Signs to go up downtown, promoting walking over driving

25 signs in all will point out how long
it takes to walk to certain destinations 

The idea is to get people to think about walking instead of driving, especially downtown La Crosse.

Downtown Mainstreet and the La Crosse Area YMCA are putting up signs encouraging walking in the downtown and neighboring areas, instead of driving.

The “Walk Your City” campaign basically just points out how many minutes it takes to walk from one spot to another.

“Something that is really meant to kind of psychologically make people rethink about whether or not they need to jump in their car and move it,” Downtown Mainstreet’s Robin Moses explained.

For example, one might see a sign that estimates how long it takes to get from there to city hall or the library.

“It really helps to reduce traffic in our streets, especially in the downtown district,” Moses said of walking. “The best plan for people is to just park your car in a parking ramp and walk around.”

The first wave of grant-funded signs, approved by the city’s board of public works, are expected once final rules for placement have been worked out.