Simulation Framework for Analysis of Elderly Mobility Policies

The population in developed countries is aging. Literature has paid minimal attention to the effects that population aging may have on transport demand and sustainability. These effects are believed to be more pronounced in urban areas. A policy framework is presented. It can be used as a template for the development and evaluation of policies that directly or indirectly relate to the effect of population aging on transport in urban areas and thereby inform the planning process. A component of the proposed policy development framework is an urban transport simulation model that is used to simulate policy scenarios over time. Integrated Model for Population Aging Consequences on Transportation (IMPACT) is a conventional transport simulation model coupled with a powerful demographic model that has the potential to project the population of traffic analysis zones over time, as it takes into account vital statistics (births, deaths) and migration rates. Two types of policies were investigated. The first regards elderly driver's license renewal; the second is related to new housing development policies. The results indicate that such a system can produce results that can inform policy regarding elderly automobility.