Two local residents are hoping pedestrians will come out of the woodwork to help create a one-stop spot where people can find out all they need to know about walking in New West.
Mary Wilson and Reena Meijer Drees have joined forces to create a new support group for walkers in the city. Walkers are invited to attend a brainstorming session on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. at Century House and share their thoughts on forming a non-profit society dedicated to local pedestrian issues.
“Hopefully we can pull people in who are interested in walking in New West,” said Meijer Drees. “The idea is to be the focal point for the city and for other groups who walk.”
The group’s mandate could include collecting information relevant to local walkers, liaising with the city about improvements to new and existing infrastructure, advocating for new walking routes, advertising walking events and collecting people’s favourite walking routes.
“I’ve got lots of ideas, but we need to hear from everyone who walks in this town,” Wilson said. “That includes seniors, shoppers, kids, recreational trail users, dog walkers, basically anyone with legs. And that’s most people.”
Wilson, a well-known pedestrian advocate, served on the city’s advisory committee for transit, bicycles and pedestrians for eight years and was instrumental in getting the annual Jane’s Walks started in New West. She’s long believed the city needed to have a website and social media presence for walkers in New West.
“I want it to be a clearing house, an information place – when you go on the internet and you type in ‘New Westminster walkers’ this is what I want you to hit,” Wilson said. “The information will be there about who is doing what, what groups are active in New Westminster, where you can go for this, all kinds of stuff.”
Wilson hopes the group and the website would be the mechanism that brings together representatives from various walking groups that already exist in New West but don’t have contact with each other.
“I am hoping those kinds of people will say, this will be a good idea to coordinate our efforts in promoting and advocating for walking,” she said. “There is not equity for walkers in the whole spectrum of transportation.”
When talking transportation, Wilson said people first talk about cars and trucks, then bicycles and finally walkers. While there’s no organization for walkers in New West, she said they exist in other cities, including Victoria, and bring walkers together.
“All of a sudden, walkers exist. They have an identity. They are there and they have a voice,” Wilson said. “That is what we need.”
Wilson spearheaded Jane’s Walks in New Westminster in 2013. Each year, residents, including Wilson, lead community members on walks in all parts of the city.
“There’s an awful lot of walking that goes on in New West but there’s not much coordination of it,” she said. “The groups don’t know each other, don’t interact and don’t get together to become the voice of walkers. I am hoping this website might become the coordination method.”
The time is right for New West walkers to unite, says Wilson, as the City of New Westminster has placed a priority on walking in its master transportation plan and Fraser Health has deemed it to be an important aspect of health and recreation.
“It’s an uphill battle to make that sort of change, but a lot of people all over the place are working towards prioritizing urban walking particularly. I just knew if the health department is doing it and the city is doing it, the community has to step up,” she said. “We’ve got to get to the table as ‘we represent the walkers of New Westminster.’”
