Helping Seniors Stay Active

Kingston, like other Ontario municipalities, is experiencing a significant demographic shift. It is expected that 37.6% of Kingston’s population will be over the age of 55 (an increase of 8.5%) within the next 25 years. According to Canadian census figures, persons aged 65 and older made up nearly 16.5% of the population in Kingston in 2011, compared to 14.6% for the Province of Ontario and 14.8% for Canada.

What does this shift mean for the community? A vibrant community depends on the participation and contributions of everyone including its older members.  Loss of mobility and restricted lifestyles threaten not only the physical and emotional health of the individual, who may feel a sense of loss and dependency, but also the quality of their interactions with the community.

Older adults are a group vulnerable to illness and injury. Research has shown that it is important that seniors continue to be active to maintain flexibility. A daily walk can help retain mobility, flexibility and maintain social interactions with neighbours and other members of the community. 

With winter approaching, many seniors are afraid to step outdoors and walk to common destinations that would have been easy to negotiate in the summer months. While mall walking is an option, fresh air and sunshine improves your mindset. 

Impediments to winter walking for seniors include snow and ice ridges on sidewalks and intersections. Many seniors are less surefooted and have balance problems as slight dips in pavement or surfaces can throw them off balance. In designing streets with seniors in mind, flat even surfaces, textures/tones that denote changes in slope, and frequent benches for respite help promote an exercise regime. Walking is a form of active transportation and is an integral step in maintaining health.

This winter please consider your neighbours who may be shut in due to snow and ice. Help them maintain an active lifestyle. Assist them where possible by offering a supporting arm as they cross roads and tricky sections of sidewalks or by shoveling or clearing their paths, driveways and sidewalks.  Every bit helps build a sense of community.

Author: Kristine Hebert is a community member of the Kingston Coalition for Active Transportation. She has a keen interest in pedestrian mobility issues and appreciates current improvements to the downtown. These thoughts are her own and not affiliated with any organization.

Avoid the worst and put safety first

 

 

This was the message brought by Queen’s University students to a meeting of the Environment, Infrastructure and Transportation Policies (EITP) Committee of Kingston City Council on February 14, 2012. Members of a Pedestrian Safety Initiative, the students advocated for a lowering of speed limits on campus, due to the high number of students crossing Union and University Streets, two major arteries for city traffic flow. As part of their case, the students informed councillors that from 2005-2010, 82 collisions have occurred at intersections in, or on the edge of, campus. These involved combinations of vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians and resulted in 17 injuries. As research has found that speed is the best predictor of number and severity of collisions, the students advocated for a reduced speed limit. The EITP recommended that city staff investigate the lowering of speed limits on campus.

Solar-powered smart signs now greet drivers on two streets: on Union, near Frontenac if driving east, and near Division if travelling west, and on University Avenue, near Grant Hall (see photo). Why are they smart? They read the speed of oncoming vehicles and broadcast that information to drivers: if under 40 kph, the number is solid yellow; if over 40, it flashes and if very high it turns red. Installed and paid for by the City of Kingston at the request of Queen’s University, the signs are there on a semi-permanent basis and can track the essential average speed. If the City’s study shows the average speed to be consistently too high, advocates may propose another method of traffic calming, such as a scramble intersection at Union and University streets. Let’s hope these high-tech green signs motivate drivers to ease off on the gas pedal as they make their way through one of Kingston’s most pedestrian-clogged areas.

 

 

 

Cycle Sundays are one of the best promoters of active transportation

On Sunday, September 29, from 9 am to 1 pm, part of Front Road should present a dream picture for lovers of active transportation. As the two westbound lanes will be closed to vehicle traffic for the morning, cyclists and others using non-motorized transportation can safely travel the 3.8 km stretch. It’s a free, family friendly event that will happen rain or shine.

 The site is bounded by Centre 70, a Cycling Skills and Safety Checkpoint sponsored by Cycle Kingston, and Lake Ontario Park, where there will be live entertainment, demonstrations, vendors and information booths. According to Anne McPhail, of KFL&A Public Health, Cycle Sunday is designed to promote awareness of cycling as an active transportation option in the City; encourage family participation in active transportation activities; provide an opportunity for residents to participate in a fun, low-cost community event while demonstrating the relative ease of using active transportation as a form of commuting; and promote a cycling event as a standalone rather than in conjunction with other existing events , such as the Princess St. Promenade.

