Walk, Shop and Wheel!
City of Canada Bay Council rewarded those members of the community who shop locally with a special edition wheelie bag that enables them to walk to the shops and wheel their shopping home.
Through this promotion, 834 wheelie bags were distributed and commitments to leaving the car at home when undertaking local shopping made. The total Vehicle Kilometre Trips (VKT) is estimated to be 6630 based on an average saving of kilometres between home and shopping centre at a rate of three times each week. If the effort is sustained for a year people will have walked 344,760 kilometres.
The outcome of this program is to facilitate more people shopping locally without their car. This improves heart health, pollution, parking congestion, encourages people onto the street where they can mingle and talk as they walk.
The concept behind the programs is to fulfil a number of community objectives identified through the FuturesPlan20 Consultation, including to:
- Promote the health benefits of active transport;
- Promote the environmental benefits of active transport;
- Encourage and incentivise people to shop locally and improve the vibrancy or our local centres;
- Encourage people to walk to their local shops and reduce VKTs. This supports our commitment to reduce our carbon footprint and meeting our FuturesPlan20 environmental targets;
- Reduce the use of plastic carrier bags;
- Collect information to provide personalise trip planners; and
- Supports precinct improvements through improved facilities.
For further information on this initiative, please contact Council's Economic Development Unit on 9911 6555 or email business@canadabay.nsw.gov.au.