CORNWALL – Organizers of an event, promoting alternate forms of transportation, are promising a bigger and better event next month.
John Towndrow of Transition Cornwall+ and Chantal Lalonde of the Eastern Ontario Health Unit and chairman of the Active Transportation Group presented their plans for Walk and Roll Month to council Monday night (May 14).
This will be the fifth year for the event, organized by the Transition Cornwall+ Active Transportation Group.
“I will emphasize month because we heard over and over again…seven days was not long enough. They (participants and those interested in participating) wanted more time to be able to try walking and rolling across SD&G,” Lalonde told city council.
She said the weather didn’t cooperate during the week long event in previous years — sometimes being cool or rainy.
The month will include a number of activities, including a moonlight bike ride on June 16, a summer solstice walk on June 21 and a bike workshop on basic maintenance on June 11.
“In addition to all that, our big focus is featuring what’s happening locally. Weekly, online, we’re going to be featuring people…who walk and roll,” Lalonde added.
Asked by Coun. Bernadette Clement about registering and tracking mileage, which had been done in the past, Lalonde said that’s been done away with.
“We’ve shifting away from that. People weren’t so concerned about tracking and winning prizes. They just wanted to get involved,” Lalonde responded.
Replacing it is a bingo card, where people can “check off as many boxes” as they can. “We kept it simple.”
Coun. Carilyne Hebert explained the event helped her discover that cycling was more than just a pleasurable pastime.
Later in the meeting, city council proclaimed June Walk and Roll Month in Cornwall.
You can read more about Walk and Roll Month in Cornwall and SD&G and information on the activities here as well as their Facebook page here.