A Study of the Mobility of the Elderly Women in Kamikatsu-Town, a Mountainous Area in JAPAN

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  • 徳島県上勝町における高齢女性のモビリティ
  • トクシマケン カミカツマチ ニ オケル コウレイ ジョセイ ノ モビリティ

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Abstract

<p>This paper attempts to examine the daily-transportations of elderly women (over 75years old) in Kamikatsu-town, Tokushima prefecture, focusing on how the difference of their transportation condition, such as the locations of their residence and the transportation they use, has impacted on the combination of their means of transportation.</p><p>Amid the decrease of the mobility of the elderly women and the range of their activities, this combination can be divided into several patterns depending on the difference of the transportation condition of their residence. Those who live in the area near from a bus stop benefit from inexpensive bus service, which facilitates the support from their family members who live apart. On the other hand, those who live in the area distant from a bus stop need other means of transportation including DRT (Demand Responsive Transportation) to sustain such support.</p><p>In this manner, the utility form of the transportation differs depending on the distance between a residence and the nearest bus stop. In the case of Kamikatsu Town, however, irrespective of this distance, the mobility of the elderly women has presented some insufficiency: the above-mentioned support from the non-resident family of those who live nearer from a bus stop tends to be intermissive because of the inconvenience of their family. Those who live in the area distant from a bus stop suffer more directly from the lack of transportation services. This lack of service, namely "the insufficiency of accessible transportation," is a new problem caused by the aging of the residents. During the high economic growth period, when the popularization of automobiles and motorcycles enabled women to move around easily by themselves or with the help of others, this problem did not come to the surface. In this respect, from now, it seems necessary to establish the transportation services that enhance the safety and quality of the elderly's mobility and provide them with more occasions to go out.</p>

Journal

  • GEOGRAPHICAL SCIENCES

    GEOGRAPHICAL SCIENCES 75 (1), 1-18, 2020-02-28

    THE JAPANESE SOCIETY FOR GEOGRAPHICAL SCIENCES

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