(IMAGE: Living Streets Aotearoa)
THIS Wednesday is Walk2Work day, an event aimed at encouraging people to get off the road and onto the pavement while heading to work.
The event is co-ordinated by Living Streets Aotearoa and promoted by the Wellington City Council as a finale to other active lifestyle advocacy events Active a2b and Streets Alive.
Walking is considered the “invisible mode of transport” and Wellingtonians do it best, says Wellington City Council’s sustainable transport co-ordinator Emma Hope.
“We’re the best in the country. Way far ahead,” she says. “Something like 15% of people in Wellington walk to work, compared to 5% in Auckland.”
Ms Hope says Walk2Work Day will be the finale for two other programmes conducted by the Greater Wellington Regional Council, which challenge employees and workplace teams to get active.
(IMAGE: Greater Wellington Regional Council)
Active a2b is a three month programme which provides personal support and encouragement to employees walking or cycling to and from work.
Streets Alive is a branch of the Active a2b program, which has workplace teams log their walking trips over four weeks.
Kilometres are tracked until midnight tomorrow (March 13), and winners of varying categories announced at Walk2Work Day.
Ms Hope says the benefits from Active a2b and Streets Alive are long term and Walk2Work Day is a way of rewarding the participants for their work, as well as promoting sustainable transport and reducing congestion on the roads.
Walk2Work Day is in its sixth year, for four years it was run by Living Streets Aotearoa who still co-ordinate the event.
Living Steets Aotearoa is a group which promotes the rights of pedestrians, but lost funding from the NZTA to run Walk2Work Day.
Ms Hope says the Wellington City Council’s 2040 Plan is looking at ways to improve city linkages and make it easier for people to get around on foot.
Last year 850 got involved in Walk2Work Day despite the rain, which meant smaller events were held around the city, as opposed to the one large event at Frank Kitts Park.
“We get a really good turnout – a lot of the people walk to work every day,” says Ms Hope.
“People get really proud of not driving.”
Sustainable transport advocate, Mayor Celia Wade-Brown, will be speaking on the day, and spot prizes including shoe vouchers and Cancer Society packs will be given away.
A free breakfast will be provided to walkers who arrive at Frank Kitts Park between 7am and 9am.
For more on Walk2Work Day see the Wellington City Council website.
