Baltimore, MD

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025

Project Category: Bike Audits

Description: Unsafe street conditions made walking and biking difficult in Mount Clare, especially for older adults navigating fast traffic and limited cycling infrastructure. Mount Clare Community Council organized a volunteer-led bike audit to document these risks and bring resident experiences into local planning. Volunteers completed intersection traffic counts, ride-along audits and walk audits that captured how speeding and driver behavior affect daily travel. New virtual meeting equipment also expanded access, drawing more older adults and retirees into neighborhood discussions. The findings helped advance a planned cycle track on Pratt Street and informed a broader neighborhood plan with additional cycling improvements. One participant age 50-plus said the audit encouraged him to start biking and speak out about the need for traffic calming after seeing the dangers firsthand.

Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.

Kettering, OH

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025

Project Category: Bike Audits

Description: In several busy parts of Kettering, older adults and people with disabilities faced barriers when biking to everyday destinations such as community centers and parks. Without direct input from residents, these issues were easy to overlook in planning. Cycle Kettering addressed this by organizing four community bike audits that brought together residents, elected officials and city staff to examine routes on the ground. Participants used a city-developed app to document conditions with notes, photos and mapped locations, creating a detailed record of problem areas. Input from older adults and riders with disabilities shaped the findings. One participant living with a neuromuscular disorder highlighted access issues others might miss. The audits produced practical data that planners and engineers can reference as they consider future biking and walking improvements.

Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.

Hatfield, PA

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024

Project Category: Bike Audits

Description: Hatfield lacked safe bike routes, leaving cyclists-including older adults-without reliable infrastructure. To address this, the group led six bike audits at eight intersections, engaging residents and municipal leaders. Findings were presented at borough and county meetings and will guide new bike lanes, racks and signage. Recommendations will feed into the Bike More, Drive Less project and future grant applications. Local officials expressed strong interest, and a manufacturing site manager testified about employees safety needs, underscoring the urgency for action.

Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.