Ned Resnikoff: Over the weekend, the San Francisco Chronicle ran a piece full of people arguing that seniors need car-centric transportation systems. So I decided to look at what the experts at AARP say. resnikoff.beehiiv.com/p/seniors-sa...

Over the weekend, the San Francisco Chronicle ran a piece full of people arguing that seniors need car-centric transportation systems. So I decided to look at what the experts at AARP say. resnikoff.beehiiv.com/p/seniors-sa...

Seniors and Safe Streetsresnikoff.beehiiv.com Everyone loses when we build our cities for cars instead of humans

This future retiree's criteria for life as an old person are: Shops & services within walking or transit distance Safe routes for biking Car-optional environment

I haven't been able to find that in any but the most expensive places to live. Hospitals and doctors matter then, as well, and the areas around those are not necessarily affordable. I truly wish we had what you describe.

We do. In the Rust Belt. Depopulated cities across upstate/western NY have exactly these amenities, plus cheap real estate. Others can speak to OH, PA, MI, etc.

But aren’t those the kind of places where hospitals are being shut in large numbers?

In rural areas, yes. In the cities, no. Hospitals there are expanding. Buffalo, Rochester Syracuse & Albany each have medical schools.

I have a friend heading to Buffalo for school who can't drive - what are the best walkable neighborhoods there if life is mainly going to revolve around classes on UB's North Campus? It's been a very long time since I left and my information is out of date.

We should all work to retire the framing that 'seniors need cars.' It's a very specific subset of white boomers who demand we all die underneath their SUVs.

Not just white ones I'm afraid. I've heard this I've many times from the POC seniors in my SW Atlanta community.

Yeah totally. I can only speak to the carbrains here in SF who have a flavor of 'we don't want people from the other side of town coming here' in their politics.

I guess if San Francisco hadn't pushed most of our seniors of color out of town in the 00s the opposition might be more diverse... 🤷

what other side of town are they afraid of?

The east side. (map key in alt text)

This senior would love convenient, reliable public transportation. And while we’re about it, how about a national rail system like they have in Europe?

I’m attending an AARP walk audit 2-day session soon - they’re serious !

Good piece. I'm a senior--been one for several years now--and extremely grateful to be able to live car-free in essentially a 15 minute neighborhood. I walk or ebike to most everything, and I wish more seniors could enjoy this lifestyle.

Yep, same here.

I'd love to take a bus. If they were convenient and went where I need to go, I would. But just try and improve transit or add bike lanes in this city. No councilor will take that on.

They tried to use seniors to stop JFK in Golden Gate Park from being shut too

Tell us about the art in the thumbnail

It's Laszlo Moholy-Nagy!

Hungarian intellectuals are undefeated

CHRON is the fucking worst

bsky.app/profile/oino...

I keep thinking of my septuagenarian father, and his grandsons too young to drive. They live one town apart in New England but don't see each other too often because he's reluctant to drive the highway and they can't. It is an ageist abdication of the DOT responsibility to leave cars the only means

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