1. Calgary Walk To Work Challenge
Presented by Nicole Jensen Transportation Planner, The City of Calgary

2. THE PROJECT Pilot Project Year-long challenge (Sept 2003 - Sept 2004)
Challenge people who drive to work to get out of their cars and walk all or part of the way.

3. Get people out of their cars and onto their feet
PROJECT GOALS
Get people out of their cars and onto their feet

4. Learn what incentives are most valuable to participants
PROJECT GOALS
Learn what incentives are most valuable to participants

5. PROJECT GOALS
Transportation
Environment
Health

6. PROJECT GOALS
Have Fun!

7. MAKING IT HAPPEN - Partners
Local
Gord’s Running Store
Calgary Cardiovascular Network
Calgary and District Be Fit for Life Centre
Provincial
Climate Change Central
Federal
Environment Canada - Climate Change Action Fund

8. (vs. $720,000 for a similar project with bikes in Denmark)
MAKING IT HAPPEN
Total Project Cost
$24,000
(vs. $720,000 for a similar project with bikes in Denmark)
$10,000 cash
transit tickets
pedometers
gift certificates
logistics
$14,000 in-kind
salary
others salary
advertising
175 people in the project in Denmark

9. MARKETING Health Incentives (aka ‘free stuff’)
wanted to catch their attention
advertising with “health” in mind
through the CHR we were able to reach
recreation facilities
downtown cafes
downtown newsletter
media release
website (and partner websites)

10. WHO DID WE GET? Participants started with 70 80% are women
55% between the ages of 35 and 49
41% work for the Calgary Health Region
Wanted to keep it small in case we couldn’t find people
Started with 69, 6 dropped out right away (63)
2 retired, 2 moved, 4 went AWOL and 1 was injured (54 left)
CHR has a great communications network, and that’s reflected in the % of employees from that area, while many learned of the program through word of mouth.
Downtown was much harder to advertise in, unless you contact the big companies directly

11. INCENTIVES & INITIATIVES
pedometer
One-on-one meetings
transit tickets
gift certificate
pathway/bikeway maps
transit maps
survey
LISTENED TO CONCERNS THAT THEY HAD AND DISCUSSED REALISTIC GOALS.
ALLOWED PEOPLE TO SET THEIR OWN GOALS TO ENSURE THAT THEY FIT IN WITH THEIR LIFESTYLE, RATHER THEN TRYING TO MAKE THEIR LIFESTYLE FIT IN WITH ONE PROGRAM.
**************************************************
PED - COUNTS # OF STEPS - 10,000 STEPS PROGRAM
WENT OVER POSSIBLE ROUTES TO GET TO WORK, NOT ONLY VIA WALKING, BUT CYCLING, TRANSIT ETC.

12. INCENTIVES & INITIATIVES
walking technique and pedometer instruction
Kick Off Workshop
proper shoe fitting
blood and cholesterol testing
nutrition information (and healthy lunch provided)
web logbook instruction
resource binder
SATURDAY MORNING WORKSHOP LAST SEPTEMBER
A) OFFICIAL START TO THE PROGRAM
B) ALLOWED PEOPLE TO SEE THAT THEY WERE PART OF A LARGER GROUP
C) GET PEOPLE EXCITED ABOUT WALKING THROUGH THE 4 ROTATING SESSIONS

13. INCENTIVES & INITIATIVES
Daily Travel Log
distance to and from work
mode used
monthly summary sheets
prizes for data entry
DAILY LOG FOR RECORDING THEIR COMMUTING ACTIVITIES
CREATED SUMMARY SHEETS FROM THE DATA THAT SUMMARIZED MODE USED AND DISTANCE TRAVELLED FOR THE INDIVIDUALS AS WELL AS THE GROUP AS A WHOLE.
TRIPS, GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS SAVED
IN ORDER TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO ENTER DATA, WE GAVE AWAY MONTHLY PRIZES TO THOSE WHO ENTERED DATA.

14. INCENTIVES & INITIATIVES
Workshops
Core training
Contact

15. INCENTIVES & INITIATIVES
Weekend Urban Hikes
Every Saturday from 10am to 12noon
weekend hikes, encouraged folks to bring friends and family (and dogs where appropriate)
even if they weren’t able to make it, people wanted the hike info to do later

16. Reasons People Didn’t Walk To Work
RESULTS - Overall
Reasons People Didn’t Walk To Work
CAR IS CONVENIENT
NO TIME

17. The #1 Reason People Joined the Program
RESULTS - Overall
The #1 Reason People Joined the Program
Save Money
Environment
Health
Free Stuff P
Health
WANT TO BE MORE ACTIVE
It’s about personal health, not transportation or the environment to most people.

18. #1 Reason People are Still Walking
RESULTS - Overall
#1 Reason People are Still Walking
Health
WANT TO BE MORE ACTIVE
Losing Weight
Environment
Losing Weight
Environment
Health is still is no 1 reason
Being active was still the number one reason, but worth noting losing weight became less important and the environment became more important.
I can only speculate that once people get out into their communities /environment, that they become more aware of the effects of automobile use.

19. RESULTS - Overall 67% of people are still walking
14% use alternatives to SOV
19% are back to driving
67% of people still walking = 37 people of 55 people
14% of people using alts to SOV = 7 people of 55 people
19% of people driving only = 11 people of 55 people

20. RESULTS - Overall Over 20,000 kms walked Walking on 74% of the days
carpooling
transit
Walking on 74% of the days
Of those still walking they walk 74% of the days.
If we incorporate those who are no longer walking, people are walking 50% of the days.
Over 20,000 kms walked/cycled (based on the survey) = half way around the equator
If we include other travel modes, especially transit (7,500kms) and carpooling (22,500kms), then we’re looking at another 30,000 kms which with the walking would get us all the way around and some.

