There are a variety of tools designed to help diagnose barriers and identify potential solutions for safe walking and bicycling.  The assessment process is critical to transform general frustration into doable plans for improvement.  Local leaders should ask for, and wherever possible participate in, assessments.  Walkability and bikeability assessments provide great anecdotal stories to support active transportation recommendations.

Examples:

• Active Living by Design promotes community-led change by working with local and national partners to build a culture of active living and healthy eating.    The website offers an updated resource guide and an online resource directory, which includes case studies about walkability audits from around the country.
• The League of Michigan Bicyclists offers an online Bikeability Assessment Guide for Communities which outlines three phases: data collection, field testing, creating a report.  The Bikeability Assessment Guide for Schools is another version designed for school communities to incorporate student bicycle safety countermeasures into Safe Routes to School action plans and funding applications.
• The Humboldt County Association of Governments (HCAOG) included walkability assessments as part of the development of their Regional SR2S Prioritization Tool, a report designed to help streamline decision-making around SR2S projects and increase the capacity for effective SR2S programs and grant applications.
• Champions for Change published a simple walkability checklist  designed for residents to begin to diagnose safety issues and assess the key areas for improvement of their walking routes.