AARP teaches you how to conduct a 'walk audit'
Nov 14, 2024
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — If you've walked through different intersections in your neighborhood pushing a wheelchair, using a walker, or even passing through with a stroller, you may have noticed that it's not safe, not walkable, or you may just not have enough time to cross.
"We're really trying to combat social isolation and make sure that everybody feels safe to get around their own neighborhood," AARP NY Associate Director Kathleen Benedetti-Fisher said.
These community members are conducting a walk audit. that's when you walk through intersections and ask yourself questions like — Can you cross the street? Do you need more time? Can you push a wheelchair off a sidewalk? Are there accessibility issues?
"People really do need to be walking and there are no amenities for them to be able to walk safely," Benedetti-Fisher said.
AARP's event is called "Taking It to the Streets: Improving Pedestrian Safety in Your Community." It is meant to give you tools you can use to make sure your intersections are walkable. This comes in the form of a checklist that tells you what to look for because data is the name of the game.
"We've heard from the City of Rochester and the different counties that we're working with," Benedetti-Fisher said. "They're very happy to have the collection of more data to consider in their plans."
"We have found that when you're trying to make an argument for building something like sidewalks or bike lanes," added Cody Donahue, Reconnect Rochester's director of policy and advocacy. "It is really important to come with data."
The organization is trying to empower individuals to assess their own intersections. They say the best time to do that is when there are already building projects in the works.
"We also try to line it up with what's coming up in the future and the future road projects so that the results can be actionable from the decision-makers' point of view," said Donahue.
"Some areas don't have sidewalks, some areas have no crosswalks so we're really trying to take another look after planning has happened," said Benedetti-Fisher.
AARP will take a month to synthesize the data the community collects and will release a report.