ornearbymunicipality—youcanreviewthedetailednotesfromthegroupsrepresentingLathrop,Lodi,Stockton,andTracy/EscalonintheAppendix.

PathsForwardinSanJoaquinCounty

Eachbreak-outgroupcametoaconsensusonspecificcommitmentstheywouldtakebackwiththemfromtheSymposium,andmanywerebasedonstrategiesorresourcesparticipantslearnedaboutduringtheSymposium.ParticipantsfromLathropcommittedtocreatingacommunitywalkabilitysurveyandtobuildingacoalitiontoaddresswalkabilityissues.ParticipantsfromLodiplantoleveragetheexpertiseofexistingcommunitygroups,includingRSVPvolunteers,tocreateactionablenextstepsonwalkability.ThegrouprepresentingTracycommittedtodelvingintocollisiondatatodeterminehotspotsacrossthecity,andtoworktosecurefundingforpedestriansafetyeducation.InStockton,participantscommittedtoworkacrosstraditionalsilostoengageboththecommunityandagenciesinimprovingthecitieswalkability.NextstepsincludeengagecommunityserviceorganizationslikeRotaryandBoyScoutsinmaintainingwalkingpaths;involvetheParks&RecreationCommissionintheconversation;workwiththePoliceDepartmenttobuildawarenessandcatalyzemomentum;bring

4CDCTaskForceonCommunityPreventiveServices,Availableathttp://www.prevent.org/data/files/initiatives/walkinggroup.pdf

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groupslikeCaliforniaWalkstopresenttotheHealthySanJoaquinCollaborative;goonwalkswithseniorsandotherpartnerstoidentifybarrierstowalkability;andsharetheWalkwithEasecurriculumwithlocalREACHandHEALprograms,withanexplicitfocusonAfrican-Americanresidents.

Evaluation

ParticipantswerealsoprovidedwithanopportunitytoevaluatetheeffectivenessoftheSymposiumandtoprovidefeedbacktotheSymposiumorganizersandpresenters.100%ofrespondentsagreedthattheSymposiummettheirexpectations,and100%ofrespondentsweresatisfiedorverysatisfiedwiththeoverallSymposium.OneparticipantsharedthattheSymposiumwas“[a]greatvenuetogetandkeeptheconversationgoing.”ParticipantsalsoprovidedindicatedwhethertheyexperiencedfollowingoutcomesfromtheSymposium:93% Iwasabletomeetandnetworkwithnewpeopleinmycommunityinterestedinimproving

walkabilityandpedestriansafety.

87% Iwasabletomeetandnetworkwithprofessionalsinmycommunityworkingonimprovingwalkabilityandpedestriansafety.

87% Ihaveanewunderstandingofhowtoimprovewalkabilityinmycommunity

80% Ilearnedbestpracticesandstrategiestoimprovewalkabilityinmycommunity.Overall,theevaluationprocessindicatedthatparticipantsfoundtheSymposiumtobeaworthwhileuseoftheirtimeandthatitequippedthemwiththeskillsandknowledgetocontinueeffortstoimprovewalkabilityinSanJoaquinCounty.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThisSymposiumwasfundedbytheCentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention(CDC)GrantNumberDP005499throughtheCaliforniaDepartmentofPublicHealth.ThecontentsoftheSymposiumandthisreportaresolelytheresponsibilityoftheauthorsanddonotnecessarilyrepresenttheofficialviewsoftheCDCortheU.S.DepartmentofHealthandHumanServices.

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Appendix:GroupDiscussionNotes

REFLECTIONS• Strategy/Resource

o Lodi–WalkauditsatlocationsidentifiedwithdatalikeTIMS,WalkScoreo Lathrop–Reactivatewalkclubswithnewpartnerslikeschoolsandchurches

• Barrierso Safety

§ Personalsecurity• Crime• Dogs

§ Trafficsafety• Lackofinfrastructure

o Sidewalks,lighting,curbramps• Speedingtraffic• Poorlymaintainedinfrastructure

o Airqualityo I-5o Largedistances

COMMITMENTS• Lathrop

o Conductcommunitysurveyo Buildacoalition

• Lodio Leverageexistinggroups,includingRSVPvolunteers

• Stocktono Engagecommunityserviceorganizationstomaintainpaths(e.g.,Rotary,etc.)o InvolvetheParks&RecreationCommissiono Workwithmultipleagenciestobuildawarenessandcatalyzesynergy

§ PoliceDepartmenttoworkwithotheragencies/organizationstoserveasaresource

o BringCaliforniaWalksandSafeRoutestoSchooltotheHealthySanJoaquinCollaborative

o Talktoclients/seniorstoidentifybarriersandgoonwalkstogethero ShareWalkwithEasewithREACHandHEALprograms

§ FocusonAfrican-Americanpopulation• Tracy

o Lookathotspotsusingdatao Securefundingforpedestriansafetyeducation

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TRANSCRIBEDGROUPNOTES

Lathrop

1. ImproveInternalPrograms&PoliciesthatImpactWalkability2. CoalitionBuildingtoSupportWalkabilityPrograms/Projects3. ForgingCommunity-AgencyPartnerships

