With a more walkable Okotoks in mind, the Active Transportation Committee made a special presentation to Council on Monday, hoping to move forward with their goal.

Chair of the Active Transportation Committee, Wayne Meikle, says there are a number of ways to increase active transportation in town.

"We're looking at improvements to make (active transportation) easier by better pathways, better maintenance and snow removal," he says. "We're looking at the schools, and creating safe routes so kids and seniors can go on safe routes, where they can cross intersections safely, and looking at having more school kids walk or ride their bike to school."

Meikle says Okotoks could be a trailblazer when it comes to active transportation.

"We're setting new ground, we're setting new direction, and it's a new concept," he says. "We're probably one of the first communities, definitely in Western Canada, adopting this type of route. It also came out in the study the did for the best towns and cities in the world, walking and using your bike is one of the things that pushes a community up."

After the presentation to Council, the committee will now hold an open house on June 24, and then present a plan to Council in August.

Meikle says the implementation of active transportation in Okotoks is a marathon, not a sprint.

"It's going to take awhile," he says. "The infrastructure, like a new bridge and some intersections are costly, but a lot of it is just fitting things together, and getting other groups to do it. It's not just the Town doing it, it'll be other groups."

The Active Transportation Strategy presented to Council outlined nine major goals for the Town of Okotoks:

1: Establish Okotoks as a model for active transportation.

2: Identify, implement, and maintain a system of safe routes through Okotoks for all active transportation users.

3: Increase the percentage of children using active transportation to get to school.

4: Improve active transportation access to downtown Okotoks.

5: Improve maintenance of active transportation infrastructure in Okotoks.

6: Ensure all new development supports active transportation.

7: Improve active transportation in existing neighbourhoods and commercial areas.

8: Increase educational awareness on the benefits of active transportation.

9: Develop an implementation and monitoring system that measures the progress of the Active Transportation Policies adopted by the Town.