Workshop aims at making city more walk-friendly

The City of Thunder Bay is looking for ways to help residents increase their daily physical activity, and reducing their reliance on cars.

Consultant Mandy Johnson of The Walkability Advocacy Workshop said there are great benefits to having a walk-friendly city, and the key is getting people to think differently about transportation.

“Over 50 per cent of all car trips made are less than five kilometres,” Johnson said Thursday. “So there is an amazing opportunity to shift people from taking the car everywhere to walking and biking.
“That will not only increase people’s physical ability, but it will also help the environment.”

She added that the city’s transportation demand team has a great plan, and believes the benefits of that plan will pay off.

“Transportation demand management is all about shifting from single-occupancy vehicles to car sharing, using public transit and changing the times of when people drive to decrease road congestion.”

Members of the transportation demand team are now discussing conditions of sidewalks, and how to make routes safer and pleasant for walking.


-- with files from CKPR Radio