While Vermonters are biking, carpooling and taking public transportation as part of Vermont's Way to Go! commuter challenge this week, Montpelier is gearing up for a week focused on walking.
The capital city celebrates its third annual We Walk Week from Oct. 8 to Oct. 15. Montpelier’s Pedestrian Advisory Committee created the event to promote walking in the city, and has more than a dozen organized walks planned.
"Each walk offers a different way to see the city than one gets from the window of a car," says committee member John Snell.
The celebration will kick off on Saturday, Oct. 8 with what Snell calls "a Complete Streets/Open Streets event," in conjunction with with Local Motion.
"This type of street closure is becoming more and more common throughout the country as a way to envision the streets of the future where automobiles share the street more safely with bicycles and pedestrians," Snell explained. "The Committee hopes that We Walk Week can serve as a model to other Vermont towns and cities as we build our town centers for a more urban future."
The complete We Walk Week schedule of events is available on the city's website.