New report encourages more active living in Kingston
The City of Kingston and KFL&A Public Health have released a report suggesting a variety of measures to encourage Kingstonians to choose active forms of transportation like walking or cycling. "Trails for Active Transportation" was developed out of a Walk & Bike for Life community workshop on Active Transportation that took place last March.
“There are significant health benefits from using active transportation to get you where you need and want to go. Walking or cycling to get to work or school for example can help you meet Canada's Physical Activity Guidelines and prevent chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease,” said Anne MacPhail, KFL&A Public Health and Co-chair of the Kingston Coalition for Active Transportation (KCAT).
More than 75 Kingstonians participated in the Walk & Bike for Life workshop, which focused on generating both short and long-term measures to make Kingston more pedestrian and cyclist-friendly. These included:
- Connecting existing trails - particularly along the waterfront.
- Creating pedestrian-only streets and zones downtown.
- Making Princess Street "car-free" on Sundays.
- Creating rest stations, with washrooms and drinking fountains, every 10 to 15 km.
- Promoting cycling and cycling safety.
- Developing bike lanes and a bike network that links popular destinations across Kingston.
“These improvements will get more of the community using active transportation on a daily basis,” said Kristine Hebert, Parks & Open Spaces Planning Coordinator. “This report is seen as an important document that can be a catalyst for plans the City has already developed.” Hebert noted the City is already moving forward on many of the suggested measures based on its 2004 Cycling and Pathways Study and the Downtown Action Plan.
The report is now available at:
