Stettler came out the winner of the friendly Walk ‘n’ Roll Challenge this summer with Ponoka and Wainwright.
The challenge, organized by the Heartland Beautification Committee, began May 1 and ended Aug. 31. Stettler recorded 15,932 trips while Ponoka registered 9,773 trips and Wainwright, 8,947 trips, over the four months.
It was definitely a back and forth competition. Stettler won May, Wainwright won June, Ponoka won July and Stettler won again in August with a large surge to take the grand total lead.
Stettler’s Mayor Sean Nolls added to the fun by placing a side bet with the mayors of Ponoka and Wainwright: the losing towns’ mayors will make a 30-second video on Facebook about the winning town.
This is Stettler’s fourth year of doing Walk ‘n’ Roll promotions compared to Ponoka’s second year and Wainwright’s first year. Wainwright had superb participation for their first time, and both Stettler and Ponoka increased their participation by about 60 per cent over last year.
The goal of the annual challenge is to encourage residents to walk or bike, rather than use their vehicle, to get to their destination. These totals mean that vehicles were left at home 34,652 times throughout the summer.
“We can change our habit of driving everywhere,” said Grace Fix of the Heartland Beautification Committee. “Walking or biking to our destination is an option that we can often consider. Stettler is flat, the distances are not great, and we have an excellent trail system. Walking or biking is so much more enjoyable, it gives us some calm in our busy lives, and it saves emissions, all of which walkers and cyclists find is well worth the extra few minutes it will take.”
- Contributed