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Traffic Garden Coming Soon to Hagerstown

Check out this blog post from America Walks that features Mary McPherson, a Program Manager at the Washington County Health department who completed the Walking College Fellowship Program last year.

Here’s a quote from the article:

Mary McPherson, Program Manager at Washington County Health Department and 2018 Walking College Fellow, took full advantage of the networking opportunities when she attended the Walk/Bike/Places Conference held in New Orleans last year — part of the Walking College activities — and it paid off, literally.

“Traffic Garden Pitch Gets Unexpected Funding

None of this would have ever happened without the Walking College Fellow experience. I learned so much, formed wonderful partnerships, and became much more confident in my ability to create change,” says McPherson.

The conference allowed Mary to hear about projects being implemented around the country. During one breakout session she connected with a few folks who talked about “Traffic Gardens” for children. Mary loved the idea and took it to heart, hoping to bring the concept to Hagerstown. After careful brainstorming with her new contacts she made a pitch to her connections in Hagerstown as well as the folks at the Maryland Department of Health. The idea was welcomed quickly and the health department was awarded $20,000 to educate children and build a Traffic Garden in Hagerstown.

Traffic Gardens are gaining traction as a fun but practical educational model for children learning how to get around by bike and hone their bicycling skills. It’s also a hands on, simulated way to teach kids how to safely use and share the road with all other users across the spectrum of active mobility modes.

“It will be amazing to have a place where children can enjoy their bicycles in a safe environment, learn the rules of the road and hopefully become life long bicycle enthusiasts… I feel that in all of my 20 years of work in public health, this could be the one project that will truly make a difference in the health of our community,” says McPherson.

You can learn more about Traffic Gardens in this blog post from the Safe Routes to School National Partnership.

The Traffic Garden in Hagerstown is expected to be completed this year. We’re looking forward to having a safe and educational place for children to ride their bikes in Hagerstown!

Billion Steps Challenge

The American Public Health Association has a goal to get people to take 1 billion steps by the start of National Public Health Week during the first week of April. The challenge starts January 1st! Sign up and learn more here.

The Billion Steps Challenge supports broader health promotion efforts and the intersections between community design and active living, such as 2015’s “Step It Up: The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities.” We hope you’ll join us in advocating for programs and opportunities for all people to engage in physical activity in their communities.

The Challenge begins Jan. 1, 2019, with a goal of reaching more than 1 billion collective steps by APHA’s National Public Health Week celebration the first week of April. We hope you’ll join us!

Sign up for the Billion Steps Challenge on the MoveSpring website or by downloading the MoveSpring app (available at Google Play or in the App Store). If asked, enter “APHA2019” as the organization code for APHA’s Billion Steps Challenge.

Walk Maryland Day is October 10, 2018

What is Walk Maryland Day?

Walk Maryland Day is a celebration of our official state exercise–walking! It’s also a call to action to promote awareness about regular walking for physical activity and improved health, engaging Marylanders with fun walks of all sizes and shapes.

See pictures, event highlights, and read our Walk Maryland Day 2017 Report here​.

Do you love walking? Become a Walking Leader! It’s easy, just go for a walk and invite others to join you. It’s that simple! Become a Walking Leader by registering here​.​

Walk Maryland Day Event Goals

  • Engage Marylanders in walking for daily physical activity. More than 2400 Marylanders participated in 2017.
  • Engage community leaders to boost event visibility and physical activity awareness.
  • Support safe walking in Maryland through enhanced state agency coordination (e.g., MDH, MSDE, MDOT, UMD extension, etc.).
  • Promote school participation in Walk Maryland Day (International Walk to School Day) by registering here. More than 100 schools participated in 2016 and 2017.
  • Promote worksite participation in Walk Maryland Day by directing Healthiest Maryland Businesses (HMB) and other Maryland worksites to walking resources.

Learn more about Walk Maryland Day here.

Walking and Walkability Survey

Take the Washington County Walking and Walkability Survey at tinyurl.com/WashCoWalkingSurvey

The survey is intended to be taken by adults who live in Washington County, Maryland. The survey should take less than 10 minutes to complete and responses are anonymous.

An important strategy in the Washington County Walking and Walkability Plan is to assess the current state of walking and walkability in Washington County. Along with conducting various walk audits throughout the county, this survey will help us collect the information we need to assess the current state of walking and walkability in the county.

Please take a few minutes to complete the survey and help us achieve our vision of walking toward a healthier Washington County.

It’s Physical, and Fiscal—Trails Have an Economic Impact

Most of us are aware of the benefits of exercise and spending time outdoors, but communities that invest in hiking, biking, and walking trails often see a stronger bottom-line. A healthier workforce means less time away from work, more productivity, and more opportunities for growth for local businesses. Additionally, given the high cost of healthcare and increasingly limited insurance availability,  a healthier community means fewer tax dollars spent on uninsured patients.

But there is another economic advantage to investing in walking trails and pedestrian-friendly cities. Communities that make it easier for people to walk or bicycle can also trigger economic growth.  Cities that are safe and accessible for pedestrians and bicyclists attract tourism, generate traffic for restaurants and other local businesses, and increase property values. From the Hagerstown bike loop and Cultural Trail, to new development in Williamsport along the C&O Canal, to the Western Maryland Rail Trail in Hancock and towns and villages throughout Washington County, our region has made great strides toward building healthier and more economically viable communities in recent years. So go take a hike—it might just help your bottom-line in more ways than one!

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