Wisconsin is getting older, with one in four Wisconsinites projected to be 65 years or older by 2030,
a notably larger share of the population than the United States as a
whole. As the state’s population changes, so will the needs of its
residents, and Wisconsin will need to address the needs of its growing
senior population.
One major issue facing elderly drivers concerns being able to do just
so. While admittedly a highly sensitive topic to discuss, the reality
is that elderly drivers are disproportionally at risk of being involved
in a fatal car accident, with
one in seven victims of fatal vehicle accidents being seniors and
fatality rates for drivers over the age of 85 being a whopping four
times higher than those of teenage drivers
Even in accidents that are non fatal to the driver, there is still
the threat of both injury and death to fellow motorists and pedestrians,
the latter of whom are at especially high risk. Pedestrian
deaths have increased by 46% over the past decade, (compared to just 5%
in all other automobile related fatalities) and elderly pedestrians are
greatly overrepresented in pedestrian deaths, as nearly one in every
five pedestrians killed are seniors.
Perhaps most disturbingly, Wisconsin’s pedestrian death rate increased
by 69% from 2019 to 2020 alone the highest of all the Midwestern states
and the fourth highest death rate in the country.
Access to safe, reliable, and affordable public transit is critical
for Wisconsin seniors now and in the not so distant future, as well as
for others who lack access to a private vehicle or simply don’t wish to
own one. And as more and more Wisconsin residents become seniors,
they’ll still need to be able to access transportation to visit stores,
see doctors, and enjoy activities within their community.
But despite this growing need, the majority of state transportation
funding is still centered almost exclusively towards the needs of
automobiles, with more than half of all transportation funding going to state highways, leaving just a paltry 5% for public transportation.
Furthermore, recent budget cuts have slashed public transit funding by 50% in both the Milwaukee and Madison regions, exacerbating the issue further and earning
the condemnation of The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), who
claimed the decision to do so discriminated against those without access
to a personal vehicle.
A lack of bus transit access puts an especially high burden on those
living in rural parts of the state as older Americans as a whole are
more likely to live in rural communities, a trend no different in
Wisconsin, with 35% of all Wisconsin residents age 65 and older living in rural areas. Despite
this, access to bus service is limited, if not nonexistent in much of
rural Wisconsin and much of what is available is difficult and
inconvenient for many seniors to use.
As a result, many senior Wisconsin drivers are forced to make a
difficult decision: to keep driving at the risk of an accident or lose
their independence. It’s not shocking that many refuse to let go of
their keys, as many feel they have no other choice, especially for those
living in rural areas with no or limited access to suitable public
transportation.
And while the state of Wisconsin does run several bus lines, these
buses are often limited in where they can go and can be difficult to
access. Furthermore, bus service suffers from a lack of funding, with
public transit in the state of Wisconsin receiving just a 1% annual increase in funding, in contrast to the 57% increase for highway funding.
Despite a clear need for bus service for Wisconsin’s elderly, the
state has once again chosen to prioritize private cars at the cost of
public safety and the wellbeing of the state’s seniors. It’s clear that
unless significant changes are made to appropriately address the
mobility concerns of seniors, the death rate for the elderly on
Wisconsin roads will continue to climb and the quality of life will be
greatly diminished.
It should be noted that access to bus transit does more than save
lives, it enriches them. Being able to hop on a bus quickly and
conveniently can be life changing for seniors who can no longer drive,
allowing them to maintain both their independence and safety while still
being a part of their community. Bus lines such as those run and
maintained by the Terrace Height Retirement Community in Juneau county
and Sauk County’s Aging and Disability Resource Center’s Transportation
Unit provide these services to their respective communities at a low cost for those over the age of sixty and ensure they can easily access activities just as well as they can with a private automobile. With nearly half of older adults reporting
they frequently feel lonely, being able to rely on bus service saves
them from being forced to choose between risking their safety (and the
safety of others) or being trapped in their own homes, isolated from
others.
While the autocentric model of development and transit still reigns
supreme, there are signs of improvement on the horizon, with ongoing
efforts being made to make bus transit accessible to all. In
southeastern Wisconsin, the Regional Transit Leadership Council is
working to make bus service available for those living in communities with underdeveloped transit by 2022, an
effort supported by the city of Franklin and The Wisconsin Economic
Development Corp, among others. It’s among several new projects to
increase bus transit availability in the state, action that is long
overdue. And while much more needs to be done to address the transit
needs of Wisconsin’s seniors both now and in the future, any step to
increase availability is a step in the right direction.
Rachel Wick, July 8, 2021
