As my parents, aunts and uncles reach their late seventies, I can see the shocking adjustment that arrives for each they can suddenly no longer drive. And that change does often come very suddenly, after a medical crisis or a car accident.
All of them live in car-dependent suburbs and haven't really used public transit since they were tee…
As my parents, aunts and uncles reach their late seventies, I can see the shocking adjustment that arrives for each they can suddenly no longer drive. And that change does often come very suddenly, after a medical crisis or a car accident.
All of them live in car-dependent suburbs and haven't really used public transit since they were teens or young adults. I've complained over the years about the difficulty of visiting the burbs from downtown without renting a car and haven't received much sympathy (I think I'm generally viewed as being strange or difficult for insisting on living in the city and not owning a car). Thankfully increased frequencies for the GO trains are starting to kick in, which helps a lot, but the last mile problem remains a big one. In the meantime some relatives are using paid drivers fill the gap, especially for medical appointments, but that is not a cheap solution and only works if you don't outlive your money.
In contrast, several neighbours in our downtown condo building have aged in place here well into their 80s and 90s, and we see them out walking every day on their errands. I think the walking has kept them healthy, though the dangers I see from terrible drivers and e-bikes on the sidewalks these days makes me worry for them -- and also worry that by the time my wife and I reach that age, if we're so lucky, our habit of walking everywhere will be what kills us, not what saves us.
As my parents, aunts and uncles reach their late seventies, I can see the shocking adjustment that arrives for each they can suddenly no longer drive. And that change does often come very suddenly, after a medical crisis or a car accident.
All of them live in car-dependent suburbs and haven't really used public transit since they were teens or young adults. I've complained over the years about the difficulty of visiting the burbs from downtown without renting a car and haven't received much sympathy (I think I'm generally viewed as being strange or difficult for insisting on living in the city and not owning a car). Thankfully increased frequencies for the GO trains are starting to kick in, which helps a lot, but the last mile problem remains a big one. In the meantime some relatives are using paid drivers fill the gap, especially for medical appointments, but that is not a cheap solution and only works if you don't outlive your money.
In contrast, several neighbours in our downtown condo building have aged in place here well into their 80s and 90s, and we see them out walking every day on their errands. I think the walking has kept them healthy, though the dangers I see from terrible drivers and e-bikes on the sidewalks these days makes me worry for them -- and also worry that by the time my wife and I reach that age, if we're so lucky, our habit of walking everywhere will be what kills us, not what saves us.