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How to Conduct a Walk Audit Webinar

How to Conduct a Walk Audit Webinar

Whether you are a resident, community organizer, or decision-maker, you can use walk audits as a tool to document and address opportunities and challenges to creating a great walking and biking environment in your community. This webinar will explain what a walk audit is, how to conduct one, and provide tools and tips to keep the momentum going after the audit is complete.

Speakers:
- Molly Wagner, Project Manager, WALKSacramento
- Jarah Crowner, Policy & Program Analyst, UC Berkeley SafeTREC

This webinar is part of our Safe Routes to Parks and Healthy Retail webinar series.

WALKSacramento

June 25, 2020
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Transcript

  1. Safe Routes to Parks and Healthy Retail
    Webinar Series
    June 25, 2020

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  2. WALKSacramento is a
    nonprofit planning and
    advocacy organization that
    improves quality of life and
    health equity through
    community-centered policy
    and systems change in land
    use, transportation, and
    community development.
    About WALK

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  3. This webinar is part of our Safe Routes to Parks and
    Healthy Retail webinar series funded by the Sacramento
    County Public Health.
    Special Thanks to
    The California Department of Public Health, with funding from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – USDA SNAP, produced this
    material. These institutions are equal opportunity providers and employers. For important nutrition information, visit www.CaChampionsForChange.net

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  4. Isaí Palma
    Today's Speakers
    Project Assistant
    WALKSacramento
    Moderator
    Molly Wagner
    Project Manager
    WALKSacramento
    Speaker
    Jarah Crowner,
    MPH, CHES
    Policy & Program Analyst
    Safe Transportation Research and
    Education Center, UC Berkeley
    Speaker
    [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
    u

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  5. • Defining a Walk Audit
    • How to Conduct a Walk
    Audit
    ⚬ Preparing for a Walk
    Audit
    ⚬ What to Look For
    ⚬ Post-Audit Report Back
    • Additional Resources: Street
    Story Tool
    • Q&A
    Objectives

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  6. A walk audit* identifies barriers to walking, biking, or rolling along a
    designated route or to a specific destination.
    Walk audits can:
    • Identify deficiencies in pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure
    • Identify potential improvements
    • Identify features that would encourage more active travel
    • Be an effective strategy for community members to prioritize
    opportunities and challenges to active transportation in their
    community
    A Walk audit is not an official engineering study, but is a strong community
    tool to demonstrate the need for further engineering studies or serve as
    supporting information for grant applications.
    What is a Walk Audit?
    *Note: Walk Audits can have many focuses and can be referred to as Traffic Safety Audits,
    Bike Audits, ADA Audits, etc. For simplicity of this presentation we will refer to audits as walk
    audits.

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  7. Who can conduct a Walk Audit?
    Short Answer: Everyone!
    Walk audits can be conducted by families, neighbors,
    community groups, transit advocates, health professionals,
    elected officials, etc.
    Walk audits are a powerful community tool used to bring
    residents and community stakeholders together to prioritize a
    community vision and develop action steps to reach that
    vision. It is critical that residents are involved and their voices
    remain centered throughout the process.
    As a group or individually?
    Typically, Walk Audits are organized as a community events,
    however due to COVID-19, social gatherings are limited. Walk
    audits can still be conducted by members of a household.
    Work with other interested participants to determine an
    effective method to collaborate and share findings while
    maintaining safe distances.

