Injury Prevention

Take a walk with a child and decide for yourselves. Everyone benefits from walking. These benefits include: improved fitness, cleaner air, reduced risks of certain health problems, and a greater sense of community. But walking needs to be safe and easy. Take a walk with your child and use this checklist to decide if your neighborhood is a friendly place to walk. Take heart if you find problems, there are ways you can make things better.

Getting started: First, you'll need to pick a place to walk, like the route to school, a friend's house or just somewhere fun to go.

The second step involves the checklist. Read over the checklist before you go, and as you walk, note the locations of things you would like to change. At the end of your walk, give each question a rating. Then add up the numbers to see how you rated your walk overall.

After you've rated your walk and identified any problem areas, the next step is to figure out what you can do to improve your community's score. You'll find both immediate answers and long-term solutions under "Improving Your Community's Score..." on the third page.

Walkability Checklist How walkable is your community?

Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center

U.S. Department of Transportation

How walkable is your community?

1. Did you have room to walk? Yes Some problems: Sidewalks or paths started and stopped Sidewalks were broken or cracked Sidewalks were blocked with poles, signs, shrubbery, dumpsters, etc. No sidewalks, paths, or shoulders Too much traffic Something else ___________________ Locations of problems: _____________ Rating: (circle one) __________________________ 1 2 3 4 5 6 __________________________

3. Did drivers behave well? Yes Some problems: Drivers... Backed out of driveways without looking Did not yield to people crossing the street Turned into people crossing the street Drove too fast Sped up to make it through traffic lights or drove through traffic lights? Something else ___________________ Locations of problems: _____________ Rating: (circle one) __________________________ 1 2 3 4 5 6 __________________________

4. Was it easy to follow safety rules? Could you and your child... Yes No Cross at crosswalks or where you could see and be seen by drivers? Yes No Stop and look left, right and then left again before crossing streets? Yes No Walk on sidewalks or shoulders facing traffic where there were no sidewalks? Yes No Cross with the light? Locations of problems: ________ Rating: (circle one) __________________________ 1 2 3 4 5 6 __________________________

5. Was your walk pleasant? Yes Some unpleasant things: Needed more grass, flowers, or trees Scary dogs Scary people Not well lighted Dirty, lots of litter or trash Dirty air due to automobile exhaust Something else ___________________ Locations of problems: _____________ Rating: (circle one) __________________________ 1 2 3 4 5 6 __________________________

How does your neighborhood stack up? Add up your ratings and decide.

1. _____

2. _____

3. _____

4. _____

5. _____

Total _____

26-30 Celebrate! You have a great neighborhood for walking. 21-25 Celebrate a little. Your neighborhood is pretty good. 16-20 Okay, but it needs work. 11-15 It needs lots of work. You deserve better than that. 5-10 It's a disaster for walking!

Location of walk _________________ ________________________________

1 2 3 4 5 6

awful many problems

some problems

very goodgood excellent

2. Was it easy to cross streets? Yes Some problems: Road was too wide Traffic signals made us wait too long or did not give us enough time to cross Needed striped crosswalks or traffic signals Parked cars blocked our view of traffic Trees or plants blocked our view of traffic Needed curb ramps or ramps needed repair Something else ___________________ Locations of problems: _____________ Rating: (circle one) __________________________ 1 2 3 4 5 6 __________________________

Rating Scale:

Now that you've identified the problems, go to the next page to find out how to fix them.

Take a walk and use this checklist to rate your neighborhood's walkability.

1. Did you have room to walk?

Sidewalks or paths started and stopped Sidewalks broken or cracked Sidewalks blocked No sidewalks, paths or shoulders Too much traffic

• pick another route for now • tell local traffic engineering or public works department about specific problems and provide a copy of the checklist

• speak up at board meetings • write or petition city for walkways and gather neighborhood signatures • make media aware of problem • work with a local transportation engineer to develop a plan for a safe walking route 2. Was it easy to cross streets?

Road too wide Traffic signals made us wait too long or did not give us enough time to cross Crosswalks/traffic signals needed View of traffic blocked by parked cars, trees, or plants Needed curb ramps or ramps needed repair

3. Did drivers behave well?

Backed without looking Did not yield Turned into walkers Drove too fast Sped up to make traffic lights or drove through red lights

4. Could you follow safety rules?

Cross at crosswalks or where you could see and be seen Stop and look left, right, left before crossing Walk on sidewalks or shoulders facing traffic Cross with the light

5. Was your walk pleasant?

Needs grass, flowers, trees Scary dogs Scary people Not well lit Dirty, litter Lots of traffic

• pick another route for now • share problems and checklist with local traffic engineering or public works department • trim your trees or bushes that block the street and ask your neighbors to do the same • leave nice notes on problem cars asking owners not to park there

