Delco gets moving with state fitness program
YEADON» A statewide initiative to get more residents moving and healthy has created three new walking trails in the county.
County officials on Wednesday afternoon unveiled their involvement in WalkWorks, an incentive to expose people to more opportunities for physical activity that has created new designated walking routes in Yeadon, Lansdowne and Media. WalkWorks is joint collaboration between the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health that works with community-based partners to bring the program locally.
“By establishing community-based walking routes and forming sustainable walking groups, WalkWorks seeks to enhance and improve the residents of Delaware County,” said county Councilman Dave White, a Republican running for reelection in November.
The three walking routes were established by the Delaware County Planning Department starting in November 2016, scoping out locations that would be safe, accessible and have historical points of interest along the way.
The Lansdowne Center route is the longest at 1.94 miles long and includes the Historic Lansdowne Theater and the Lansdowne Park National Register Historic District on the path. The Media route goes right through the downtown business district and is logged at 1.8 miles long. Finally the South Lansdowne/Yeadon route start at the border of the two boroughs before heading south into Yeadon with Lincoln and South Wycombe avenues as the main walking arteries on the 1.4-mile walk.
A fourth walking route is being looked at for Marcus Hook next year.
The trails selected were noted for having sound infrastructure for walkers and bikers alike, while continuing to enhance these transportation networks.
“We hope all three of these paths encourage our residents to get out and get moving in the fall, the spring, the summer, and even in the winter when there is no snow on these paths,” said White. “We also hope it’s a means for groups to work together and to get healthy in Delaware County.”
WalkWorks thrives on establishing walking groups for their routes, and the public is encouraged to sign up for these groups through the through the county’s department of intercommunity health website at www.co.delaware.pa.us/ intercommunity. An online form is available there and once submitted will sign people up for a local group.
Chester and Philadelphia counties are other local governments who have partnered with the state to bring WalkWorks to their communities.
WalkWorks cites walking and fitness as a way to control weight and improve mental health among other physical and mental perks.