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  8. Step 1: Identify Your Location
    • Identify specific location or destination that you want to observe.
    Example: Walking route to schools, parks, healthy food, employment
    center, etc.
    Step 2: Set Your Goals
    • What is your vision for the area you are observing?
    • Why are you doing the audit?
    • What do you want to observe?
    • What are the existing challenges?
    • What solutions have already been tried?
    • Brainstorm infrastructure and non-infrastructure elements that create
    a safe and inviting environment. Prioritize your top 5.
    Step 3: Plan Your Route
    • Use a printed map or digital map to plan your route
    • Include areas that you want to focus on (intersections, access to
    destinations, other pain points).
    • Be flexible!
    How to Conduct a Walk Audit

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  9. Step 4: Gather Materials
    • Map of Route
    • Note taking tools: Clipboard, notebook, pens/pencils
    • Camera
    ⚬ Photos are really important to document observations. Remember
    to be respectful of privacy when taking photos of people (no photos
    of faces or children, unless given permission)
    • Water
    • Snacks
    • Safety Vests
    • Sun protection
    Step 5: Walk, Bike, Roll!
    • You've got everything you need. Now it's time to do the audit.
    • Try to assess the environment from multiple angles and viewpoints. A
    motorist sees the road differently than a bicycle or pedestrian.
    How to Conduct a Walk Audit

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  10. What to Observe: 5 Key Elements
    Pedestrian
    Facilities
    Bicycle
    Facilities
    Land Use
    Vehicle
    Facilities
    Transit
    Facilities
    You don't need to be a trained expert in any of these elements to observe
    them around you. You are more of an expert than you know!

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  11. What to Observe: Pedestrian Facilities
    What are Pedestrian Facilities?
    Pedestrian facilities include the presence and condition of
    sidewalks, crossings, and other amenities that support
    pedestrians.
    As streets increase in volume and speed of traffic they
    require wider sidewalks, greater separation of sidewalks
    from traffic, and high visibility stop-controlled crossings to
    help improve the pedestrian experience.
    Things to consider on your audit:
    • Are sidewalks wide enough for at least two people to
    walk comfortably?
    • Are there pedestrian amenities along this route
    (benches, art, wayfinding signage, shade)?
    • Do the current pedestrian facilities work for people with
    disabilities, those with a mobility device, or stroller?
    • Do crossings have adequate countdown signals?

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  12. What to Observe: Bicycle Facilities
    What are Bicycle Facilities?
    Bicycle facilities include the presence and condition of bike
    lanes and bike parking. When assessing bicycle facilities,
    consider whether it feels safe and comfortable to bike along
    the street.
    Generally, as streets increase in volume and speed of traffic,
    greater separation of bike lanes from traffic is desirable for
    improving the biking experience.
    Things to consider on your audit:
    • Are there existing bicycle lanes?
    • Do the bicycle lanes feel comfortable to ride in based on
    the level and speed of traffic?
    • Is bicycle parking in plain sight and visible from well-
    trafficked pedestrian areas?
    • Is the available bike parking sufficient? Are the racks in
    good condition or disrepair?
    • Is there bicycle route signage indicating low stress
    routes?

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  13. What to Observe: Transit Facilities
    What are Transit Facilities?
    Transit facilities include the presence and condition of bus stops,
    light rail stations, and bus travel lanes. Amenities such as shade,
    seating, and schedule information improves the transit rider
    experience. Transit facilities should be easy to access with safe
    crossings nearby.
    Things to consider on your audit:
    • Do buses have a dedicated bus lane?
    • Is there adequate space to load and unload passengers?
    • Is more space needed to maintain public health guidelines?
    • Are amenities such as shade structures, seating, or long-term
    bike parking provided?
    • Are there accessibility features such as braille, auditory
    assistance, or other features available to access important
    information?
    • Is the stop well lit?
    • Is the stop well maintained? / Does it feel safe?

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  14. What to Observe: Vehicle Facilities
    What are Vehicle Facilities?
    Vehicle facilities include the number of travel
    lanes, width of lanes, and speed of traffic.
    Generally, a greater amount and width of travel
    lanes induce higher speeds, contributing to an
    unsafe and uncomfortable walking and biking
    experience.
    Things to consider on your audit:
    • What is the posted speed limit along the
    route and do drivers adhere to the speed
    limit?
    • How many lanes are dedicated to vehicles?
    • Do drivers adhere to stop controls?

