Smart Growth America has just released a new report An Active Roadmap: Best Practices in Rural Mobility that discusses rural transportation needs and challenges along with success stories from rural and small town communities across the country. It explores the different ways that rural communities can adapt to thrive in a changing America, with a primary focus on active and multimodal modes of transportation as a tool.
The press release announcing the publication lists some interesting statistics:
- More than 1 million rural American households are without cars.
- Older adults who no longer drive make 15% fewer trips to the doctor, 59% fewer trips to shop or eat out, and 65% fewer trips to visit friends and family, than drivers of the same age.
- While close to 19% of the US population lives in rural areas, they account for 49% of all traffic deaths.
The report itself is organized into four sections (1) defining rural typologies, (2) identifying the unique needs and challenges of rural communities, (3) strategies for successful multimodal transportation in rural communities, and (4) recommendations for success.
