I have a grandmother in San Francisco. It only works OK for her because she has a daughter with a car. Taking public transportation isn't something she could seriously consider.
I think a lot of people here are imagining themselves as "seniors" without really picturing what that is like. It isn't just like being a 30-year-old male, but with wrinkles and free time.
Going up those hills is something the young take for granted. The elderly have painful joints, weak muscles, bad eyesight, slow reactions, and poor balance. I just try to imagine my grandmother going up a hill, maybe with a walker... and I mostly can't.
Invulnerability to crime is something that young males often take for granted. My grandmother would be such easy pickings. She can't run and she can't fight. She could very quietly scream after the crime had happened, but only if she doesn't fall down and get knocked out cold.
Many have poor control of core body temperature. They are in danger if the weather changes.
Many are not strong enough to carry very much. Typically you bring stuff with you when you go places. The point is often to go shopping, and of course you'd want to bring a purse. This is not something that everyone can reliably do.
The impression I'm getting from this and other comments is that San Francisco is basically a bunch of small mountains where people get mugged.
I live in a pretty flat city, but there's so much transit in the inner city (<8 minute frequencies most of the day) that seniors just take it everywhere. It's safe, it's warm, there's room for grocery carts, there's special seating for the mobility-impaired....maybe it's just implementation.
I think a lot of people here are imagining themselves as "seniors" without really picturing what that is like. It isn't just like being a 30-year-old male, but with wrinkles and free time.
Going up those hills is something the young take for granted. The elderly have painful joints, weak muscles, bad eyesight, slow reactions, and poor balance. I just try to imagine my grandmother going up a hill, maybe with a walker... and I mostly can't.
Invulnerability to crime is something that young males often take for granted. My grandmother would be such easy pickings. She can't run and she can't fight. She could very quietly scream after the crime had happened, but only if she doesn't fall down and get knocked out cold.
Many have poor control of core body temperature. They are in danger if the weather changes.
Many are not strong enough to carry very much. Typically you bring stuff with you when you go places. The point is often to go shopping, and of course you'd want to bring a purse. This is not something that everyone can reliably do.