Volunteers using i-Phones will be surveying sidewalks and other walking paths in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls area this week as part of a pilot project. It’s what’s being called a “walkabilty” study. Peter Camilli, a spokesman for the Black Hawk County Health Department, says past projects focused on mapping safe routes to school for children.
Camilli says the focus is now on adults who are older than 50. He says, “There was talk about extending the I-Walk program so that it covers the whole spectrum of life, for people not just young but older people, too.”
Camilli will use an i-Phone application to enter the condition of sidewalks, obstructions and hazards and upload them to a website.
Using G.P.S. information, a safe and barrier-free walking route will be identified. “I think people want to walk and bike more but sometimes, the infrastructure is not there or they don’t feel safe,” he says.
“There’s other reasons people don’t walk and bike more so hopefully we can help remedy those situations.” The Black Hawk County survey is part of a pilot project that may eventually be adopted statewide for creating a guide to more safe walking paths.