Planning to Retire? Add Transit to Your Checklist

Written by Judy Bortman

We’ve heard the phase, “Location, location, location,” when scouting for places to buy or rent a home.  It’s now the mantra for the millions of seniors who are retiring, downsizing and selling the family home. They’re leaving the suburbs where driving was the only way to get around and migrating to the city where walkable neighborhoods and public transit abound.

Why this seismic shift?  Several factors are intersecting:

Americans are living longer:
According to Business Insider, the 65-74 age group is 10 times larger than in 1900 and the 85+ age group is 40 times larger.  Centenarians, people who are 100 years of age or older, is a word you’ll hear popping up more often in the coming years. There’s even a selection of Hallmark cards to celebrate that landmark birthday.

U.S. Census data from 2010 reveals that there are about 50,000 people over 100 in the United States, almost three times as many as there were in 1980.

Boomer Power:
Baby boomers, people born from 1946 to 1964, are retiring in droves. It’s estimated that 10,000 “boomers” in the United States are turning 65 every day until the year 2030.  The volume of this demographic wields tremendous social and economic clout as children of the 1960s continue to be trend-setters.  They’re leading the march from the suburbs to the cities.

Giving up the keys is a large part of the equation:
Many seniors want to stay active physically and mentally.  This means going out of the house, taking classes, doing volunteer work, getting together with friends and scheduling appointments.

Moving to a city or senior-friendly community can enhance the quality

of life for seniors who are no longer able to drive.  They can walk or take public transit

to appointments and activities that support their mental and physical well-being.

If you live in the suburbs most, if not all, of these activities require transportation which means driving by yourself.  Once a suburban senior no longer drives, they are isolated from activities, friends and are frequently challenged to get around to appointments and services. By living in cities, seniors can walk or take public transit, become “carfree” and still continue their lifestyle.

An excellent article about incorporating transportation into retirement planning, When Planning for Retirement, Consider Transportation, appeared recently in the New York Times.

It cites the American Journal of Public Health which states that Americans are outliving their ability to drive, on average 10 years for a woman and seven years for a man, and offers ideas to help incorporate transportation into retirement planning.

Is My Location Walkable?

Seniors who are researching places to move can get a snapshot of shops, services and transit in the neighborhood by checking the Walk Score for an address and measure its walkability.


The higher the Walk Score number on a scale from 0 to 100, the more you are able to walk to shops, services, recreation or connect to transit.

I wanted to try Walk Score so I looked up the walkability of the TransOptions office at 2 Ridgedale Avenue in Cedar Knolls . Our score is 29, on the low side, which means (as I already knew) that most errands require a car.
                                                             
If you scroll down on Walk Score page for the location you’ve entered, you’ll find public transit options including the route numbers for the local NJ TRANSIT buses that stop by our office.  This free site is a great place to start exploring “walkable communities” anywhere in the United States.

Change is a Challenge for most seniors
One of the programs I give at senior groups is called, Retiring from Driving: A Kinder Way to Give Up the Keys.  I address a “tough topic” - the normal, physical decline that happens with aging and how it impacts and limits seniors’ driving ability and safety.

Many seniors have told me that they feel uncomfortable driving at night, on highways, in rush hour traffic and during inclement weather. Most of these seniors are living in the suburbs, in the same home where they’ve lived for 40 years and raised their children.  They’re reluctant to change their residence or their transit routine because they don’t want to give up the keys and lose their independence.

There will come a time when change is inevitable, when the physical responsibilities of suburban homeownership become challenging or even overwhelming including cutting the grass in summer, raking leaves in the fall and shoveling snow in winter.  At this turning point the maintenance, time and cost of keeping upkeep of house make it a burden rather than a joy.

Perhaps then they’ll have to decide if it’s time for a change and at that point, may consider moving from the suburbs to the city.  Some seniors will decide to age in place and find people to assist with home maintenance.  Others will realize that it’s time to explore options that include selling the family home, cashing in on their investment and relocating to an apartment, condo or senior community where someone else handles the maintenance.

Seniors who decide to move to a city or walkable community may not even realize that walking to activities and taking public transit can add years to their lives.  By walking to shops, appointments and services, seniors are stretching their minds as well as their physical beings. Living in a city can even help them live longer. Perhaps they’re on the path be becoming centenarians!