Stranded

Peter Lehner, writing for his NRDC blog, laments the lack of transit options for our aging population:

Our car-dependent society poses a real threat to the health and well-being of millions of senior citizens today. Nearly 80 percent of our seniors live in car-dependent suburban and rural communities, according to a 2003 Brookings Institution study. Half our non-driving seniors stay home on any given day because they have no public transit options. Non-driving seniors make fewer trips to the doctor, fewer visits to friends and family, and fewer trips to stores and restaurants, according to a 2004 study. Seniors who stop driving show more symptoms of depression and are less active outside the home.

This is a recurring theme here at The Studio Stoop. Our car centric society is exceptionally detrimental to the margins of society - the young, the old, the poor. Making the ability to drive a prerequisite for participation in society is damaging to both those who cannot drive as they are left out and to those who can drive because they miss out on the rich diversity others have to offer. Crafting a community where the elderly (and the young) can easily mingle with the rest of society downtown, even if only to play chess in the town square, is so much better for everyone.