By Sentinel Staff
Sitka has earned Bronze-level Walk Friendly Communities designation for the third time, Sitka Health Summit learned this week.
“Sitka is designated as a Bronze-level community due to its consistently high walking mode share and low crash rate, exceptional trail system, and community support for walking initiatives and events,” the WFC program said in awarding the designation.
Pedestrians stroll along the Sea Walk past Crescent Park today. (Sentinel Photo)
It again was the only Alaska community among 22 nationwide to earn the honor.
In 2013, Sitka was the first – and so far only – town in Alaska to earn a Bronze-level or higher designation from the program, coordinated by the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Sitka earned its first Bronze WFC renewal in 2017. Juneau has honorable mention status.
“At the very first Sitka Health Summit in 2007, participants ended the day by sharing ideas on next steps. One idea that filled Harrigan Centennial Hall with applause was being a more walk- and bike-friendly town,” said SEARHC Health Educator Doug Osborne, who helps coordinate the Sitka Health Summit.
“Walking was again prioritized by citizen planners at the 2012 Summit and in the last 15 years Sitka has made significant strides in this important area,’’ Osborne said. ‘‘Since it was first selected as a community goal, multiple crosswalks have been improved, projects to increase visibility have involved hundreds of locals, plus a no-cellphone-while-driving policy to reduce distracted driving, new sidewalks, trails, signage, etc.’’
“Walking is a natural for Sitka,” Osborne added. “For the last 10,000 years people have been walking here. Some might think that cars have taken over, but the vast majority of human beings who will be in Sitka in 2022 will get around on foot. The visitors from the cruise ships are often walking, the Mt. Edgecumbe High School student body, locals who don’t have a driver’s license because of age, vision, or other factors.
‘‘Additionally, we have people walking because they can’t afford to buy, insure, and fuel a car,’’ he said. ‘‘Others walk because they are motivated to protect the environment for future generations and still more just like it. I get that because life at three miles an hour (the average walking speed) is a wonderful thing.”
“The majority of trips in the car are for less than three miles, and if we can encourage people to walk or bike instead we promote a culture of wellness,” said Charles Bingham, coordinator of Walk Sitka and the writer of Sitka’s three WFC applications. “Not only are people getting heart-healthy physical health benefits from walking, there are benefits for mental and emotional health when you take a walk in the woods. In addition, by walking and biking we reduce the amount of car exhaust we have to breathe, and there are economic benefits when we have walkable communities.
Becoming a Walk Friendly Community was wellness project of the 2008 and 2012 Sitka Health Summits (the 2008 project was before there was a national Walk Friendly Communities program).
In 2008 Sitka earned its first Bicycle Friendly Community designation, and in 2012 added the new WFC designation to the BFC award.
Sitka is the only community in Alaska with both Walk Friendly Communities (Bronze in 2013, 2017 and 2022) and Bicycle Friendly Community (Bronze in 2008 and 2012, Silver in 2016 and 2020) designations.
Included among the June 21 designated communities are Arlington County, Virginia, and New York City, New York, with Platinum-level designations for their activities. WFC also issued four Gold-level (Ann Arbor, Mich.; Chicago; Corvallis, Ore.; Minneapolis), four Silver-level (Alexandria, Va.; Cary, N.C.; Lawrence, Kan.; Ypsilanti, Mich.), and 13 Bronze-level designations (Durango, Colo.; Fayetteville, Ark.; Fergus Falls, Minn.; Flagstaff, Ariz.; Gainesville, Fla.; Mount Lebanon, Pa.; Northampton, Mass.; Rochester, Minn.; Sitka; Stevens Point, Wis.; Wilsonville, Ore.; York, Pa.).
