Is Bristol a pedestrian-friendly community?

It can be an inconvenience to a college student, but it can really stop and older person or someone pushing a stroller, and keep you from getting where you’re going.”

Professor Kerri Warren

Can a pedestrian in a wheelchair gain access to the sidewalks in Bristol? Will an elderly walker make it across the street before the light changes? Can pedestrians see well enough at night to safely walk along Bristol streets?

Students at Roger Williams University set out to answer these questions and more during a “walk audit” of Bristol roads Sunday morning, part of the ongoing Bristol Health Equity Zone effort to improve the health and well-being of residents. The groups of students collected data along eight routes, evaluating the roads for problem areas like a lack of adequate street lighting, whether there is enough time to cross at a light, or whether someone in a wheelchair or pushing a stroller would be able to get onto the sidewalk. 

While parts of Bristol are very pedestrian friendly, others didn’t exactly pass the test, according to RWU Professor Kerri Warren, who led the study.

“It was very eye-opening to see how many streets had some issues,” Ms. Warren said. “It’s kind of uneven. It can be an inconvenience to a college student, but it can really stop and older person or someone pushing a stroller, and keep you from getting where you’re going.”

The students polled Bristol residents online at the beginning of the semester to find out which areas of town they should concentrate on. Eight routes were chosen, including the area around the Hope Street/Gooding Avenue/Fales Road intersection, Washington Street near the Guiteras School, two stretches of Metacom Avenue, State Street, Ferry Road and areas in downtown Bristol.

“The routes were chosen by the people of Bristol; they are roads that lead you somewhere you need to get, like a supermarket,” Ms. Warren said. “This is a great activity where we can offer a lot of help. It was really exciting for the students.”

While the students are still analyzing their findings, which they will present to the Bristol HEZ and the town planning office later in the semester, some initial findings stood out, Professor Warren said. The biggest problems seem to occur where state and town roads meet, she said. The intersections are not well coordinated for pedestrians. Often, there will be a crosswalk going across one of the roads, but not the others. In several instances, stop lights do not turn red in all directions, signaling drivers to turn even if a pedestrian may be present.

“That causes a pedestrian hazard to use a traffic light,” Professor Warren said.

The students also found several lights that don’t stay red long enough for pedestrians to safely cross, intersections without ramps for wheelchairs or strollers, a lack of sidewalks near Guiteras School, and stop lines at stop signs throughout the town that are drawn right at the intersection, “so there’s no where for pedestrians to cross,” the professor said.

The students did find obvious effort on the town’s part to improve pedestrian access around town. Bristol has made an effort to improve pedestrian safety, even to the point of placing crossing flags for pedestrians to wave as they cross busy downtown intersections like Hope and State streets. The students also found evidence of the town’s plans to improve accessibility around town, noticing areas the town has marked for improvement, including spots where tree roots have buckled the sidewalk and where there is no sidewalk ramp.

Partnering with the town and helping it identify such areas is part of the reason for the study, Professor Warren said. The students will present their findings to the Bristol Health Equity Zone and the town planning office, and funds from the Bristol HEZ could be used to fix some of the problems they’ve identified. 

The walk audit is the next step of a larger community survey students began conducting in the spring. Several students gave up their spring breaks to work in the town, to study food availability in Bristol. The students evaluated local retailers and restaurants on the types of food available to residents, as well as the placement, promotion and pricing of healthy alternatives. 

The students’ assessment in both projects support the mission of the Bristol Health Equity Zone, “a community-wide effort funded by the Rhode Island Department of Health to create innovative approaches that can reduce and manage chronic diseases, promote healthy lifestyles, assure healthy child development, and create environments where healthy choices are easier to make.” 

Supported by the Bristol Parks & Recreation Department and funded by a Centers for Disease Control grant, the Bristol HEZ aims to help improve the community’s overall health, focusing on four specific areas — food and nutrition, mental health, physical activity and substance abuse.

The community survey project spans several disciplines at the university, and is led by four professors in different areas of study — public health (the walk audit), sustainability (in-depth analysis of the walk audit and more), analysis of restaurants/food venues and of children’s food experiences.