WESTCHESTER COUNYT, N.Y. – In a walkable community, people of all ages can safely walk wherever they need to go.
However, throughout New York State, many communities are unwalkable due to nonexistent or poor sidewalk conditions, ill-timed crosswalk signals, or long distances between residential and business districts.
From Nov. 14 through Nov. 22, AARP New York is hosting a series of walk audits around the state to empower pedestrians to take back their crosswalks.
“All New Yorkers, from Buffalo to Long Island, should be able to run errands, go for a stroll or take their dogs for a walk without worrying about being hit by a vehicle. All too often, it’s not easy to simply cross a street,” said Beth Finkel, AARP New York State Director, who walks to work in Manhattan every day. “Our goal is to empower New Yorkers throughout the state to take back their streets by pointing out dangerous crossings.”
Most of the nation’s roadways were designed for cars and 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.
The first walk audits in the project kicked off on Nov. 14 in Albany, Manhattan, Rochester and on Long Island with volunteers and AARP staff leading the effort. They were joined by safe street advocates and government officials. The walk audits then continued in the five boroughs of New York City, the Hudson Valley’s Poughkeepsie, in Albany County, throughout Monroe County and on Suffolk and Nassau counties until Nov. 22.
New York State residents are invited to conduct their own walk audits by downloading a worksheet at aarp.org/nywalks. They can submit it to AARP to be part of a report on the walk audit project findings or share with their local officials. Walk audits take about 10 minutes for each location. Participants fill out a checklist evaluating stop lights, curb cutouts and sidewalk conditions.
Walk Audit How-To
1. Download the form: AARP Walk Audit Tool Kit Worksheet
2. Invite friends and neighbors to join you.
3. Gather information about the sidewalks, the street and any crossing signals. Be sure to take some pictures along the way!
4. Share images or videos on social media using the hashtag #WalkSafeNY and tagging @AARPNY.
5. Scan and submit the form and any photos to nyaarp@aarp.org. Report your findings!
6. Share your findings with local leaders in your community.
If you want to learn more about this initiative, visit www.aarp.org/NYwalks.
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