The needs of the elderly roaduser

• Main Author: Cheng, Chin Xian
• Other Authors: Gopinath Menon
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/68197
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The topic of the elderly population is heavily discussed as the whole world is facing the trends of increasing elderly population. This is due to the reducing country birth rate over the years especially in Singapore. With the increasing of elderly population, more promotions and actions need to be taken to provide an elderly friendly environment. Reviews of literature show that a lot of efforts had been put in to meet the needs of the elderly road users. However these do not fully developed for elderly yet. This report studies the need of elderly road users from the perspectives of the public transport users, pedestrians, and drivers on the road in terms of the effectiveness of the current infrastructure, traffic regulations regarding elderly issues and educational programmes. The analysis results are based on the surveys taken island wide. From the survey, the difficulties faced by elderly when they take the public transport were noticed. It was due to their deterioration of eyesight and muscle strength. Besides, falls are one of the major problems faced by elderly due to the loss in balance when using escalator and during wet weather. Thus, more lifts should be built as it is generally safer than escalator. Current infrastructure such as Silver Zone and “Green Man Plus” need to be publicised so that more elderly will be benefited. More seats and poles should be added to the existing footpath, MRT platform, and bus interchanges. Safety precautions should also be considered. Survey result shows that 71% of elderly still perform driving even though they are facing difficulties in carrying out different tasks. Suggestions were given in terms of the current road features and traffic light system. Alternatively, warning sticker can be useful to create more patience. This study leads to the importance of the elderly friendly infrastructure.