Category Archives: Walktober

Welcome to Walktober 2021!

By: Arielle Guetta, Walk On, Victoria Steering Committee Member

Walktober is a month-long celebration of all things walking and encourages people to keep their steps up even in the rain and wind. October is also International Walk to School Month – an opportunity for families and kids to walk to school and to bring attention to needed safe routes to school.

As a pedestrian advocacy organization, we are all about Walktober. It’s a lovely time of year to get out and enjoy the fall colours, but also a time when we need to be thinking more about pedestrian safety as it gets darker earlier and roads are wetter.

One important way for pedestrians to stay safe in the coming months is to be seen.  It is much easier for drivers and cyclists to see pedestrians who sport brighter gear.  How about a colourful umbrella or a light-coloured jacket?  Reflector strips that fit around the upper arm are easy to drop into a pocket when not in use.  Small, flashing lights can be attached to a backpack, purse or book bag. Don’t forget Fido;  a blinking light on a collar or harness helps keep our walking companions safe, too.  Another safety tip is to carry a small flashlight to show the way when sidewalks in poor condition create tripping hazards, where street lights are few and far between or where sidewalks still don’t exist.

While I love walking, after 1.5yrs of a pandemic and having a baby, it can be challenging to motivate myself to get out the door sometimes. If you are looking for some new ideas to invigorate your walks in October, here are some suggestions:

 For individuals

  • A walking challenge: Try something like ‘World Walking’ to virtually walk around the world or participate in a month (or longer) walking challenge like this 31 day walking workout.
  • Get competitive: Join in a step counting challenge and compete for prizes through ParticipACTION’s Great Big Move from Oct. 1- 31.
  • Find a new walk: Use an app like Footpath or AllTrails to map and find new walks near you, or check out your municipal or regional district webpage to see if there are any guided walks in your area – one of our favourites is the Signs of Lekwungen Tour.
  • Make it interactive: Download one of the many apps that can turn your walk into a game – Seek allows you to identify plants & critters on your walk and win badges the more you find; Geocaching turns your walk into a treasure hunt; and Pokemon Go unlocks a virtual world wherever you are.

For families

In addition to the suggestions above, here are some fun things you can do with your kids to get them out in all weather.

  • A scavenger hunt: Make a list of what you might find on a Fall walk, or download an already made one like this one from CBC Parents, and get your child to mark off things as they find them. You can also collect the items for a fun art project when you get home.
  • A rainy day walk: Put on head to toe raingear and go looking for puddles. Stomping around in them is always a hit, but you can also look for sticks or leaves to turn into ‘boats’ in the puddle (my toddler loves this).
  • Use old technology: give your kids a basic pedometer and create a daily step challenge, or create a map and teach your kids how to use a compass to lead the way.

Whatever you choose to do this month – we hope you enjoy Walktober!

 

Join us for a Walktober stroll on Dallas Road on Oct. 23

Dallas Road & Clover Point Walk

Saturday, October 23, 2021

10:30-11:30 AM

Meet at the picnic benches at Clover Point

 

Come celebrate Walktober with a walk along Clover Point and Dallas Road! Join us to check out the new pedestrian infrastructure and pathways in this area, including:

  • Increased pedestrian access and new seating and tables at Clover Point
  • New separated off-street pathway along Dallas Rd.
  • Crosswalks and access to Beacon Hill Park
  • Safety tips for using multi-use trails and pathways

City of Victoria staff will join us for this walk to go over how these improvements came to be,  and future planned active transportation projects.

Free coffee and donuts will be provided!

All ages and abilities welcome!

Rain or shine! We’ll even have a few umbrellas to give out as prizes.

Note: we will follow all covid-19 guidance from the Provincial Health Officer at the time of the walk and will provide an update of what this will entail closer to the date.

See Facebook for event details and updates:

Brought to you by:

Happy Walktober 2020!

Every October, Walk On, Victoria celebrates what makes walking great in our communities. This year looks a little different than previous years, as our community is facing many challenges due to the covid-19 pandemic. Many of us are working from home, distance learning, and have had our daily routines upended. Where our members may have walked to work or school, this has been replaced by a short commute between rooms. This has given us a new opportunity to explore the benefits of walking in other contexts, such as walking for exercise, stress relief, or just a way to get out of the house! Areas of our cities have been turned over the streets to pedestrians and our local businesses have taken advantage of this by creating patios.

This Walktober, we encourage you to reflect on what walking means to you, especially during this particularly difficult year. Have you been walking more or less than your normal routine? Have you found any unexpected benefits of walking? Most of all, we encourage you to get out and walk!

Contest Time!

Stay tuned to our social medial channels for details on how you can win great prizes! Each week, we will post a challenge on our social media channels and will do a prize draw. Make sure to follow us to find out how you can win:

Facebook “Walk On, Victoria”

Instagram @walkonvictoria

Twitter @walkonvictoria

Where to walk

While in the past, we have hosted some in-person walks, the pandemic has made this challenging. We have some suggestions for guided walks up on our Blog and will post additional walks during Walktober.

https://walkonvictoria.org/james-bay-history-in-a-box-a-walk-to-celebrate-janes-walks-2020-presented-by-walk-on-victoria/

https://walkonvictoria.org/a-bit-of-may-magic-a-walk-for-wee-ones-to-celebrate-janes-walks-2020/

Check out our resources page for some local recreational walks (if you know of any others, please let us know!)

https://walkonvictoria.org/resources/

Count your steps

In previous years, we held a step-counting contest as part of Walktober but we are not able to host it this year. We have learned that ParticipACTION has launched a team challenge, running all October and featuring $20,000 in prizes. Some Walk On members have created our team, and we challenge you to an informal step challenge! https://www.participaction.com/en-ca/programs/app

How to make your neighbourhood more walkable

Residents and visitors alike have consistently rated the walkability of the area as one of the best things about Greater Victoria. However, we know that there are many challenges that pedestrians face- whether it is narrow sidewalks (or no sidewalks at all!), lack of crosswalks, debris, lighting, etc. At Walk On, Victoria, we advocate for pedestrians at all levels of government to make Greater Victoria a safer and more enjoyable place to walk.

One way you can learn more about the walkability of your neighbourhood is by doing a walk audit! A couple of our members did one for a Saanich neighbourhood in honour of Jane’s Walks:

https://walkonvictoria.org/how-walkable-is-your-neighbhourood-a-virtual-walking-audit-in-honour-of-janes-walk-2020/

We encourage you to report any issues you see to your local government. You can use our handy reporting tool to find out where to report issues (this tool directs you to the correct place to report and does not make a report on behalf of you).

https://walkonvictoria.org/report/

Happy Walking!

Bowker Creek Oak Bay Highschool
Bowker Creek Oak Bay Highschool
A note about accessibility…

Walk On, Victoria uses the word “walking” when referring to pedestrians (it’s even in our name!) To us, walking more than just moving on two feet, it includes all pedestrians, regardless of mobility. We aim to advocate for all pedestrians.