Encouraging Sustainable Commuting Through Municipal Leadership

Commuter Challenge – City of Kingston

Role: Dan Hendry

Year: 2010–2016

During my time working with the City of Kingston, I supported the Commuter Challenge as part of my work on environmental and sustainability initiatives. At the time, I worked alongside a Public Engagement and Promotions Coordinator who helped deliver and promote the initiative, while I focused on overseeing and supporting its broader implementation within the organization and the community.

Images Supplied By: Kingstonist Website

The Commuter Challenge is a national campaign that encourages people to reduce dependence on single‑occupancy vehicles by choosing more sustainable ways of commuting, such as walking, cycling, or using public transit. For Kingston, the initiative served both as a public‑facing campaign and as an opportunity for the City to model sustainable commuting internally.

One key component of the work involved running the Commuter Challenge within the City of Kingston itself. Internally, the initiative was delivered to City staff with a strong emphasis on communication and engagement. This included internal marketing and promotional efforts, along with the coordination of incentives such as prizes and draws to encourage participation across departments. Supporting internal participation was an important way for the City to lead by example.

Beyond the organization, the Commuter Challenge was very much a community‑driven effort. I worked with partners and community stakeholders to collaboratively design and deliver the program for Kingston. This involved ongoing coordination, meetings, and communication to ensure the challenge reflected local priorities and encouraged broad participation. City representatives played an active role at the community level, supporting collaboration and maintaining strong connections with partners involved in the initiative.

Over multiple years, Kingston consistently performed well in the Commuter Challenge, reflecting the strength of this collective approach. The initiative demonstrated how clear communication, internal leadership, and strong community partnerships can come together to support sustainable transportation goals. Supporting this work reinforced for me the importance of public engagement and collaboration in advancing environmental initiatives at the municipal level.

Related Links & Media:  Commuter Challenge coming up | The Kingston Whig Standard