The week is organized by the City of Flagstaff's Pedestrian Awareness Committee and Disability Awareness Commission, the Coconino County Safe Kids Coalition, the Northern Arizona Intergovernmental Public Transportation Authority (NAIPTA), as well as numerous volunteers, and is planned for the beginning of October to coincide with International Walk to School Day.
This year's Pedestrian Awareness Week will include a variety of fun, informative events:
Wednesday, October 1
Breakfast Walk
Front steps of City Hall, 211 West Aspen Avenue
7:30 am
Join community leaders for a walk through the Townsite Historic District. The walk will begin on the front steps of City Hall on Aspen Avenue and end with a continental breakfast at the Adult Center on Thorpe Road.
Thursday, October 2
Skills for Local Safe Routes to School Program Development
Ponderosa Room, Coconino County Health Department
2625 North King Street
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Safe Routes to School is a growing international movement that encourages and enables children to safely walk or bike to school. This workshop, which will be conducted by the National Center for Safe Routes to School, will provide guidance for starting and operating a successful local Safe Routes to School program.
Friday, October 3
La Plaza Vieja Walkability Audit
Canyon Explorations, 675 West Clay Avenue
8:30 – 11:00 am
A walkability audit is a community-based exercise intended to highlight opportunities, identify obstacles, and evaluate how easy it is to get around your neighborhood on foot. The first part of this event (from 8:30 to 9:30) will be a short workshop on how to conduct a walkability audit. The second part (starting at 9:30 am) will be an on-the-ground walkability audit of the La Plaza Vieja neighborhood, conducted as part of the neighborhood planning process for La Plaza Vieja.
Saturday, October 4 and Sunday, October 5
Fall Color Hikes
Mount Humphreys Trailhead at top of Snowbowl Road
8:00 am
Hikers have two options for enjoying stunning views and fall scenery on the slopes of the San Francisco Peaks: the more adventurous can hike the 10-mile roundtrip to the summit of Mount Humphreys, the highest point in Arizona at 12,633 feet. Those looking for a more leisurely hike can opt for an easy, 5-mile hike through the meadows, pines, and aspens of Hart Prairie on two of the region’s newest trails, the Aspen Nature Loop and a new segment of the Arizona Trail.
Sunday, October 5
Bus/Hike
Flagstaff Police Department parking lot, 911 East Sawmill Road
1:15 pm
Join Jack Welch for a true multi-modal adventure! Ride the Mountain Line Yellow Line (Route 4) bus to Bow and Arrow Park; then walk back on FUTS trails, a distance of about 5 miles, along the Bow and Arrow Wash and the Sinclair Wash.
Monday, October 6
Try Transit Day
All Mountain Line bus routes, all day
The Northern Arizona Intergovernmental Public Transportation Authority (NAIPTA) is offering free Mountain Line bus rides all day to give everyone a chance to experience firsthand how affordable, convenient, and fun it is to ride the bus.
Tuesday, October 7
Downtown Accessibility Audit
Flagstaff Visitors Center parking lot, 1 East Route 66
9:00 am
The City’s Disability Awareness Commission will lead a short tour of downtown Flagstaff to illustrate conditions that make getting around downtown easier or more difficult for persons with mobility limitations – an eye-opening experience for all.
Wednesday, October 8
International Walk to School Day
Marshall, Killip, Kinsey, and Thomas Elementary Schools
7:30 to 8:15 am
Join kids, parents, teachers and community leaders on a “walking school bus” to one of four participating Flagstaff elementary schools. Last year more than 1,200 children in Flagstaff joined millions of school children across the globe in this event, which is intended to encourage physical activity, raise awareness of how walkable a community is, and reduce traffic congestion, pollution, and speed near schools.
For more information about Pedestrian Awareness Week, please visit www.flagstaffmpo.org or contact an event coordinator.
Martin Ince, Flagstaff Metropolitan Planning Organization, 928-226-4850
Kim Austin, Coconino County Safe Routes to School, 928-679-7213
Heather Taylor, Coconino County Safe Kids Coalition, 928-679-7262
Jim Tuck, NAIPTA, 928-679-8912
Jack Welch, 928-714-0504