Fixed Route Audits
Fixed route audits are ideal for observing conditions on common pedestrian routes, especially those with commonly identified points of concern.
Time
Planning: 1-5 Days
Advertising: 3 Weeks
Event: 1 Day
Follow-up: 2-3 Days
Costs
Event Space
Map Printing
Writing Utensils
Clip Boards [Optional, but Recommended]
Getting Ready
Step 1: Pick a route in your community.
Plan a route between problem areas in your community that follows common pedestrian paths.
The route should be long enough to explore your community, but short enough to be manageable for people with reduced mobility (children, seniors) and keep participants engaged.
Routes can be linear, from A to B and back again, allowing you to observe both sides of the road.
Routes can also be looping, allowing you to audit more of your community.
Step 2: Pick a date for your audit.
The date you chose for your event affects who can attend and what conditions will be observed.
Avoid dates of holidays and observances to avoid excluding any cultural groups in your community.
Try incorporating your mobility audit as programming for a local festival or event.
Consider a rain date to avoid bad weather.
Consider a snow date to observe seasonal differences.
Step 3: Pick a nearby venue.
You will need a place for your participants to meet before your audit and debrief afterwords.
Avoid venues with barriers to physical accessibility, plan how to work around barriers if needed.
Consider the number of participants you are expecting, find a venue that can fit that number intimately to stimulate conversation.
Consider who is coming, and how they’ll be arriving:
Will there be be families with young children? Are there diaper change stations? Is childcare needed?
Is your venue accessible by public transit?
Are attendees coming from across the region? Will there be sufficient parking for cars and bikes?
Step 4: Invite your participants.
Your observations will be shaped by who attends your audit. The more perspectives in attendance, the more strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities will be observed. Advertise your audit for at least 3 weeks to allow potential participants to schedule around it. Consider meeting directly with community groups and services that support individuals with varying needs. Try to reach:
People who use mobility devices [eg. wheelchairs, walkers, strollers, scooters]
Different age groups and combinations [eg. parents with young children, adults with older parents]
People with different sensory needs [eg. visual impairments, hearing impairments, autism spectrum disorders]
Step 5: Gather and prepare materials.
You will need materials to record your observations during your audit and while debriefing. This will include:
Preparing a basemap of your route.
Travel-sized maps of your route for your audit [8.5” x 11”]
Clipboards are optional, but strongly recommended.
Table-sized maps of your route for debriefing [24” x 36”]
Pens, pencils, and markers for recording observations and drawing on maps.
Print What to Look For checklists
Audit Day
Step 1: Gather your participants at your starting point
Give everyone their materials and instructions.
Take time go over instructions with your participants and answer any questions.
Distribute maps, pencils or pens, and clipboards.
Remind participants of your audit’s goal.
Step 2: Lead participants along your route.
With everyone together, it’s time to audit!
Keep a pace that lets participants pause to take notes without falling behind the group.
Stop at sites of concern, ask participants what they see, hear, and how they feel.
Consult the What to Look For page to help identify problems.
Step 3: Lead Participants back to your venue to reflect.
Prepare your meeting space for attendees to share their observations.
Set up large ‘table-sized‘ maps of your audit route.
Distribute sticky notes, pens, pencils, and markers.
Have participants note their observations on communal maps as they see fit.
Step 4: Have a group discussion.
Let your participants share the strengths and weaknesses they noted.
Ask participants where they felt the most and least safe.
Ask participants what their favourite part of the route was.
Ask participants about any interesting or unexpected observations they had.
Have someone take notes/minutes to record what comes up in conversation.
Step 5: Thank participants.
Your audit was a collaborative process, thank everyone involved for their contributions.
Be sure you thank your participants for taking time to help study the community.
Invite participants to join an email list or follow a social media feed where you will share the audit’s findings.
Collect individual maps to catch observations participants may not have shared in discussions.
Following up
The observations shared in your audit will help identify barriers to mobility and pedestrian safety.
Read through and transcribe discussion notes, sticky notes, and comments written on individual and communal maps.
Note items that are frequently noted in participants’ observations, identify themes and group comments by theme.
Assemble a short “What We Heard“ report that includes the following:
A concise summary of your audit method, participation demographics, and findings.
A brief description of each theme, and every comment related to the theme.
Ideas suggested by participants for improving pedestrian conditions along the route.
Use your “What We Heard“ report to advocate for improvements.
Present the report to your municipal government.
Share your report with interested participants who provided their contact info during the audit.
If you have a social media presence, create a shareable post for each theme.