Programs and Services > Colorado Pedestrian Month

HJR07-1031 PDF

In April of 2007, the Colorado General Assembly passed House Joint Resolution 07-1031 permanently establishing October as both Colorado Pedestrian Month and Colorado Walk to School Month.  In addition, the resolution makes every Wednesday throughout the year Colorado Walks Wednesday.  This resolution sets the stage for raising awareness of pedestrian safety and promoting walking for health, fitness, and transportation.

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 07-1031

Concerning Colorado Pedestrian Month,

Colorado Walk to School Month, and

Colorado Walks Wednesdays

WHEREAS, Walking contributes to improved health, safer streets, stronger communities, and a cleaner natural environment; and

WHEREAS, Children walk to and from neighborhood schools during the busiest times of the day when many motorists are rushing to and from work; and

WHEREAS, On average in the United States, a pedestrian is killed in a traffic crash every 108 minutes, with children age 15 and younger accounting for 8% of pedestrian fatalities and 28% of all pedestrian injuries in 2005; and

WHEREAS, Hundreds of children and adults could be saved each year if every community made pedestrian safety a priority; and

WHEREAS, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that neighborhoods and local agencies work together to identify and create safe routes to school; and

WHEREAS, "Complete Streets" are designed and operated to enable safe access for all users, including people who use wheelchairs, have vision impairments, and for older adults and children; and

WHEREAS, In the United States, 66% of adults are obese and 17% of children are overweight; and

WHEREAS, More than 60% of all adults in the United States do not engage in the recommended amount of physical activity, and this lack of regular physical exercise can lead to illness and chronic diseases that result in billions of dollars in health care costs each year; and

WHEREAS, Increasing regular moderate physical activity among the more than 88 million inactive Americans over the age of 15 might reduce annual health care costs by as much as $76.6 billion; and

WHEREAS, The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies recommends fighting childhood obesity by encouraging communities to improve the streets, sidewalks, and street-crossing safety of routes to school, develop programs to encourage walking and bicycling to school, and build schools within walking and bicycling distance of the neighborhoods they serve; and

WHEREAS, Adults, children, and adolescents can improve their health by engaging in moderate-intensity physical activities, such as walking, regularly during the week; and

WHEREAS, Walking is an ideal low-impact exercise that has multiple health benefits such as the ability to reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer, lower total cholesterol, raise healthy HDL cholesterol, lower blood pressure, maintain healthy bones and muscles, stabilize blood sugar, improve immunity, and relieve stress; and

WHEREAS, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services defines a healthy community as "one that embraces the belief that health is more than merely an absence of disease; a healthy community includes those elements that enable people to maintain a high quality of life and productivity"; and

WHEREAS, More than one quarter of all daily household car trips are one mile or less and almost half are under five miles; and

WHEREAS, The "Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991", subsequently reauthorized in 2005 as the "Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users", calls for all states to consider the needs of pedestrians and bicyclists whenever new roads are constructed or existing roads are reconstructed; and

WHEREAS, Children, parents, and community leaders throughout the world are joining together to evaluate pedestrian safety in their communities and celebrate International Walk to School Month each October; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Sixty-sixth General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the Senate concurring herein:

(1)   That the month of October shall permanently be designated as "Colorado Pedestrian Month".

(2)   That the month of October shall permanently be designated as "Colorado Walk to School Month" to coincide with "International Walk to School Month".

(3)   That every Wednesday throughout the year shall permanently be designated as "Colorado Walks Wednesdays".

(4)   That the Colorado General Assembly encourages the residents of Colorado to participate in "Colorado Pedestrian Month", "Colorado Walks Wednesdays", and "Colorado Walk to School Month", and to increase their awareness of pedestrian safety while finding ways to increase the number of walking trips into their daily lives.