New Urban Street Paths Encourage Residents To Get Active

You may have seen a new addition on sidewalks around El Paso.

Dozens of signs are painted on the sidewalks around town. The signs are part of a new program to mark out an urban path across the city to encourage increased physical activity for area residents.

There are six paths in various locations across the city, varying from three quarters of a mile to two miles in length.

The initiative is called Move El Paso and was started by the city of El Paso Department of Public Health in collaboration with community partners.

The goal of the program is to get El Pasoans on their feet for thirty minutes a day to lead toward a healthier and happier life.

“We think that with these types of activities we can really help people to prevent disease, and we can also foster in many ways, in particular, young people to adopt a lifestyle which in the long term they will help them to stay healthy,” said Mexican Consulate Deputy Consule, Guillermo Ordorica.

Following the path is easy. Each route is color-coded and marked on the sidewalk and weaves around streets and buildings in one giant loop.

Walkers should be prepared to have their stride interrupted. Just one of the three downtown routes has 9 different street crossings throughout the loop, which could pose a risk to walkers.

“Of course we’ll be asking people to be careful when they walk to avoid situations which could put them in danger,” said Ordorica.

ABC-7 spoke with a few El Pasoans about the new additions; they said they were excited about the program.

“Nice features for the city of El Paso that folks should be looking at and taking advantage of,” said El Pasoan James W. Peterson.

The routes don’t officially open until Monday.

For a list of area routes and ways to stay safe on the path, go to the Move El Paso website by clicking here.