“...I can stop in any street and talk with people that we meet goin’ mobile.” —Pete Townsend

In case you missed it, a collection of local and regional agencies is looking for input on how you get around Newtown — or wish you could.

Through November 24, Friends of Newtown Seniors (FONS) in collaboration with Newtown Human Services, the Newtown Commission on Aging, Hart Bus, the transportation coordinator for Western Connecticut Area Agency on Aging (WCAAA), and the regional council of governments needs residents 55 and older to spend a few minutes sharing your thoughts on local transportation needs.

Organizers worked hard to be sure the survey is accessible to as many potential respondents as possible by offering it as a direct link at surveymonkey.com/r/LV9J7HL or link to the survey on the FONS website at friendsofnewtownseniors.org, or if you prefer, paper copies are available at the C.H. Booth Library and the Senior Center as well.

With all these points of accessibility, there are no reasons or obstacles preventing widespread participation. People are even encouraged to pick up surveys for friends who do not use the internet or choose not to complete the survey online.

How these various agencies will apply the results is part of an ongoing enhancement effort that began in 2017 when Newtown was inducted as Connecticut’s second municipality in AARP’s national network of Livable Communities. Since then, FONS in particular has been actively involved in various initiatives related to developing an “Age Friendly Livable Community” by AARP standards — which are not exclusive to those 55-and-over by any means.

One of the AARP Network of Age Friendly Communities “8 Domains of Livability” involving transportation states: “Driving shouldn’t be the only way to get around. Public transit options can be as expansive as a train system or as targeted as a taxi service that provides nondrivers with rides to and from a doctor’s office.”

But AARP is far from the only organization promoting transportation accessibility as a factor in enhancing everybody’s quality of life, no matter where they live.

In its latest update on “Smart Growth,” the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states “Transportation facilities and networks have the power to shape development, influence property values, and determine a [community’s] character and quality of life. In addition, transportation investments have important consequences for the environment, including air and water quality, climate change, and open space preservation.”

Furthermore, the EPA says expanded transportation choice makes it easier to incorporate physical activity into daily routines, reduces transportation costs, and gives more freedom and mobility to low-income individuals, senior citizens, disabled persons, and others who cannot or choose not to drive or own a car.

And a July 2021 brief from global health organization Project HOPE notes that new or expanded public transportation options can improve health and health equity by reducing traffic crashes and improving access to medical care, healthy food, vital services, employment, and social connection.

Since encompassing or improving each of these quality of life touchstones can only serve to make our community a significantly better, healthier, safer, and more social place to live, we trust you will rev up your responsiveness and transport yourself to the most convenient medium for completing this critical survey before the November 24 deadline.