Title

Benchmarking transport policy in an aging society in Ontario, Canada

Document Type

Conference Paper

Publication Date

2007

Subject Area

Mobility - Accessibility Planning (Disability), Population - Elderly, Transport accessibility - Lack of access, Transport planning - Demographics

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a greater recognition of the transportation implications of an ageing society in impacting health, quality of life and the environment so much so that policy movements for its greater recognition in government policies has been substantial in Europe and North America. This paper surveys five interrelated policy areas that directly and indirectly affect elderly mobility: travel mode preference, infrastructure stock and investments, land-use-transportation linkage, research and technology and management reform. The geographic focus of the study is Ontario, the most populous province and considered the engine of economic growth of Canada. Analysis showed that demographic aging concerns are not articulated directly in Ontario’s transport policies, although these are being indirectly addressed. Moreover, while there has been a return of provincial funding support for municipal public transit after almost a decade long subsidy cut, a great deal of catching up is needed to renew, expand and make more accessible the existing transit systems as well as increase support to specialized transport services to respond to a growing and aging population.