People like Chris Angelo who face the challenging— though always beautiful—Gunflint Trail commute are seeking creative ideas to move around Cook County. To learn more about getting moving, visit www.becausemovingmatters.org.
Christine Angelo has lived on the Gunflint Trail for the past four years, and loves it. But after three car accidents in three years, she’s interested in seeing the Trail through a different window— a window that is less expensive, more energy efficient and one that will help her maintain her health.
“The beauty is phenomenal and I will almost say every day how lucky I am to live here … but I spend $75 every week on driving alone,” said Angelo.
One morning on her way to work, Angelo noticed that a school bus was coming down the trail at the same time she was heading to work, and that there were many open seats. Says Angelo, “I thought, wouldn’t it be great if somehow we could figure out a way for people on the Trail to use the bus as a service, getting a ride to town and then back again when the kids go home. ”
As Angelo gave the idea of riding a bus to work more thought, she could see numerous benefits to her pocketbook, her health, and the environment. It would reduce the anxiety of the sometimes-hazardous drive. Her gasoline use and transportation costs would decline. It would encourage her to walk to do her daily errands in town, thereby helping to keep her fit. For Angelo staying fit and maintaining her health, in spite of her chronic health challenge with multiple sclerosis, is an important part of her life.
The Sawtooth Mountain Clinic has launched a new community health project known as Moving Matters to increase physical activity. The clinic is spearheading efforts to make streets and roads safer and more accessible for walking and biking throughout Cook County and the Grand Portage Reservation. Through conversations and gatherings with local residents like Angelo, Moving Matters is asking about creative ways people can safely move around the county with foot and pedal power, as well as automobiles. And while the idea to use school busses to help people get to town may not happen, Moving Matters believes that it is creative thinking like this which will lead to new, workable solutions to improve how local residents can get around safely by foot, pedal or automobile power.
“Whether you live in a rural area, deal with chronic health issues, are elderly, or are a school-age child who wants to walk or bike to and from school safely, we are hearing a lot of creative ideas that can be pursued to make our sidewalks, streets and roads safer and more accessible for all of the residents of Cook County,” says Kristin DeArruda Wharton, an RN with Sawtooth Mountain Clinic who is helping to coordinate Moving Matters. “Learning about the needs of the community and exploring people’s creative solutions will be central to Moving Matters.”
Check out the Moving Matters website for an expanded story on Christine Angelo and the importance of sidewalks for people with chronic disease at www.becausemovingmatters.org. Funding for this project is provided by the Center for Prevention at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota.
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