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STEP 3: GO do the Walk Audit! Q LOOKAND LEARN With clipboards and worksheets in hand, go to the audit site. When a walk audit is staffed by many workers or volunteers, the tasks can be divvied up among them. Audit activities can include: • Counting cars that pass the location • Counting pedestrianswho walk along and/or cross the street • Noting demographic characteristics of the pedestrians (e.g., age, physical ability) • Timing how long thetraffic lightstops vehicles so pedestrians can cross • Assessing why people are walking in the location (exercising, comm uting,shopping, dog walking, etc.) Understanding the "Why" Although a walk audit needn't involve stopping pedestrians fo r interviews, it's important to have a sense of why people arewalking in a particular area. Doing so can help pinpoint problems and solutions. Look for clues: Pedestrian traffic that picks up around lunchtime might indicate nearby workers are traveling from theirjobs to area shops and restaurants. (If so, can they move about safely? Are there crosswalks? Do the traffic lights allow pedestrians enough time to cross the street?) • Are people driving to eateries, shops and businesses neartheir homes or workplaces because there's no safe way for them to walk? • The lack of pedestrians can also provide clues. What could be done to encourage morewalkingand lessdriving? Atrue example: A housing development is located nextto a public libraryand a community center. The residents routinely drive to both destinations. Why? Conversations with some of the neighbors reveal the (fixable) reason: The sidewalk connecting the neighborhood to the community buildings ends abruptly, forcing pedestrians to eitherwalk in the roadway or follow an uneven dirt path through a wooded area. 8I AARP Walk Audit Tool Kit Page 53 of 89