Exploring Sudbury's walk-ability: new program set to launch

New signs posted around parts of Sudbury pointthe way to the city's best walking routes.

They're part of the new Walk Sudbury initiative, a collaborationbetweenthe Coalition for a Liveable Sudbury, Downtown Sudbury and the city's Healthy Kids Community Challenge program.

The program aims to keep people active and exploring Sudbury's neighbourhoods, said Kate Barber,Healthy Kids Community Challengeproject manager.

'Things aren't as far as they think:' project manager

"What I love about the signs is really just that reminder: each sign says how many steps and how much time it takes to walk to places and I really think it's great for people to remember that walking is a viable option and thingsaren'tas far as they might think," Barber said.

Coalition for a Liveable Sudbury was the lead agency on the projectand supplied all the volunteers.

NaomiGrant, co-chair of the coalition, said 25volunteers worked on the project from start to finish, including postingthe signs on 16 different walking routes.It took 200 volunteer hours and 300kilometres walked, she said.

"It's a very grassroots effort, so we reached out to the community to brainstorm routes. We asked people in their neighbourhoods: what are the best ways to walk here, what are the barriers, what destinations do you like to go to. So it was very much from people sharing their local knowledge," Grant said.

Each wayfinding sign shows how many minutes and how many steps until a specific destination. This information is colour-coded based on the destination (park, school, downtown,) Grant said.

Interactive map can be found online

Grant says two-thirds of thefunding for the project came from the city's Healthy Kids Community Challenge program, while the remainder was funded byDowntown Sudbury. Most of the costwas towardsthe creation of the signs.

An interactivemap can be found online atWalkSudbury.ca

Routes which have barriers are listed as problems on the website, Grant said. Barriers could include abusy intersection where it's difficult for pedestrians to cross, stairs which are not accessible with a stroller or wheelchair and any sidewalks that may needrepairs.