The power of walking
What is it?
The Change to Walking campaign helps us raise awareness about the multiple positive impacts of walking, and why making more trips by walking is so powerful.
Every step makes us healthier, connects us to neighbours and helps reduce pollution in our communities.
Sign up any time in May or June (2025).
We want to add your weekly steps to our tally, and encourage others to walk more too!
What will you need to do?
Just tell us how much local walking you do!
- After you sign up we'll send you a welcome email asking you how much walking you typically do each day (steps or kilometres).
- At the end of each week in June we'll send you a quick survey asking whether you walked the same as usual, or more. That's it!
So start thinking about all of the walking trips you do to get places such as:
- local shops, pharmacy, hairdresser, newsagent
- train stations, tram or bus stops
- schools, child-care, local activities
- visiting friends or family
AND if you swap a usual car trip to walking (or part of a car trip) this will be counted seperately.
Why get involved?
This isn't just about being more active (although that is pretty great!)
This is about being part of the change you want to see in Melbourne or your community.
Transport equity:
People living in Australia's cities generate a high amount of transport-related pollution, mostly from car trips. Our per-person transport emission are more than 3x higher than the G20 average.
This is partly due to the development of car-dependent suburbs, where people have easier access to roads than other transport. Change to Walking asks for healthier, cleaner and cheaper transport options for everyone.
Cleaner communities:
While many people don't live within a walkable distance to shops, schools and other destinations there are also lots of short car trips occuring in Victoria's cities.
There are 4.8 million short car trips (less than 1km) in Melbourne and Geelong every week!
Short car trips create more pollution per kilometre. they're also the easiest trips to swap to help make neighbourhoods cleaner, healthier and safer!
Healthier communities:
Walking more often (and sitting less) improves physical health and makes us feel better. Walking brings communities closer together because we meet and see others in our neighbourhoods.
Safer communities:
Walking instead of driving for short trips reduces traffic in neighbourhoods.
Walking trips reduce parking chaos around schools and shops.
Walking helps keep people of all ages and abilities safer, encouraging even more walking.
Join our campaign to:
- Help us share the impact of your current walking trips.
- Swap car trips to walking.
- Or, swap part of a car trip to walking.
You can also tell us about any barriers to walking that you encounter in your community.
Simply head to our sign-up page to join the Change to Walking!
Thanks for helping us to spread the power of walking.