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AARP and Walkability In a livable community, people of all ages can safely walk for fitness and to get where they need or want to go. However: • Acommunitywithoutsidewalks— orwith sidewalks that suddenly end —is not walkable • Streets that are too wide, have multiple lanes or lack traffic lights are uncrossable • Public transit stops that pedestrians can't safely access are essentially useless Because the vast majority of the nation's roadways were designed to move cars fast, far too many streets are simply unwalkable. Walkability is an important issue to AARP because older adults —along with people of color and residents of low-income communities —are disproportionately the victims of fatal motor vehicle crashes involving pedestrians. In fact, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the rates of pedestrian deaths in vehicle crashes per 100,000 people are highest for those age 70 or older. The AARP Walk Audit Tool Kit provides community leaders and residentswith a wayto identify unsafe streets, gatherand document needed information and observations, and then advocate forsolutions to make streets safer for all users. ■ Frederick, Maryland Walk This Way — or Any Which Way The words "walking" and "pedestrians" are used in this tool kit as inclusive terms. To quote the Inclusive Walk Audit Facilitator's Guide, published in 2020 by the Minnesota Department of Health, walking"includes both ambulatory and non -ambulatory modes. Walking encompasses all forms of mobility devices, including using a wheelchair, cane, walker or other mobility device that allows the user to travel at human speed." Inclusivity is important to the walk audit process since streets should be usable by people of all ages, experiences and abilities. Forthat reason, walk audits done by groups orteams are best when they include auditors who walk at different speeds, who "roll" ratherthan walk, who have vision or hearing impairments, or other differences that impact them as pedestrians. Afterall, when a street is safe and accessible for someone with a disability or mobility difference, it is safe and accessible for everyone. Creative Solutions / There are two ways to reach the pedestrian bridge that crosses a small canal in the center of town. Option 1: Take the stairs. Option 2: Use the ramp. ► A portable beach access mat makes the shore accessible — and walking or rolling on the sand easier— for all visitors. Hilton Head Island, South Carolina AARP Walk AudIt Tool Kit 13 Page 48 of 89