21. RESULTS - Multiple Modes
Participants used as many as 6 modes to travel to and from work
2,3 and 4 modes were most common
Key messages:
Several modes being used over the course of the year, as well within a day and within a trip.
When conducting the pre-program survey, participants were one-mode people - drive to work and park. Since the program, they are using all sorts of modes - whatever happens to suit their lifestyle, or how they feel at the time.
Although this was the walk to work challenge, spent a lot of time promoting transit, cycling and carpooling, because of the awareness a particular transportation mode cannot be promoted in isolation. How does one get home if the weather turns bad, or if you have blisters on your feet? What if I want to be active today, but I’m running a little behind, so walking will take too long?
There are those who hadn’t taken transit in years, and forgot it as an option.
ONE WOMAN TOOK ADVANTAGE OF OUR PARK ‘N’ BIKE SITES - DRIVE 12KMS TO PARK AND THEN RUN, CYCLING, IN-LINE SKATE THE REMAINING 6KMS ALONG THE PATHWAY INTO DOWNTOWN.

22. RESULTS - Incentives Most Valuable 1) Pedometer
2) Walking Technique and Shoe Fitting
3) Transit Tickets
HELPED MONITOR ACTIVITY OVER THE COURSE OF THE DAY
WAS EYE-OPENING - INCENTIVE TO GET TO 10,000 STEPS A DAY
TALKED ABOUT SLIPPING ON THE ICE
TRANSIT TICKETS - GOT PEOPLE ON TRANSIT THAT HASN’T TAKEN IT IN YEARS - RECOGNIZED AS A GOOD ALTERNATIVE.

23. RESULTS - Obstacles Work Related Weather Family Obligations Time
JOB IS BUSY, HOURS TOO LONG, MEETINGS OFF-SITE
FACILITIES - SHOWERS, LOCKERS, SECURE BIKE PARKING
WEATHER
COLD
ICY - THE CITY CAN CLEAR THE WALKWAYS, PATHWAYS AND SIDEWALKS.
FAMILY OBLIGATION
CHILD CARE
DEATH
TIME

24. RESULTS - Logbook 15% entered data consistently General thoughts
cumbersome
no feedback
Key Changes
quick to enter data
ability to review entries
instant summaries
LACK OF RESOURCES - TIME AND MONEY PREVENTED A GOOD PRODUCT
TIMING - TOOK TOO LONG TO GET THE SUMMARY SHEETS OUT
SINCE THEN, THE CITY HAS CREATED A GREAT INTERNAL COMMUTER CHALLENGE SITE FOR CITY STAFF THAT ALLOWS CUSTOMIZATION AND EASY ENTRY AND INSTANT SUMMARIES.

25. Greenhouse Gases Saved
RESULTS - GHG
Greenhouse Gases Saved
5000 kgs
Planting 1600 trees would suck up that many greenhouse gases or
equivalent to taking 1.5 cars off the road

26. 88% of those still walking
RESULTS - Goals
Met or Exceeded Goals
60% overall
88% of those still walking
OVERALL INCLUDES THE 19% THAT WENT BACK TO DRIVING THEIR CAR ON A REGULAR BASIS AND THE 14% THAT USE TRANSIT /CARPOOLING

27. RESULTS - Health
45% increase in perceived health, while 45% stayed the same.
Frequency of activity increased by 45%
60% increase in the length of physical activity per day
Pre-program survey indicated several people in poor or fair health, while the post-program survey survey had virtually none. People in excellent, very good, and good health increased - COMPARED TO 65% IN THE DANISH STUDY
The largest shift was in the minutes of activity per day, with 60% of the participants increasing by as much as 45 minutes per day.
Many have more energy as a result of regularly walking - one woman said she had more energy after walking regularly that she took up yoga.

28. RESULTS - Encourage Others
Walk to Work Challenge
Through effecting a few people, you can have a ripple effect.
Some of these were family members (spouses or kids)
Some even commented that they hope that it reflects a lifelong change in their children, such that exercise will be integrated into their lives.
These were only the active modes of transportation - no mention of transit or carpooling.
ONE WOMAN NOW CYCLES AND WALKS TO THE LIBRARY AND MALL WITH HER KIDS - SHE NO LONGER DRIVES THEM PLACES IN GOOD WEATHER. HOPING IT HAS A LIFE-LONG IMPACT AND MAKES IT EASIER FOR KIDS TO INTEGRATE EXERCISE INTO THEIR LIVES

29. WHAT’S NEXT? Party! Post-Program Survey Integration into TDM programs
Mid-October
Post-Program Survey
Integration into TDM programs
employer-based
city-wide
PARTY - CELEBRATE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
POST-PROGRAM CONTACT - 1 YEAR LATER TO SEE IF PEOPLE ARE STILL WALKING OR USING ALTERNATES TO THE SOV
TDM PROGRAMS AT THE CITY

30. KEY MESSAGES Comprehensive approach to alternatives Flexible program
lifestyles
monitoring
Links between transportation, health and environment
Enthusiasm - whoever delivers the program needs to have a passion about the subject and the participants.

31. THANK YOU…QUESTIONS?