The new safety grants “will allow communities to take actions to make their city safer and better places to walk,” said David Strickland, director of the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration (NHTSA), who spoke at a news conference on Monday.
Some of the “resources to increase walkability” mentioned at Monday’s news conference include “better infrastructure for pedestrians,” such as highway medians, pavement markings and new traffic signals.
And NHTSA’s “Everyone Is a Pedestrian” website offers a “Walkability Checklist,” which reads like a “how-to” guide for budding community activists.
The checklist helps walkers identify problems in their neighborhoods (such as “too much automobile exhaust”) and pursue solutions (have kids learn about unhealthy ozone days and the Air Quality Index).
“Everyone benefits from walking,” says the “Walkability Checklist” available on NHTSA’s website. It mentions improved fitness, cleaner air, reduced risks of certain health problems, and a greater sense of community. “But walking needs to be safe and easy,” the checklist continues. “Take a walk with your child and use this checklist to decide if your neighborhood is a friendly place to walk.”
After deciding on a route, walkers are encouraged to “note the locations of things you would like to change.”
The checklist poses five questions: (1) Did you have room to walk? (2) Was it easy to cross streets? (3) Did drivers behave well? (4) Was it easy to follow safety rules?
And then there’s question number 5 — “Was your walk pleasant?”
The checklist suggests the following answers to question 5: “Needed more grass, flowers or trees;” “Scary dogs”; “Scary people”; “Not well lighted”; “Dirty, lots of litter or trash”; and “Dirty air due to automobile exhaust.”
After identifying problems along the route with the help of the checklist, walkers are encouraged to pursue solutions, some of them long-term.
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