Metro Vancouver Walkability Map Doesn't Make Sense

I was reading the latest Metro Vancouver Regional District's Regional Planning Committee agenda and noticed a report called the Walkability Index Update. The report has a map that shows the walkability of neighbourhoods throughout Metro Vancouver. When we ask people what they love the most about living in Langley City, walkable is always at the top of the list.

I was surprised when the map showed Willoughby and Clayton as more walkable than Langley City. As someone who doesn't own a car, this doesn't align with my lived experience in this part of Metro Vancouver.

2021 Walkability Index Map. Select the map to enlarge.

How is this map created? It combines residential density, commercial floor space, the mix of uses, intersection density, and sidewalks.

When looking at the map of intersection density, it started to make sense why the map is off. The following is a map of intersection density from the report.

Map of Intersection Density in the Urban Containment Boundary, 2021. Select the map to enlarge.

It shows that Vancouver, North Vancouver, and Langley City have low intersection density while places like Pitt Meadows, Clayton or Willoughby have high density.

Living in Langley City without a car, I've always felt I can easily walk where I need to go without going out of my way. Langley City has a lot of walkway connectors.

Another metric missing on the map is access to other modes of travel. Having good transit access improves the walkability of a neighbourhood. Road design also factors in. For example, walking along 200th Street differs significantly from walking down the Fraser Highway Oneway.

I appreciate a walkability map, but this map from Metro Vancouver doesn't seem grounded in lived experience. The map shows White Rock as being less walkable than South Surrey and Clayton as being more walkable than Langley City.