Toronto is taking a big step toward making the City one of the world’s great walking cities. With the adoption of the Toronto Walking Strategy, Toronto is aiming to build its streets and public spaces – providing a framework for renewing and revitalizing its pedestrian environments.

The City has many existing guidelines, programs and projects that focus on improving pedestrian environments such as the pedestrian priority intersections (scramble intersections), Discovery Walks, WalkIntoHealth program, pedestrian countdown signals and the Live Green Initiative. The Walking Strategy will help coordinate existing activities as well as create new programs that will help to make walking a safe and enjoyable experience.

The Walking Strategy supports Toronto’s sustainable transportation initiatives that call for new ways to think about transportation and to help the City meet emission reduction targets set in the Climate Change, Clean Air and Sustainable Action Plan. In addition, the program also supports Toronto Public Health’s “Call to Action” for healthier, active living.

After an extensive public consultation program and discussion with external organizations and relevant City divisions and agencies, the Toronto Walking Strategy includes policies, infrastructure and programming to create a rich culture of walking in Toronto.

Walking is a part of everyday life and people in all corners of Toronto enjoy this ancient and universal form of travel. Walking offers some obvious benefits for both you and your entire family. It helps improve your overall level of fitness and gives you more energy. Plus, the more we walk, the better it is for the environment. Taking fewer trips by car means fewer harmful emissions go into our environment and that helps improve the quality of the air we breathe.

Walking is the sign of a healthy, safe and vibrant community. Improvements to the walking environment can have significant benefits to a community including; safe mobility for people of all ages, abilities and economic means, enhanced social interaction as well as improved integration with other sustainable modes of transportation.

We’re already walking – indeed, everyone is a pedestrian – but we need to remind ourselves of this fact and built upon it.

For more information on walking in Toronto, click on www.toronto.ca/walking.