Bringing Physical Activity to the
Greater Dayton Community

Local

Greater Dayton residents can increase their physical activity every day by engaging in outdoor activities, such as walking and biking.  Many local organizations and initiatives support and encourage residents to be physically active outdoors.  Listed here are just a few to help you increase your physical activity and wellness.

Walking
The Greater Dayton area has lots of places and spaces for walking. During the week, download the Walk! Downtown Dayton maps for a half-hour stroll.

Five Rivers MetroParks maintains trails of various levels for walking, hiking or backpacking at 17 parks, and offers walking and hiking programming spring through fall. For hiking trail information click here.  For backpacking information click here.

Jane's Walk honors the legacy and ideas of urban activist and writer Jane Jacobs. It is about getting out and walking, observing your city, meeting your neighbors, discovering new areas, and learning about civic institutions and agencies that shape our urban existence. Click here for more information.

The American Volkssport Association (AVA) clubs in Ohio, including several in the Dayton area, host noncompetitive walks throughout the year.  For club information and upcoming walking events, visit the AVA Ohio club listing web page.

Click here to go to Healthy Dayton's resource site to find a Walking Trail in your area.

Biking
The Great Miami River Recreation Trail through downtown Dayton is one of several recreational trails maintained by the Miami Conservancy District.  Not only is it great for walking and biking, it connects to a number of other trails and recreational parks in the Miami Valley (and the views of the river from the trails are worth the trip!).
Five Rivers MetroParks presents seasonal cycling events and programs for persons of all ages and skill levels. Click here for the latest information.  Five Rivers Outdoors maintains the MoMBA (Metroparks Mountain Biking Area) Trail in Greene County.
Bike Miami Valley offers guidance on how to commute to work on a bike.  The Ohio Biking Federation has important information about bicycle safety during your commute.
The Ohio Department of Transportation hosts bicycle information downloads on its Bicycle Transportation page.
Joining a cycling club is another way to increase your physical activity.  The Miami Valley region has several clubs that sponsor weekly and special event rides.  Click here for upcoming cycling events in your area.

Drive Less, Live More
The Drive Less, Live More campaign, presented by the Miami Conservancy District, Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission, Greater Dayton RTA and Five Rivers MetroParks, rewards area residents for reducing automobile use during the summer months through its One Less Trip contest. Area drivers give up their cars for short trips around town and track their alternative transportation use on-line.  In addition to monthly prizes, there are overall campaign winners in each transportation mode –biking, bus, walking, carpooling – as well as a grand prize and second prize.  For more information, go to Drive Less, Live More at www.drivelesslivemore.org or call (937) 277-4374.

Local and National

Walking and bicycling are easier if you live in a walkable community. Walkable communities not only add to personal health but to the overall quality of life of a community.  Walkable communities are among the principles of sustainable growth for a community. What's being done about this in the greater Dayton area? The Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission (MVPRC) has developed a Sustainable Growth Initiative that seeks to incorporate principles of sustainable growth in its regional efforts.  Its goal is to manage and direct community growth in a way that minimizes damage to the environment and builds livable towns and cities that can prosper.

The National Center for Safe Routes to School assists communities in organizing Safe Routes to School programs, often referred to as SR2S or SRTS Programs, to encourage and enable children to walk or bike to school. On a broader level, SRTS programs can enhance children’s health and well-being, ease traffic congestion near the school, improve air quality and improve community members’ overall quality of life.

Communities in the Greater Dayton area are beginning to implement SR2S/SRTS (click here for a Dayton case study). For an example of a local initiative already in place, visit the City of Kettering's Safe Routes to School Web page.

National

A number of national organizations are encouraging communities to get involved in supporting safe walking and biking through community planning and local initiatives. While increased physical activity is a goal, bicycle and pedestrian-friendly communities are safer places for children, the disabled, people of low income and the elderly.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Active Community Environments Initiative (ACES) promotes walking, bicycling, and the development of accessible recreation facilities.  The initiative is based on data that suggests that characteristics of our communities such as nearness of facilities, street design, density of housing, availability of public transit and of pedestrian and bicycle facilities play a significant role in promoting or discouraging physical activity.

Walkable Communities, Inc. was organized to help whole communities, whether they are large cities or small towns, or parts of communities, i.e. neighborhoods, business districts, parks, school districts, subdivisions, specific roadway corridors, etc., become more walkable and pedestrian-friendly.

AARP has completed a report, Beyond 50.05, which examines the positive benefits of well-designed, livable communities for older Americans.

The League of American Bicyclists promotes bicycling for fun, fitness and transportation and works through advocacy and education for a bicycle-friendly America. As part of its mission, the League annually recognizes bicycle-friendly communities across the nation.
 
The Pedestrian and Biking Information Center provides accurate and current bicycling and walking information, and supports a network of informed individuals and organizations to increase public awareness of pedestrian and bike issues.