New Westminster and Burnaby residents are invited to get moving to see which one will emerge as the “walkiest” city in this year’s WALK30 campaign.
The neighbouring cities will once again be competing for the Golden Shoephy in the WALK30 challenge. During the friendly competition, participants are encouraged to walk daily for four weeks and track their progress to determine which municipality or organization accumulates the most walking minutes.
As part of this year’s campaign, two organizations are also competing internally against each other – TransLink and Vancouver Coastal Health.
Better Environmentally Sound Transportation (BEST) is collaborating with the City of New Westminster, the City of Burnaby, two health authorities (Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health), and TransLink on the 2024 campaign, said a BEST news release.
New Westminster has claimed the Golden Shoephy trophy in 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2023.
Members of the New Westminster and Burnaby Walkers Caucus are ready with laced-up shoes to participate in this year’s challenge, said Reena Meijer Drees, a member of the local group that’s dedicated to improving walkability in the community.
“Once again, Burnaby is challenging New West for the most minutes walked per capita, so head on over to the WALK30 website to register and get your daily 30 minutes of walking in,” said the New West resident. “We are lucky in that New West is a very walkable city – most local destinations like libraries, schools, and shops are within a 20 to 30 minutes’ walk of your house. Try a walk to your favourite pub, coffeehouse, or ice-cream shop and treat yourself before heading home again.”
The more people walk, the better the city will become at accommodating pedestrians, said Meijer Drees.
Mayor Patrick Johnstone said one of New Westminster’s best features is the walkability of its neighbourhoods.
“Even a 30-minute walk as part of your daily routine is not only great for your health, it’s great for your community,” he said. “It’s a great way to meet your neighbours, to check out a local small business, or just to have fun and see what the community has to offer from parks to the riverfront.”
Last year, a total of 1,207,043 walking minutes were recorded by 1,049 active participants during 2023 WALK30.
“Every year, we challenge our neighbours in Burnaby to see who can get the most active in April,” Johnstone said. “Sign up and help us show Burnaby who is the walkiest!”
Participants will record their daily walking minutes during the month-long challenge.
“To enhance user experience, the WALK30 team has transitioned to Challenge Hound, a new platform that simplifies tracking walking minutes,” said the BEST news release. “This year, community members can participate as individuals, but the WALK30 team encourages walking with family members, friends, co-workers, and neighbours.”
Participants will be eligible to win prizes from local businesses.
Community members are invited to attend the official launch event for this year’s challenge and kick off their month-long WALK30 walking journey. It’s taking place at Moody Park on Tuesday, April 2 from 10 to 11:30 a.m.
The City of New Westminster encourages residents to register for the challenge and begin tracking their daily walks starting April 1.
“Walking can help improve both physical and mental well-being, and we're proud to partner with BEST on promoting a healthy, happy community,” said a notice from the city. “Taking the first step with the WALK30 Challenge is as easy as 1-2-3!”
For more information on how to participate, visit the WALK30 website.
