Research and collate information

The area’s current and likely future characteristics for walking should be identified. This could include the following tasks.

National and local policy context

Review relevant national and local policy as these define the overarching framework that a walking action plan needs to fit within. This could include the following:

National legislation, policy and guidance

• Human rights legislation, including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
• Government Policy Statement on Land Transport
• National policy and strategy for walking, including inclusive access
• National policy and strategy for road safety, eg Road to Zero 

Local and regional policy and guidance

• Disability and access policies
• District Plan rules and zoning
• Regional Land Transport Plan and Public Transport Plan Policy context
• Neighbourhood improvement plans
• Other local and regional policy/plans as appropriate

Collate baseline information

A desktop assessment to bring together baseline information will assist in identifying how the area is currently used, as well as potential use if walking improvements were made. The assessment may indicate issues to address and relative priorities. Also refer to datasets and tools that can inform planning for walking.

It may also be helpful to identify key walking routes and secondary routes. These can be identified through the desktop assessment and engagement with stakeholders and the community.

Desktop data could include:

• Information about people and place:
  • Community age structure, ethnicity and socio-economic demographics (Statistics NZ)
  • Community access to a motor vehicle (Statistics NZ)
  • Community proportion that finds walking difficult, or cannot walk at all (Statistics NZ)
  • Pedestrian volumes
  • Pedestrian experience data (from surveys)
  • Existing travel data (Journeys to work and journeys to education census data, Household travel survey data)
• Information about pedestrians’ exposure to harm (injury and air pollution):
  • Pedestrian crash data or crash risk datasets
  • Any available pedestrian trips, falls and hospitalisation data
  • Traffic volumes and speeds
  • Air pollution data if available
• Information about streets:
  • Road classification (One Network Framework) and walking mode classification
  • Network operating plan (if available)
  • Key trip origins and destinations
  • Public transport routes and service frequencies
  • Land uses
  • Existing pedestrian facilities
  • Asset inventory data
• Maintenance records

Collecting, managing and analysing a considerable amount of data within a spatial system (eg GIS) can help to preserve data integrity and enable efficient data processing and analysis.

PNG: Data sets and tools

Site visits or walkability audits

Although the desktop assessment will collect a substantial amount of information, walkability audits or site visits should always be done to check how the walking network is used in practice and to observe pedestrian behaviour – at peak-use times and in some cases after dark. It is recommended that a cross-section of people in the community complete the audit as people have a variety of capabilities and states.

Site visits or walkability audits should be undertaken on foot, not in a vehicle or by video as it is difficult to identify all aspects that are important for pedestrian journeys from a vehicle.

PNG: Pedestrian network characteristics

PNG: Disability sector engagement

Factors that should be confirmed through site visits include:

• Trip origins and destinations
• Community severance locations (such as busy roads with infrequent crossing opportunities) and their extent
• The extent of pedestrian infrastructure provided
• Whether routes are safe, obvious, and have step-free choices
• The extent of diversions needed for safe, obvious, step-free routes
• The types of pedestrians present and pedestrians that are not present
• Walking hazards and barriers, including obstructions in the accessible path of travel; bollards and other street furniture that people may collide with; and footpath condition, including irregularities that could lead to slips, trips and falls
• Any unnecessary signage that could be a hazard
• Extent of wayfinding signage and/or markings
• Pedestrian behaviour: where people tend to cross streets and open areas; whether they use informal routes (such as worn paths on grass); whether people tend to run across roads; where people congregate and sit
• Opportunities for improving public spaces (art, seating, shade, etc)
• Anomalies between mapped facilities and actual provision. 

PNG: Principles of planning and design for pedestrians 

PNG: Measuring pedestrians

PNG: Falls - slips, trips and stumbles

More detailed walkability audits can be carried out on key routes. There are a range of methods to measure walkability that can be applied.

PNG: Measuring walkability

Measure pedestrian activity

An important component is to understand existing pedestrian activity and depending on the objectives of the action plan it can be important to forecast future demand. Refer to measuring pedestrians for more guidance on the methods and techniques to measure existing and forecast future pedestrian activity.

PNG: Measuring pedestrians

PNG: Assessing the demand for walking

Community and stakeholder input

The community should be involved in the data collection stage because some hazards or issues may have been overlooked during data collection and site visits. The data may not reflect current community perceptions of issues that influence walking behaviour.

Community involvement should involve all groups using the area, such as local residents, faith based and cultural groups, community and non-government services, schools, representatives of disabled people, and bus and taxi companies.

Stakeholder consultation. (Photo: Tracy Fleming)