• Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP)
• Intersection Safety
• Local & Rural Road Safety
• Pedestrian & Bicycle Safety
  • Pedestrian Safety Focus States and Cities
  • Crash Facts
  • Tools to Diagnose and Solve the Problem
  • Education and Outreach
  • Pedestrians and Transit
  • Pedestrian Safety in Communities
  • Hispanic Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety
  • Legislation and Guidelines
  • Research
  • Order Copies of CD’s, Reports, and Other Resources
  • Related Websites
• Roadway Departure Safety
• Speed Management Safety
• Additional Safety Programs & Initiatives
  • 9 Proven Crash Countermeasures
  • Crash Tested Hardware
  • Facts & Statistics
  • Geometric Design
  • Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD)
  • Motorcycles
  • Newsletters
  • Older Road Users
  • Policy & Guidelines
  • Railway-Highway Grade Crossings
  • Road Safety Audits (RSA)
  • Safe Routes to School
  • SAFETEA–LU
  • Safety Research
  • Section 402 Highway Safety Funds
  • Training & Education
  • Tools & Technology
  • Work Zones

Home > Pedestrian & Bicycle Safety > Pedestrian Safety in Communities

A Resident's Guide for Creating Safe and Walkable Communities

Resource Materials

Resource Sheet 3: Identifying Pedestrian Safety Concerns Using a Walkability Audit

A walkability audit is an evaluation of the walking environment, used to identify concerns for pedestrians related to safety, access, comfort, and convenience.

Informal audits can be performed by any individual or community group. More formal audits (i.e., those that follow a standardized set of audit procedures) can also be conducted; these are usually performed by a multidisciplinary team of trained professionals, including engineers, planners, transportation researchers, pedestrian and bicycle specialists, and others.

The audit tools listed below can help you identify and document concerns, and better advocate for change in your neighborhood.

Example community audits:

Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC) Walkability Checklist

• Evaluate a neighborhood's walkability and identify both immediate answers and long-term solutions to a neighborhood's problems.
• http://www.walkinginfo.org/pdf/walkingchecklist.pdf

Active Community Environments (ACES) Community Assessment

• Assess the health of a community and identify ways to increase opportunities for physical activity in the community.
• http://www.eatsmartmovemorenc.com/programs_tools/community/aces.html

Active Independent Aging Walkability Checklist

• Determine the "walkability" of an area for older pedestrians.
• http://www.falls-chutes.com/guide/english/resources/handouts/pdf/WalkabilityChecklist.pdf

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Pedestrian Road Safety Audit Guidelines and Prompt Lists

• Evaluate the safety of various aspects of the walking environment.
• http://www.walkinginfo.org/library/details.cfm?id=3955

Keystone Healthy Routes Neighborhood Assessment

• Assess the safety and walkability of neighborhoods—urban, suburban, or rural—and other locations within a community.
• http://panaonline.org/programs/khz/actionkits/hrak/phase3/

A Checklist for Accessible Sidewalks and Street Crossings

• Highlight Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) provisions for new construction.
• http://www.access-board.gov/prowac/guide/PROWGuide.htm#apndxchklst

Example school audits:

Florida School Site Assessment for Traffic Safety

• Examine the safety of biking and walking conditions at schools.
• http://www.dcp.ufl.edu/centers/trafficsafetyed/html_safe-ways.html

California Walk to School Day Walkability Checklist

• Identify barriers to walking to school and observe behaviors.
• http://www.cawalktoschool.com

Maryland Safe Routes to School Audit

• Perform a broad assessment of infrastructure, operations, and attitudes.
• http://drusilla.hsrc.unc.edu/cms/downloads/SR2S_Guidebook_1.pdf

Example bus stop audits:

Easter Seals Project ACTION Bus Stop Checklist

• Evaluate pedestrian access features and connections, assess passenger comfort amenities, evaluate safety and security features, and document information features.
• http://projectaction.easterseals.com/site/PageServer?pagename=ESPA_BusStopToolkit

Arlington Bus Stop Assessment

• Describe location, surroundings, landing area, connections, amenities, seating, safety, and information provided at bus stops.
• http://www.nctr.usf.edu/pdf/473-13.pdf

Program Contact

Tamara Redmon
tamara.redmon@dot.gov
202-366-4077

Dick Schaffer
dick.schaffer@dot.gov
202-366-2176

What's New

The FHWA Safety Office is continually developing new materials to assist states, localities and citizens in improving pedestrian and bicycle safety. The materials listed on this page were completed recently.

Examples of State/Local Pedestrian Safety Action Plans

Pedestrian Forum - Fall 2009

LTAP/TTAP Interchange, Tamara Redmon

Evaluation of the Focused Approach to Pedestrian Safety Program (PDF 225 KB)

“Not in Roadway” Pedestrian and Bicycle Crashes (PDF 132 KB)

How to Develop a Pedestrian Safety Action Plan (PDF 5.14 MB)

FHWA Guidance Memo Contains Provisions to Improve Pedestrian Safety

Toolbox of Countermeasures and Their Potential Effectiveness for Pedestrian Crashes

Pedestrian Safety Guide for Transit Agencies

Evaluation of Pedestrian Countermeasures in Three Cities: San Francisco, Las Vegas and Miami

Pedestrian Road Safety Audit Guidelines and Prompt Lists