The overview
The audits are being conducted by the Citizens’ Transportation Coalition, a Houston-based group engaged in transportation planning and education. The coalition is partnering with the Houston Chapter of the American Association of Retired Persons, Super Neighborhood No. 22, and the Greater Houston Coalition for Complete Streets to carry out the audits.
The details
A total of 10 walk audits will take place throughout the Washington Avenue corridor to identify potential locations for sidewalk and crosswalk improvements. Organizers said they are looking to recruit older volunteers, students, and residents from the affected civic clubs and the Super Neighborhood.
What's being done
Once completed, project leaders will host community meetings that will allow the audit participants to discuss the results with residents, business owners and the city officials, including those in the departments of planning and public works, said Dexter Handy, chair of the Citizens' Transportation Coalition. The discussions will also include how to incorporate the results into future planning, Handy said.
Findings will be documented using a Walk Audit Toolkit published by the AARP in April 2022, Handy said.
Quote of note
"The goal of this Walk Audit is to document the walkability conditions along Washington Avenue—including the street, sidewalks, crosswalks, intersections, and public transit stops—and provide a Citizens’ Walk Audit Report to the City of Houston Planning Department," Handy said in an email to Community Impact. "This project supports one of Houston’s Vision Zero goals to reduce traffic fatalities to zero by 2030, by assisting in the development of a city-wide sidewalk plan."
Get involved
The audits will take place on weekends through early September, Handy said. The first audit already took place over the July 1 weekend, and the second one is slated for July 8 with participants meeting at the Yellow Cup Café, 6001 Washington Ave., Houston.
Several walk audit training webinar are slated to take place in July and August, and individuals can sign up here to register. Individuals interested signing up to participate in a walk audit can also do so here.
Each audit will take place at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday mornings and last 90 minutes, Handy said. Water, a snack bar and other beverages will be provided by the AARP and the CTC, he said. The schedule of the remaining audits can be found below:
- July 8: Washington Avenue Circle to T C Jester Street
- July 15: T C Jester Street to Shepherd Drive
- July 22: Jackson Hill to Heights Boulevard
- July 29: Heights Boulevard to Studemont Street
- Aug. 5: Studemont Street to Sawyer Street
- Aug. 12: Sawyer Street to Silver Street
- Aug. 19: Silver Street to Houston Avenue
- Aug. 26: Houston Avenue to Bagby Street
