Daily Sitka Sentinel

Sitka’s ‘Walk Friendly’ Designation Renewed

The City and Borough of Sitka has  earned a renewal of its bronze-level Walk Friendly Communities designation, local coordinators announced Wednesday. It joins seven other communities nationwide given designations.
In 2013, Sitka became the first – and so far only – town in Alaska to earn a bronze-level or higher designation from the Walk Friendly Communities program, coordinated by the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center in Chapel Hill, N.C. Juneau has honorable mention status.
“I am proud of the hard work city staff has done to improve the lives of Sitkans with the limited funding we have available,” Sitka Mayor Matt Hunter said. “Thank you to the dedicated group of citizens who spend their time advocating for safer streets and who seek to recognize the city’s efforts.”
Becoming a Walk Friendly Community was a community wellness project of the 2008 and 2012 Sitka Health Summits. Sitka, which had earned its first Bicycle Friendly Community designation in 2008, added the Walk Friendly in 2013. The town is now the only community in Alaska with both Walk Friendly Communities (bronze in 2013 and 2017) and Bicycle Friendly Community (bronze in 2008 and 2012, silver in 2016).
“We hoped we might upgrade to the silver level this time, but we’re still the only official Walk Friendly Communities award-winner in Alaska,” said Charles Bingham, who helped coordinate the Walk Sitka group and wrote the WFC applications in 2013 and 2017. “We’re happy to win the award, but we’re also happy for the feedback we received to help make Sitka a more walkable community.”
The eight new or renewing Walk Friendly Communities for Fall 2017 were Washington, D.C., at the gold level; Columbus, Ohio; Long Beach, Calif.; and Redwood City, Calif.; at the silver level; and Essex Junction, Vt.; Gainesville, Fla.; Northampton, Mass.; and Sitka; at the bronze level. They bring the nation’s total to 67 awardees in the program at four levels — bronze, silver, gold, and platinum. (Seattle and New York City are the lone platinum WFCs.)
In 2011, Juneau received an honorable mention in the program but has not earned a full WFC designation.
Some of the major changes since Sitka’s 2013 application include the replacement of the Indian River Pedestrian Bridge in Sitka National Historical Park, the multipurpose path from Whale Park to the end of Sawmill Creek Road, funding commitments for two extensions to the Sitka Sea Walk and to finish the Cross Trail, a new multi-purpose path on Edgecumbe Drive, proposed bike-walk improvements to Sawmill Creek Road from the roundabout to Jeff Davis Street, new walking encouragement programs, and more.
Sitka’s community report card cited the level of planning effort and community support for Sitka’s trail system; slow speed limits through downtown and in school zones, paired with pedestrian countdown signals at Sitka’s two main intersections; and the variety and frequency of walking programs.