An audit was conducted of the walkability around St Bernard's Primary School in Batemans Bay, NSW using the Neighbourhood Walkability Checklist. The audit assessed walker friendliness, comfort, safety, and convenience. It found that while footpaths were provided, they were often obstructed and too narrow. There was little shelter, seating, or safety features like crossings. The area scored poorly on walkability. Recommendations included improving footpaths, adding bins, crossings, and speed humps to make the area safer and more accessible for students.

1. Audit of: St Bernard’s
Primary School
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2. Audit Method
Neighbourhood Walkability Checklist provided by The Heart Foundation
(Neighbourhood Walkability Checklist, 2011).
This method comes as an example of the Healthy Built Environments Program
(HBEP) developed by Dr Jennifer Kent et al from the University of New South
Wales.

3. Location – Batemans Bay, NSW

4. Factors Considered
• Walker Friendliness: An attractive neighbourhood promotes walking. This
examines how clear a footpath is from obstruction, if shade is provided and if
the area is free from litter and vandalism.
• Comfort: Examines the quality of the walking paths in this area. Focusing on
how wide the footpaths are and if they cater for people to walk side by side and
also for people with walking aids or prams. Also on if there is consistent and
even surfaces or places with shelter.
• Safety: How safe an individual feels on this route. Focusing on the visibility and
the potential danger of vehicles or cyclists to pedestrians.
• Convenience and Connectedness: How does this route link to connected
neighbourhoods and transport.

5. What does walkability mean?
A high walkability score indicates that the area is a healthy and very
walkable area while a low walkability score indicates the route is
not particularly walkable and that numerous hazards and issues
have been identified.

6. Results of Audit
Walker Friendliness
• Footpaths are clear from obstruction
• Trees available for shade
• Often littered with items such as glass bottles and cigarette butts.
Comfort
• Footpaths are provided but not wide enough
• Footpaths do not link together and are poorly maintained
• No seats or resting areas available.

7. Results of Audit
Safety
• High traffic area of both vehicles and pedestrians
• No lights, roundabouts or pedestrian crossings available
• Speed limit is 40km
• No speedhumps
Convenience and Connectedness
• Bus bay located outside the primary school
• No shelter or safe route to cross the road to this bus bay

8. Considerations
• Audit tool predominately relies on visual observation
• Possible bias
• Other audit tools can be used to determine the walkability of an
area
• The Western Australian Department of Transport Audit requires
the auditor to conduct a much more detailed assessment to
determine walkability of an area which in turn, may provide a
more accurate result

9. Health Impact Assessment (HIA)
• combination of procedures and tools that judge the potential effects of a
proposed project, plan or policy on the health of the public.
• Audits are important to identify current issues within a site and bring attention
to possible effects of a policy on the broader community.
• The general aim of an audit is to get people active, to connect and strengthen
communities and provide healthy food option.
• Without an audit a HIA assessment may not be able to report completely
accurate information and potential issues within an area.

10. Results
• Main issues identified are the lack of footpath maintenance and practicality and
the shortage of safety elements for pedestrians.
• The highest potential overall walkability score of the area is a 30, with the actual
walkability score of the area being a 9. This score reveals that the route needs
some more work to become more walk friendly.
• 1 in 5 children aged 0-4 years old killed or injured in traffic related crashes are
pedestrians.
• This highlights how important it is to have safe areas including pathways and
crossings which provide an area of high walkability.

11. Conclusion
• Improvements must be made to improve the walkability of this area.
• Some positive factors present there are also several negative factors that must
be addressed to prevent injury and increase safety for the community.
• The enhancements are of particular importance because of the location being a
primary school.
• Children need assistance dealing with the traffic environment as they are not
equipped physically or developmentally to make the crucial decisions to keep
them safe.

12. Recommendations
• Rubbish bins should be provided to encourage individuals to place their litter inside
the bins instead of in the walking area.
• Pathway repairs must be conducted to improve uneven surface and continuation of
the path. The width of the path should also be taken into consideration as currently
no more than one adult can pass through at a time.
• Median strip or at the very least a children’s crossing should be constructed from the
main entry of the primary school to the other side of the road and another
pedestrian crossing or zebra crossing provided across the large driveway that is the
entry to the staff carpark.
• The introduction of a speed hump might further remind drivers to slow down in this
area.
• Providing shelter and seating in the bus bay not only protects students from the
weather but also encourages them to step away from the road and gather in a safer
area.

13. References
• Heart Foundation. (2011). Neighbourhood Walkability Checklist [Ebook]. Australia. Retrieved from
https://www.heartfoundation.org.au/images/uploads/main/Active_living/Neighbourhood-
walkability-checklist.pdf
• UNSW. (2019). HEALTH IMPACT ASSESSMENT: A PRACTICAL GUIDE [Ebook]. NSW. Retrieved from
http://hiaconnect.edu.au/wp-
content/uploads/2012/05/Health_Impact_Assessment_A_Practical_Guide.pdf
• Kent, J., & Thompson, S. (2012). Health and the Built Environment: Exploring Foundations for a New
Interdisciplinary Profession. Journal Of Environmental And Public Health, 2012, 1-10. doi:
10.1155/2012/958175
• Primary School - Road Safety Education. (2019). Retrieved from
http://www.roadsafetyeducation.vic.gov.au/teaching-resources/primary-
school?query=!padrenull&start_rank=11
• Kidsafe NSW - Pedestrian Safety. (2012). Retrieved from https://www.kidsafensw.org/road-
safety/pedestrian-safety/
• Pedestrian Safety - Kids and Traffic. (2014). Retrieved from
http://www.kidsandtraffic.mq.edu.au/pedestrian-safety/