Area 2: Transportation

Transportation is vital to older adults’ mobility, quality of life, and independence. It takes many forms, including walking, bicycling, private automobiles, community transportation options, public transit and paratransit services. Historical land use and development patterns affect our transportation choices. Areas within Chesapeake hold differing challenges and opportunities. Transportation planning is critically important to creating an age-friendly community, including the need to locate transportation infrastructure in close proximity to housing that meets the need of a range of citizens, as well as to services that are necessary for accomplishing daily activities.

Action Item 2.1 – Active transportation promotes active aging and is a fundamental aspect of a healthy, age-friendly city.

• Develop and implement policies that lead to environments that are non-auto-centric, safe, and developed to facilitate physical activity and convenient local access.


• Ensure that active transportation infrastructure (such as bus shelters, benches, traffic signals, signage) is available in all areas of the city.


• Build transportation infrastructure with universal design principles (above and beyond required minimum accessibility standards), that lead to safe, healthy, efficient, and well-maintained systems.

Action Item 2.2 – Develop increased portions of the community that are supported by public transit. This provides the option for baby boomers and millennials to use multi-modal transit options as a choice and when they can no longer use their car.

• Create optional dense areas where walking and transit work best.
• Align infrastructure and services with land use.
• Improve pedestrian facilities (sidewalks, signal timing) and public transportation (frequency, speed, and options) to create unobstructed paths of travel.

Action Item 2.3 – Coordinated transportation planning efforts are required in our city and region around specific transportation options for older adults and people with disabilities for public, for-profit, and nonprofit organizations. People in Chesapeake don’t only move within the city, but have the need to go to other areas for medical appointments, shopping, socialization, jobs, etc.

• Identify and prepare for aging-related mobility trends that affect all modes of transportation serving Chesapeake and Hampton Roads


• Create planning process to coordinate transportation options and create one stop shopping call center for transportation assistance


• Dedicate appropriate funding to create an accessible and integrated multi-modal transportation system that meets the needs of a rapidly aging population.

Action Item 2.4 – Current transportation systems are primarily focused in two areas: public transit and private automobiles. Both modes are growing more costly, and constraints regarding system capacity and environmental sustainability abound. Additional community based transportation options are needed in order to create a reliable, safe, equitable, accessible, and affordable system.

• Improve the range of accessible transportation options. Prioritize investment in parts of the city where there are notable deficiencies in active transportation infrastructure or where denser housing creates opportunities for multi-modal transit.


• Increase availability of paratransit services to meet increasing demand as the number of the people with physical mobility limitations increases. Support services for uninsured, low income seniors who need assistance via para transit services.


• Consider community buses-small accessible and scheduled buses in which the driver provides substantial assistance. Community buses are also attractive because they are specifically routed to serve the origins and destinations of most interest to older people and where older people live.


• Foster the use and availability of alternative transportation options that are community oriented, such as car-share/ride-share programs, volunteer drivers, and local cooperatives.

Action Item 2.5 – People of all ages can benefit from learning about transportation options, whether they are using them or not.

• Promote educational opportunities for all adults – whether they drive or not – that teach them about alternative transportation options. All would be well-served to learn about the rights, responsibilities, and tendencies of users of all modes of transportation, including pedestrians, cyclists, drivers and transit riders.


• Encourage families, friends, and health care professionals to learn how and when to intervene when someone is no longer a safe driver.


• Develop a single point of contact for information and referral to transportation options.