Walkability Conference aims to improve Colorado Springs walkability score
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - On Friday, dozens of health officials, city officials, and even a state representative met at the Peak Vista Health Center on Jet Wing Dr. in Colorado Springs with their sneakers on.
Their mission?
Go on a walk.
The group was organized by walking advocate Leliah Gibson Green.
"I walk because I'm a survivor of follicular lymphoma, stage four, which is a blood cancer," Gibson Green said. "The doctor and my therapist, because I received PTSD and depression from that trauma, they said you need to get out and walk."
Colorado Springs has a walkability score of 36 out of 100, according to Walkscore.com. The group says improving walkability will increase city-wide health, boost the local economy, and provide transportation equity.
Though this was a resident-driven event, many city officials and county epidemiologists also attended to present information and ask questions about how to increase walkability in certain areas of the city.
Gibson Green's goal was to educate those who came.
"I organized this event to get people out and be aware of what walkability is, to educate them, [and] educate the community so that we can find a solution to walkability and the causes, and what we can do to improve the infrastructure," Gibson Green said.
Between slides and presentations, officials hit the streets themselves to understand how to improve walkability. They walked the Southeast Sand Creek Trail, Jet Wing Dr. to Fenton Rd., and Jet Wing to South Academy Blvd.
Jet Wing Dr. was the most problematic area the group walked. Halfway down the block, the sidewalk ends, leaving walkers victim to broken glass, nettles, and hip-high weeds. They are also completely unprotected from traffic that travels at high speeds.
"We've kind of grown in such a way that we sprawl. We are very car-dependent. We're not making the best use of our space," Democratic State Representative for District 16 Stephanie Vigil said.
Vigil is advocating for "people-scale" infrastructure, something that people could navigate using their own two legs or a bike. Vigil herself rode an e-bike to today's summit and says that she opts for other modes of transportation to get around. But her vote also counts for the local economy.
"If we want to support our smaller businesses, we need people-scale for people to be able to get to them," Vigil said. "And so I think if we start thinking about it that way, that this is very multifaceted. There's a lot of things that we can accomplish just by helping people have options outside of cars, making it safe and convenient for them to do so, and normalizing it across the city."
Friday's Walkability Summit was the first of its kind in Colorado Springs and was something Gibson Green hopes will make a lasting change.
"People have to receive knowledge before they can do anything about it," Gibson Green said.
