Walking audit

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A walking audit is an assessment of the walkability or pedestrian access of an external environment. Walking audits are often undertaken in street environments to consider and promote the needs of pedestrians as a form of transport. They can be undertaken by a range of different stakeholders including:

  • Local community groups
  • Transport planners / engineers
  • Urban designers
  • Local police officers
  • Local politicians / councilors

Walking audits often collect both

qualitative data
on the walking environment.

Pedestrian Environment Review System

The Pedestrian Environment Review System (PERS) is the most developed and widely used walking audit tool available. PERS is “a systematic process to assess the pedestrian environment within a framework that promotes objectivity”.[1] The environment is reviewed from the end user perspective of a vulnerable pedestrian. PERS consists of:

  • An on-street audit process
  • A GIS software package to consolidate, map and display results[2]

A PERS walking audit collects both

qualitative data
on six types of facility in the street environment:

  • Links (footways, footbridges, subways)
  • Crossings
  • Routes
  • Public Transport Waiting Areas (bus stops, tram stops, taxi ranks)
  • Public Spaces (parks and squares)
  • Interchange Spaces (between different modes of transport)

Each facility is rated on a seven-point scale (-3 to +3) for different parameters such as effective width, dropped kerbs, permeability, or personal security. PERS also rates disabled peoples access. These PERS ratings are linked to Red/Amber/Green (RAG) colour-coding. The PERS software allows users to analyse and display walkability data using GIS maps, charts and quick win recommendation lists.

PERS was originally developed in 2001 by

georeferences
of quick wins (low cost, easy to implement physical improvements). PERS 3 also has the added functionality of automatically generate quick-win recommendation work lists for Highway work crews.

The PERS tool has been used by organisations all over the world and has been used extensively in London to assess over 200 km of the street network.[3][4]

Using walking audits to make a business case

Research undertaken by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) have used the PERS walking audit method to show: "how we can calculate the extra financial value that good street design contributes, over average or poor design".[5]

The study found a direct link between an increase in PERS scores (and therefore an increase in the quality of a street for pedestrians) and residential house prices. The study demonstrates how PERS can be used to show how: "clear financial benefits can be calculated from investing in better quality street design".[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ TRL (2009) PERS On-street Assessment Handbook
  2. ^ TRL PERS Software
  3. ^ Davies, A. and Clark, S. (2009) Identifying and prioritising walking investment through the PERS audit tool - Walk21 Proceedings, 10th International Conference for Walking, New York, USA, October 2009
  4. ^ Allen, D. and Clark, S. (2007) New Directions in Street Auditing: Lessons from the PERS Audits - Walk21 Proceedings, 8th International Conference for Walking, Toronto, Canada October 2007
  5. ^ CABE (2007) Paved with Gold
  6. ^ CABE (2007) Paved with Gold

External links

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