photo by Tim Engstrom

People filled the room at a presentation Thursday at HealthReach on how the City Health Makeover would happen. They also shared how to make Albert Lea more friendly to pedestrians and cyclists.

People: Fill sidewalk gaps

Blue Zones meeting highlights mobility needs

By Sarah Stultz | Albert Lea Tribune

Published Friday, February 27, 2009

More than 75 Albert Leans on Thursday evening began to identify ways to make the city more friendly for walking and cycling.

During an meeting at HealthReach about the AARP/Blue Zones City Health Makeover, people pinpointed several gaps in the sidewalks and bike lanes around the city.

Though not all of the sidewalks or bike paths can be put in immediately or even in the near future, Joel Spoonheim, Blue Zones health initiative director, acknowledged the city has planned some.

People were asked to think about areas for sidewalk and bike-lane improvement and to take pictures around town of things they think are good and things they think are bad.

Identified during the meeting as sidewalk gaps were North Shore Avenue near City Beach, along Garfield Street going to the Blazing Star Trail, Greenwood Drive from Hammer to Brookside, and Clark Street from Fifth Avenue to Minnesota Highway 13, to name a few. Areas where there are no sidewalks include streets on the way to the industrial parks, to the bus station, to the Albert Lea Family Y, to Wal-Mart and along streets in the southwest part of town, such as Plainview Lane.

There’s also not a complete sidewalk system to Albert Lea High School, attendants pointed out.

Identified during the meeting as areas where bike lanes are needed include around Fountain Lake, on Bridge Avenue, on Broadway Avenue, on Main Street, on Garfield Street from Main to the Blazing Star Trail, and from City Arena to the downtown, to name some of the ideas.

Community Development Director Bob Graham asked people to e-mail thoughts and pictures to info@city.albertlea.org.

“We want you to tell us what is needed, where you want connections to be made,” Graham said.

He encouraged people to connect with their neighbors and friends and to form social groups involved around biking and walking — not only as a form of exercise but as a part of life as well.

He showed a map of the city that had dozens of different destinations on it, along with other spheres indicating one-mile radiuses. He encouraged people to get out maps of the city and figure out what would be the one-mile radius from their homes. Once they do that they can see what destinations they could walk to that wouldn’t be so far away.

Talking about one of these destinations, Albert Lea Community Education Director Chris Chalmers initiated discussion about a walking school bus program, where there would be a group of children and one or more adults who walk with that group to school. This would be an example of destination walking for the younger generation.

“Right now this generation of kids is the first generation ever to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents,” Chalmers said.

Research has shown that students who walk to school will be more alert and more attentive in the classroom. It also improves self-image and independence and helps in social and economic development, he said.

Plus, if children are involved with a habit such as a walking school bus early on in life, it increases the likelihood they’ll be more active as adults, he said.

It would also mean fewer drivers, which means less traffic, which would be safer for all walkers and drivers, he said.

Walking school buses would build community, and help people get to know their neighbors better. Community members can be the eyes watching out for the children, Chalmers said.

“If we get more people walking and biking, we will have quieter, safer, cleaner streets,” he said. “It’s not an exercise. It’s not a diet. It’s changing how you are in your everyday life.”

He said the goal is to start the walking school buses small this spring during the last month of the school year. Then in October, during internationally practiced Walk to School Day, hopefully there will be many participants.

There will be an additional meeting for people interested in getting involved in a walking school bus.

People at the meeting were asked to identify if they’d be interesting in being involved in a walking school bus or in a walking club.

Graham said there will be many opportunities for volunteering with the Blue Zones project, not only during the pilot program, but also afterward to sustain it.

“Once Blue Zones ends in October, we don’t want the effort to end,” he said. “We want people involved in that for a long time.”

AARP and Blue Zones leaders announced in January that Albert Lea had been chosen for a 10-month pilot project aimed at improving the health and longevity of the city’s residents. Spoonheim commented he was surprised at how many people turned out during the icy weather to attend the meeting Thursday.

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