What are the most effective ways to engage seniors in transportation planning?

1 Identify and reach out

The first step is to identify who are the seniors in your community and how to reach out to them. Seniors are not a homogeneous group, but rather have diverse backgrounds, abilities, and interests. You may need to use different methods and channels to communicate with them, such as flyers, newsletters, phone calls, emails, social media, or word-of-mouth. You may also need to partner with local organizations or groups that serve seniors, such as senior centers, faith-based groups, health care providers, or advocacy groups. These partners can help you access and understand the needs and concerns of seniors, as well as provide feedback and support for your planning efforts.

2 Design and adapt

The second step is to design and adapt your engagement methods and tools to suit the needs and preferences of seniors. Seniors may face barriers or challenges to participate in traditional engagement activities, such as public meetings, workshops, surveys, or focus groups. You may need to consider factors such as accessibility, convenience, comfort, safety, language, literacy, or technology. For example, you may need to provide transportation options, accessible venues, comfortable seating, clear signage, translation services, large print materials, or alternative formats for online or digital tools. You may also need to offer different options and opportunities for seniors to engage, such as one-on-one interviews, small group discussions, home visits, phone calls, or online platforms.

3 Listen and learn

The third step is to listen and learn from the seniors who participate in your engagement activities. Seniors have valuable knowledge, experience, and insights that can inform and improve your transportation planning. You should show respect, empathy, and curiosity when interacting with seniors, and avoid making assumptions or judgments based on their age or appearance. You should also ask open-ended and relevant questions that elicit their opinions, preferences, needs, challenges, or suggestions for transportation issues or solutions. You should also acknowledge and appreciate their contributions, and provide feedback and follow-up on how their input is used or incorporated in your planning.

4 Involve and empower

The fourth step is to involve and empower seniors in your transportation planning process. Seniors are not only passive recipients of transportation services, but also active agents of change and innovation. You should provide opportunities and support for seniors to take on more active and meaningful roles in your planning process, such as co-designers, co-researchers, co-implementers, or co-evaluators. You should also recognize and leverage the skills, talents, and resources that seniors can offer, such as leadership, creativity, networking, or volunteering. You should also encourage and facilitate the collaboration and empowerment of seniors among themselves and with other stakeholders, such as other age groups, community groups, or decision-makers.

5 Evaluate and improve

The fifth step is to evaluate and improve your engagement practices with seniors. You should monitor and measure the effectiveness and impact of your engagement activities, and seek feedback and suggestions from seniors and other stakeholders on how to improve them. You should also reflect and learn from your successes and challenges, and identify and implement best practices and lessons learned for future engagement. You should also report and share your results and outcomes with seniors and other stakeholders, and celebrate and recognize your achievements and impacts.

6 Engage and sustain

The final step is to engage and sustain your relationship with seniors beyond your transportation planning process. You should maintain and nurture your communication and collaboration with seniors and other stakeholders, and keep them informed and involved in the implementation and evaluation of your transportation plan. You should also seek and create opportunities to engage seniors in other transportation-related issues or initiatives, and support their ongoing participation and empowerment. You should also acknowledge and appreciate the value and benefits of engaging seniors in transportation planning, and advocate for their inclusion and recognition in the transportation field and society.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?