Baton Rouge is in need of more pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods, according to a new analysis by Walk Score, a website that analyzes the walkability of cities based on criteria like the proximity of stores and businesses to homes and how likely it is that all daily errands could be accomplished on foot.
On a scale from 0 to 100, Baton Rouge has a score of 41, indicating it’s a car-dependent city. Walk Score promotes the idea that access to public transit, better commutes and proximity to people and places are factors that improve a resident’s quality of life.
Improving walkability is a key part of Baton Rouge’s FuturEBR master plan and other local efforts to improve walkability, including the Government Street road diet and a recently reported effort to extend Baton Rouge’s Downtown Greenway walking and bike path.
Though most errands in Baton Rouge require a car, Walk Score says there are several walkable neighborhoods in the city, including: Downtown (69), the Garden District (61) and the northern section of Mid City (50). The least walkable area is Scotlandville, with a Walk Score of 24.
Still, residents can only walk to an average of 0.8 of Baton Rouge’s 911 restaurants, bars and coffee shops in five minutes or less, the website found.
The city is somewhat bikeable, though, with minimal bike infrastructure and few bike lanes. Last month, a South Carolina-based vendor was selected to implement the Baton Rouge Bikeshare program, which will eventually include 80 docks and 800 bikes.
