A public walk audit was led on July 26 by the community engagement specialist for Vision Zero, Dylan Zamora Silva. The walk audit was led from the Longmont Recreation Center to Burlington Elementary and aimed to teach participants how to spot and record real-world street safety issues like missing sidewalks, unsafe crossings, and traffic speed. Longmont's Vision Zero Task Force held its first meeting in April, during which the community discussed strategies for eliminating traffic fatalities and improving road safety in the city.
Community members who joined the walk were introduced to a walk audit tool to observe and document conditions along the route, learn about local infrastructure, and participate in a group discussion to reflect on their experiences.
According to the City of Longmont’s website, Vision Zero is an international strategy to “eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries while also increasing safe and equitable transportation options.” The city adopted Vision Zero in 2023 with the goal of reducing traffic deaths and severe injuries on city roadways to zero by 2040.
The public walk audit event was designed to be educational and to help community members learn how to assess walkability and understand how street design influences safety, comfort, and accessibility, said Rogelio Mares, public information officer for the City of Longmont. The walk audit also helped staff to learn how to frame future community engagement walk audits around traffic safety and Vision Zero.
“This route offers a well-rounded mix of features that make it ideal for hands-on learning,” Mares said. “It includes sidewalks, bike lanes, intersections, and access to the Left Hand Greenway — all within a relatively short stretch. These varied elements give participants the chance to see how different types of infrastructure work together to create our mobility network.”
Mares said that additional walk audits have not been scheduled yet this year, but Vision Zero hopes to continue offering walk audits to engage the community and “build awareness around the built environment and street safety. “We look forward to exploring how this tool can be used to support ongoing conversations about making Longmont safer and more accessible for everyone,” he said.