 Kingston’s Cycle Sunday is part of larger movement called Open Streets or Ciclovias, where the streets are opened to people and closed to cars. One of the strongest advocates of such events is 8-80 Cities www.8-80cities.org, a Canadian non-profit organization dedicated to urban walking and cycling. As their website says, from Guadalajara to New York, the open streets movement is gaining fans: “They are an entire community building and social engagement exercise in itself. They provide free recreational opportunities and public space for people to meet, interact, and make social connections.” Check out their website for videos of cyclovias in cities in North and South America and Europe. Will Kingston be posted next? Let’s hope so!

Pedestrian Promenades

A formal dance or a military parade of some kind is what many people think of when they consider the term “promenade”. While both of these are acceptable descriptions, the type of promenade I am referring to has more to do with urban design and less to do with Canada’s national defense system. Interestingly enough, if you search for a definition of the word “promenade” it promises a place for a “public walk, especially by a seaside resort”. Although Kingston may not have a seaside resort to offer you as a backdrop, it has many spaces that offer brilliant scenery.

I always enjoyed walking; never giving much thought to how certain settings affected how much I enjoyed the walk. When I think of the perfect setting for a summer saunter I think of a long stretch of open, level ground, clearly set aside for the purpose of pedestrian activity - a place with no cars on the road, is more what I am alluding to.

I love to visit other cities, particularly when they have large cobblestone streets designated exclusively for pedestrians. These promenades have a great purpose, to allow pedestrians their own space without having the worry of speeding vehicles rushing by them. You can tell when a space has been planned with pedestrians in mind, as you will find widened sidewalks, trees for shade, benches, shops, street vendors and maybe even music.

What spaces do you prefer to walk in?

Pedestrian pathways that are well-planned commonly have plenty of free space for movement and social interaction, as well as visually stimulating surroundings such as: a consistent road surface pattern as well as fixtures and greenery. Pedestrian Promenades are often intended to match the nature of their surroundings, all the while bringing a feeling of safety and security to pedestrian travellers.

Often times we can get so focused on what we are doing, or where we are going, that we miss the scenery around us, sometimes we need to take a break and just enjoy the walk.

• What makes you want to walk? What do you like to see when you are walking? People, shops or things to do? Music? Food?
• Maybe you'll get inspired about walking when you enjoy the Princess St Promenade on Saturday August 3, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Give us your thoughts

Jenn Hroch is a Public Health Nurse at KFL&A Public Health, and also a member of the Kingston Coalition for Active Transportation.

Burn Calories, Not Electricity

By Pat Sullivan

If you saw this sign, ‘Burn Calories, Not Electricity’, by a stairwell, would it prompt you to reject the elevator and use leg power to reach your destination? The proponents of Healthy Design think it would. This growing field proposes that the built environment – our buildings and roads – impacts our health in many ways. Their vision ranges from the macro – urban planning that revitalizes streets for pedestrians – to the micro – a motivational sign on a stairwell in a building that could get office workers and residents moving.

 

Ruth Noordegraaf, a member of the Kingston Coalition for Active Transportation (KCAT), attended the Healthy Peel by Design Symposium, in Mississauga, last fall. The conference drew 300 politicians, planners, designers and health care professionals to examine the impact of the built environment on health. “The message was simple: we can make our citizens healthier if we design for it. Health is a land-use issue. I heard many ideas that could be applied in Kingston,” said Ruth.

To see how land use affects health, we can look back to the 19th century, when the implementation of sanitary reforms and improved housing conditions benefited the population. Such progress then gave way to the automotive culture, which sparked a pattern of suburban, car-oriented development. Researchers now believe that the poor street connectivity in low-density suburbs is linked to a wide range of health problems such as physical inactivity, obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, asthma and other respiratory diseases.

One presenter who really impressed Ruth was Skye Duncan, an International Urban Design Consultant who showed how New York City is building complete neighbourhoods that feature increased density, fresh foods, public plazas, affordable housing and the arts. How this happens is through policy, which mandates street trees, green parking lots, publicly accessible waterfronts, minimum planting standards for front yards, curb cut regulations, and zoning for bicycle parking. The approach is summed up as ‘People First, from Skyscraper to Sidewalk’: always judge from the pedestrians’ perspective.

The goals of Healthy Design mesh with those of Active Transportation: we all want our built environment to foster physical activity. Your stairwell may not have a motivational sign yet, but you could adopt the Healthy Design attitude: ‘Burn Calories, Not Electricity’!


Pat Sullivan is a member of the Kingston Coalition for Active Transportation (KCAT). KCAT is a group of community members who work with a variety of partners within the City of Kingston to develop an environment for walking, cycling and other self-propelled modes of transportation that is safe, secure, convenient, efficient and attractive.