Street Audits A street audit is a means of surveying the street environment to identify where improvements could and should be made. It involves considering factors such as accessibility, safety and security, cleanliness and attractiveness of the street layout, from the point of view of different users.
Street audits have an important role to play in the travel planning process because they explore the reasons behind the travel choices that people make.
The street audit pilot project aims to define a good practice method by which businesses can conduct street audits, based on the method promoted by  Living Streets. It will also monitor attitudinal change brought about by participation in street audits. For example, it will determine whether street audits change participants’ objectives for improving transport in their local area, or alter their perception of the time taken to walk to work from the local bus stop or underground station.
The right incentives are important in order to get people to participate in such things as street audits. To this end, businesses with particular transport problems will be targeted to participate in street audits, and special incentives will be offered to the individuals who take part.
For businesses to be involved in travel planning, they need to have real or perceived transport problems to address. The street audits will be proposed as the first activity for the Local Travel Plan Groups (LTPGs), helping them to identify local transport problems and define their objectives for the travel planning process.
Special incentives will be offered to encourage a broad range of individuals within businesses to participate. The street audits will be offered as an opportunity for an enjoyable, healthy walk during office hours. During the street audits, local history and stories will be incorporated to make the event enjoyable. Other incentives, like lunch at a good local pub and prize draws at the end of the walk, will also be used to maintain active participation.
Further information
If you would like to know more about the street audits, or would like to get involved, please contact:
Christine Binnie
SEA/Renue
Tel: 020 7820 3184
christineb@sustainable-energy.org.uk |