AARP Hearing Center
AARP Livable Communities Map
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.
Photo Gallery
Image:
Click on a photo to learn more
See More Projects Like This One
Taylor, TX
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Bike Audits
Description: Downtown Taylor lacked safe cycling conditions and adequate bike parking, leaving older cyclists and local businesses concerned about safety and access. Good Life Taylor conducted bike audits to document hazards and found that business owners wanted more foot traffic and safer places to park bikes. The effort informed a plan to install eight secure racks in key downtown areas and provided data to guide next steps with local boards. A volunteer who survived a serious crash shared her story, highlighting the urgency of safer streets and strengthening advocacy for long-term 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.
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.
LEARN MORE AND STAY INFORMED
Find articles and resources about making communities more livable for people of all ages
Download or order free publications from AARP Livable Communities
Sign up for the free, weekly, award-winning AARP Livable Communities eNewsletter
Don't see your community listed?
LEARN HOW IT CAN JOIN THE NETWORKConnect with your AARP State Office
AARP has offices in all 50 states as well as in the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
AARP North Carolina State Office
5511 Capital Center Drive
Suite 400
Raleigh, NC 27606
United States