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  15. What to Observe: Land Use
    What is Land Use?
    Land use includes general destinations nearby and buildings
    along the route such as a mixture of housing and commercial
    retail. Destinations such as community centers, schools, and
    parks often attract pedestrian activity and should be considered
    when thinking about transportation barriers and safety concerns.
    Things to consider on your audit:
    • Do buildings have entrances that are close to the street?
    • What are the key destinations nearby that attract different
    types of users?
    • Are parking lots shaded?
    • Are windows covered by flyers and signage or open and
    welcoming?
    • Is there easy access to community centers, businesses, parks,
    libraries, or other community assets nearby?
    Image: Comstock's

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  16. Once you have completed your audit, hold a post-audit
    meeting.
    This can be with your group or can be done using conference
    calls or video calls, and shared documentation tools (Google
    Docs).
    • Debrief what you observed
    • Share general ideas about infrastructure and non-
    infrastructure changes
    • Identify priorities that are:
    ⚬ High-cost
    ⚬ Low-cost
    ⚬ Short-term
    ⚬ Long-term
    • Identify a list of stakeholders you want to engage to share
    your findings with.
    • Develop a next steps plan to ensure that the ideas from
    your audit do not end there!
    Reporting Back After the Audit

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  17. Ideas to Keep the Momentum Going
    Ideas for Keeping the Momentum Going

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  18. Walk Audit Toolkit Street
    Story
    https://www.walksacramento.org/portfolio/
    safe-routes-to-parks-and-healthy-retail/
    https://streetstory.berkeley.edu
    Tools & Resources

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  19. STREET STORY
    Transportation Safety
    Community Engagement
    Tool
    WALKSacramento: How to Conduct a Walk Audit
    June 25, 2020
    Jarah Crowner
    UC Berkeley SafeTREC

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  20. What is Street Story?
    • Street Story helps community groups and agencies collect and
    understand information that is important for transportation
    safety but is difficult to gather and analyze

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  21. How to Provide Information
    https://streetstory.berkeley.edu

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  22. How to Provide Information
    https://streetstory.berkeley.edu

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  23. How to Provide Information
    https://streetstory.berkeley.edu

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  24. How to Provide Information
    https://streetstory.berkeley.edu

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  25. How to Provide Information
    https://streetstory.berkeley.edu

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  26. Street Story Paper Version

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  27. Street Story Data
    https://streetstory.berkeley.edu

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  28. Street Story Data

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  29. Street Story Data

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  30. Street Story Data

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  31. Street Story in the field - walk audit
    • Plan a short walk with a group of 5-15 members, and take
    notes on locations where people feel safe, unsafe or have
    experienced a crash or near-miss in the past
    • Convene at a location where group members can spend time
    recording information onto the Street Story website

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  32. Street Story in the field - community
    meeting
    • Convene at a location where meeting attendees can spend
    time recording their experiences on the Street Story website
    • Review the input made with meeting attendees

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  33. Street Story in the field - community
    events
    • Bring Street Story to existing community events, including
    farmers markets, Open Streets events, or health fairs
    • Ask attendees to provide input, or hand out flyers with Street
    Story information

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  34. Other Resources

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  35. Additional Resources
    Tutorial video:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ekhkOACub8&feature=yout
    u.be
    How communities are using the tool:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqIIIzdDPYU
    New features:
    https://safetrec.berkeley.edu/news/new-features-added-street-
    story-tool

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  36. Contact Information
    Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the
    California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway
    Traffic Safety Administration.
    [email protected]
    [email protected]

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  37. View Slide

  38. Upcoming Webinars
    • Healthy Design Toolkit, July 2020
    • Supporting Public Safety Through
    Environmental Design strategies, August 2020
    Stay tuned for official dates and registration information.
    To receive information about upcoming webinars and events, sign up for our email
    list here: https://bit.ly/walksacramentonews or contact us:
    [email protected]

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