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Oaks and Spokes (2024) Print
2024 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Transportation
└ Bike Audits
└ Bike Audits
Older adults in Raleigh faced unsafe biking conditions and missing sidewalks, limiting mobility and access to transit. Oaks and Spokes launched bike audits on key corridors, engaging older residents and students to document hazards. Findings prompted City Council to adopt protected bike lanes on Brookside Drive and plan sidewalk improvements. A second audit on Garner Road highlighted urgent safety gaps and drew council attention during a live stream. These efforts accelerated infrastructure changes and built advocacy momentum for safer, age-friendly streets.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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Merrimac, MA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Bike Audits
Description: Older adult volunteers will conduct a bike audit focused on areas they frequent. The audit will assess the condition of sidewalks and paths and inform efforts to implement an e-bike program.
Yavapai County, AZ
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Bike Audits
Description: Older adults who rely on bikes faced unsafe conditions in Cottonwood and Clarkdale due to missing bike lanes and poor signage. To address this, volunteers conducted 12 audits over three months, counting 270 cyclists and identifying critical safety gaps, including the need for specialty markings and education on helmet use. The findings now guide city planning and advocacy for bike lanes and multi-use paths, prompting collaboration with local councils.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Brookfield, IL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Bike Audits
Description: Cycle Brookfield addressed bicycle safety concerns along several north-south corridors where crashes were concentrated. These concerns created added risk for residents who bike for daily travel, including older adults. The group organized three structured bike audits that brought together volunteers of different ages and abilities to document conditions and identify hazards. Using a standardized audit approach, participants developed specific recommendations such as improved crossings, clearer signage and better connections, then presented those findings to village leaders ahead of planned roadway resurfacing. The project built local capacity by training residents to spot safety issues and contribute meaningfully to transportation decisions. With audit recommendations already under review for upcoming projects, the work is positioned to influence near term street improvements and strengthen ongoing collaboration between Cycle Brookfield and local officials.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
NC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Entrepreneurship and improved economic resilience
Description: This project created a toolkit to grow local tourism along the Main-to-Main Trail. The trail winds across North Carolina, connecting more than 60 Main Street communities to showcase public art and murals, local food and cultural history and experiences. North Carolina Main Street hoped to build capacity among participating communities, helping them identify their assets and create an economic development strategy. To do this, they created a template for a tourism itinerary, which visitors can follow to find local attractions. They also developed a playbook for affective social media marketing. Since publishing the toolkit, the Rural Planning center has provided guidance on photography, videography and destination writing. Additionally, they are helping local small businessowners to better serve tourists.
Greenville, NC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Engaging people in transportation options/safety
Description: Greenville lacked a safe space for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists to learn traffic rules, leaving older adults without options to practice essential skills. BikeWalkNC addressed this by creating the Greenville/Winterville Traffic Garden, a permanent painted street layout for hands-on safety education. The project included signage, a dedication event and integration into a statewide transportation summit. This lasting resource supports Vision Zero goals and offers older adults a protected space to refresh driving and cycling skills. As one leader said, "We want to improve the community so that everyone can be safe and live a higher-quality life in a place that is safe and accessible."
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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