MOVERS AND SHAKERS

Looking for a greener, less expensive way to get around? Look no further than your two feet! Walking as a mode of transportation will make a difference all around - even around your waistline!

Canadians are motivated to walk more as a mode of transportation. Eighty-two per cent agree that they would ideally like to walk more often than they do. Atlantic Canadians are most likely to say they want to walk more often (88%). (National Survey on Active Transportation, Go For Green, Ottawa, 1998)

For decades, walking has been the forgotten mode of transportation. Yet walking is a critical component of our urban transportation system and a practical transportation choice with powerful benefits for both individuals and their communities. Most daily destinations are within 2.5 kilometers. That could include walking to your friends' house, work, a transit stop or local store.

How can I make an impact?

You're here because you want to tackle this problem. Whether you're a government representative, a recreation representative, urban planner, engineer, a retired adult, a high school student, or an entrepreneur, you can help make a difference.

By taking action in your municipality, town, community or neighbourhood, important policies can be influenced to make certain that where you live, work, learn and play will be purposefully designed for walking and to support residents to be active.

What is advocacy and how can I influence policy?

Pedestrian advocates promote walking and work to improve conditions and infrastructure for walking. They are the watchdogs for pedestrian rights and good pedestrian design. Pedestrian advocacy groups are change agents. They advocate for walkable communities where residents can walk in comfort and safety. Because so many communities, neighbourhoods and municipalities have been designed around the automobile, pedestrian advocacy groups must present an alternative vision of community life and development.

New: The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Nova Scotia is finalizing a free toolkit to help you advocate for a more walkable community! Download the draft and send us your feedback.

What are walkable communities?

Walkable communities are an important aspect of a healthy and vibrant community. To encourage citizens to rely on their cars less and choose walking more often, the environment in which they live, work, learn and play must support walking as a form of everyday transportation. Well-designed, compact communities where people can walk to school and work, to stores, parks and to restaurants significantly reduce the need to drive. There are many economic, health and environmental benefits of building and sustaining a community that supports walking as a primary mode of transportation.

Why are walkable communities important?

There are economic, health, environmental, transportation and social benefits to building and sustaining a community that supports walking as a primary mode of transportation. They include:

• Health: Reducing the health risks such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease currently faced in our communities.
• Environment: Replacing short distance auto trips that damage the environment by impacting air and water quality.
• Road Traffic and Congestion: Reducing road congestion, and improving safety by calming auto traffic and reducing maintenance costs.
• Society: Promoting community cohesion and a heightened sense of place. Discouraging street crime by increasing pedestrian and cycling traffic. Reintroducing residents to the street to enhance their awareness of the environment.
• Economy: Reducing health care costs by increasing the health of residents. Improving access to employment, education and social services.