• educate yourself and your child about safe walking • organize parents in your neighborhood to walk children to school

• encourage schools to teach walking safely • help schools start safe walking programs • encourage corporate support for flex schedules so parents can walk children to school

• point out areas to avoid to your child; agree on safe routes • ask neighbors to keep dogs leashed or fenced • report scary dogs to the animal control department • report scary people to the police • report lighting needs to the police or appropriate public works department • take a walk wih a trash bag • plant trees, flowers in your yard • select alternative route with less traffic

• push for crosswalks/signals/ parking changes/curb ramps at city meetings • report to traffic engineer where parked cars are safety hazards • report illegally parked cars to the police • request that the public works department trim trees or plants • make media aware of problem

• pick another route for now • set an example: slow down and be considerate of others • encourage your neighbors to do the same • report unsafe driving to the police

• petition for more enforcement • request protected turns • ask city planners and traffic engineers for traffic calming ideas • ask schools about getting crossing guards at key locations • organize a neighborhood speed watch program

• request increased police enforcement • start a crime watch program in your neighborhood • organize a community clean-up day • sponsor a neighborhood beautification or tree-planting day • begin an adopt-a-street program • initiate support to provide routes with less traffic to schools in your community (reduced traffic during am and pm school commute times)

What you and your child can do immediately

What you and your community can do with more time

A Quick Health Check

Could not go as far or as fast as we wanted Were tired, short of breath or had sore feet or muscles Was the sun really hot? Was it hot and hazy?

• start with short walks and work up to 30 minutes of walking most days • invite a friend or child along • walk along shaded routes where possible • use sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher, wear a hat and sunglasses • try not to walk during the hottest time of day

• get media to do a story about the health benefits of walking • call parks and recreation department about community walks • encourage corporate support for employee walking programs • plant shade trees along routes • have a sun safety seminar for kids • have kids learn about unhealthy ozone days and the Air Quality Index (AQI)

Improving your community's score...

Now that you know the problems, you can find the answers.

Great Resources PEDESTRIAN SAFETY National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Traffic Safety Programs 400 Seventh Street, SW Washington, DC 20590 Phone: (202) 662-0600 www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/pedbimot/ped

National SAFE KIDS Campaign 1301 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Suite 1000 Washington, DC 20004 Phone: (202) 662-0600 Fax: (202) 393-2072 www.safekids.org

WALKING AND HEALTH US Environmental Protection Agency Office of Children's Health Protection (MC 1107A) Washington, DC 20460 Phone: 202-564-2188 Fax: 202-564-2733 www.epa.gov/children/ www.epa.gov/airnow/ www.epa.gov/air/urbanair/ozone/what.html www.epa.gov/sunwise/uvindex.html www.epa.gov/otaq/transp/comchoic/ccweb.htm

President's Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children www.childrenshealth.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity Phone: (888) 232-4674 www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/readyset www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/kidswalk/index.htm

Prevention Magazine 33 East Minor Street Emmaus, PA 18098 www.itsallaboutprevention.com

Shape Up America! 6707 Democracy Boulevard Suite 306 Bethesda, MD 20817 www.shapeup.org

ACCESSIBLE SIDEWALKS US Access Board 1331 F Street, NW Suite 1000 Washington, DC 20004-1111 Phone: (800) 872-2253; (800) 993-2822 (TTY) www.access-board.gov

WALKING INFORMATION Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC) UNC Highway Safety Research Center 730 Airport Road , Suite 300 Campus Box 3430 Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3430 Phone: (919) 962-2202 www.pedbikeinfo.org www.walkinginfo.org

National Center for Bicycling and Walking Campaign to Make America Walkable 1506 21st Street, NW Suite 200 Washington, DC 20036 Phone: (800) 760-NBPC www.bikefed.org

WALK TO SCHOOL DAY WEB SITES USA event: www.walktoschool-usa.org International: www.iwalktoschool.org

STREET DESIGN AND TRAFFIC CALMING Federal Highway Administration Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Research Program HSR - 20 6300 Georgetown Pike McLean, VA 22101 www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bikeped/index.htm

Institute of Transportation Engineers www.ite.org

Surface Transportation Policy Project www.transact.org

Transportation for Livable Communities www.tlcnetwork.org

WALKING COALITIONS America Walks P.O. Box 29103 Portland, Oregon 97210 Phone: (503) 222-1077 www.americawalks.org

Partnership for a Walkable America National Safety Council 1121 Spring Lake Drive Itasca, IL 60143-3201 Phone: (603) 285-1121 www.nsc.org/walkable.htm

Need some guidance? These resources might help...

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