• Walkabilityauditsinsenior-populatedareaso TobringtoPlanningDepartment

• Opendiscussionastowhatis/hasbeendoneforwalkability• Lettersofsupport• Petitions/communitysurvey• PublicTransit(RTD)

o Increasebusstopsatmoreconvenientlocations4. CultivateChampionsforWalkability

• Invitenewmemberstomeetings/commissionso Doesn’thavetobeasenior

• Organizecommunitywalkso Invitenew/otherpeopletoexistingwalks

• Establishanew/extrawalktimetobringinnewconstituents• Attendpublicmeetingsandmakesurecommunityisawareofactivities

Lodi1. ImproveInternalPrograms&PoliciesthatImpactWalkability

• Dowalkabilityauditswithpartners• Getdataoncrashesandidentifyhotspots• Installflashingbeaconswithsoundsonmajorstreets• LodiPark–startawalkinggroupnearseniorcenters(withplannersandPublicWorks)

o Resourcewalkinggroup:TuleTrekkers2. CoalitionBuildingtoSupportWalkabilityPrograms/Projects

• PresenttoCommissiononAgingtoorganizeawalkaudit3. ForgingCommunity-AgencyPartnerships

• Partners:o LodiChamberofCommerceo LodiSeniorCommissiono LOELSeniorCentero CleantheLakeDayo HutchinsonSquareo LodiCommunityCentero CarshowsnexttoA&WParkonLodiAvenueo Crossingguardprogramo StarsProgram(outoftheSheriff’sOffice)o RSVP:55+volunteerprogram(national)o CSVP:<55volunteerprogram(local)

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• GetSupervisorstocometowalk• GetSupervisorstosignaProclamationforSeniorWalkabilityDay

o Certificates:OakGrove,MickeGrovePark&Zoo,LodiLake–freeparkingforday4. CultivateChampionsforWalkability

• Gatherandcompileonlinedata;organizeapresentationtotheCommissiononAging,possiblybringinSJPublicHealth

Stockton1. ImproveInternalPrograms&PoliciesthatImpactWalkability

• Sub-groupwithinSeniorAdvisoryCouncil(e.g.,walkability)• *CollaboratewithStocktonPoliceDepartmenttovisitmorecommunitycenterswhen

seniorsarepresent• *ContactPublicWorkstomaintainpaths• *Talkingtomanagementaboutincorporatinganactionplan• Developingwalkinggroupstructureforinsuranceapproval• Getinvolvedingeneralplanning

2. CoalitionBuildingtoSupportWalkabilityPrograms/Projects• Invitingpresenterstoothercollaborativestoinformandcontinuetheconversation• AttendandparticipateinlocalPlanningCommission,CityCouncil,andCouncilof

Governmentsmeetings• Identifycommunities/stakeholdersthatrepresenttheinterestofandhavethe

connectionstoseniorso *Findoutwheretheyare:seniorcenters,areasofworship,existingclubs/programs

o *Establishmorningmeetings/gatherings–15-20minutes§ Beconsistent§ Buildtrust

o On-siteinformationandnetworkingo Focusgroupso Surveysandassessments

3. ForgingCommunity-AgencyPartnerships• VanBuskirk[CommunityCenter?]withHousingAuthority• SeifertCommunityCenterandParks&RecreationCommission• Persuadecommunityserviceorganizations(Rotary,Scouts,etc.)tomaintainpaths• Invitingpresenterstoothercollaborativestoinformandcontinuetheconversation• AttendandparticipateinlocalPlanningCommission,CityCouncil,andCouncilof

Governmentsmeetings• Workingwithplanners/PublicWorksdepartments

o *Findingoutavailableserviceso *Attendingandcommunityengagementinplanning,etc.meetingso *Findingexistinggroupstoinvitetothetableo Lookforfundingo Buildingtrustamonggroupsandorganizations

4. CultivateChampionsforWalkability

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• Buddysystem=safetyinnumbers• Invitingpresenterstoothercollaborativestoinformandcontinuetheconversation• AttendandparticipateinlocalPlanningCommission,CityCouncil,andCouncilof

Governmentsmeetings

Tracy/Escalon1. ImproveInternalPrograms&PoliciesthatImpactWalkability

• PulldatafromOTSandTIMSonseniorpedestrianinjuries• InEscalon:LowerSpeedlimitto25MPHatEscalonCommunityCenter

2. CoalitionBuildingtoSupportWalkabilityPrograms/Projects3. ForgingCommunity-AgencyPartnerships

• TracySeniorsrepresentative–interestedinwalkability,unabletomakethesymposium• FindcontactsinPublicWorksandPlanning• PresentationforParks&Recreation• ReachouttoLollyHansenandLowellSeniorCentersandofferwalkaudithelp

4. CultivateChampionsforWalkability• RecentimprovementsonCentralStreet–wideningofsidewalks