An updated 'walk audit toolkit' lets you assess pedestrian safety in your neighborhood and advocate for improvements.
As reported by Melanie Curry, a toolkit published by the AARP provides a template for evaluating pedestrian safety in any community.
"The 'kit' is a 28-page booklet that can be downloaded as a PDF (or ordered from AARP) to guide teams or individuals in conducting an audit of pedestrian facilities – or the lack thereof – in their communities. By simply walking around, observing, and noting features that allow people to walk safely, anyone can advocate for better conditions for everyone in their neighborhood," writes Curry.
The organization wants their Walk Audit Toolkit to serve as a catalyst for discussion and a tool that can help residents, advocates, and policymakers figure out their community's needs "and advocate for better planning so that people can get where they want to go safely and comfortably without having to drive."
"The kit includes ten free worksheets that can be printed out and shared separately. They include checklists for evaluating the safety of streets, sidewalks, intersections, and crossings; transit access; driver behavior; a grid for drawing a map; and questions to help think about who is using the street now, how they are, and why."
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