“Let’s go for a walk!”: identification and prioritisation of accessibility and safety measures involving elderly people in a residential area

By emphasising the involvement of elderly people in a project applying a mixed-method approach, the overriding objective of this study was to identify and prioritise concrete measures aimed at increasing accessibility and safety in the outdoor pedestrian environment within a residential area of a Swedish town. Measures generally given priority were: the separation of pedestrians/cyclists, lower speed limits, better maintenance and specific measures in pedestrian walkways such as wider sidewalks, curb levels and form and more even surfaces on pavements. Definition of these priorities offered knowledge to the highway department concerning the importance of small details in relation to the larger infrastructure. The elderly people in the study district found new ways to communicate with and influence those within the community who are responsible for these matters.

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