City’s signs tell you where to go ... in how long

Your New Year get-fit resolution may be wavering – but if you live in Toulouse it is now just a little easier to maintain good fitness levels.

The city council has invested in numerous signs that not only tell visitors which direction they need to go to find a tourist attraction, public conveniences or the railway station, but also how long it will take them to walk there. The signs are colour-coded red for cultural attractions, grey for practical services (station etc) and green for gardens and river banks.

So far focussed on the central Capitole area, the ‘pedometric’ signs are set to be rolled out this year to five other key areas of the city.

A key part of the thinking behind the move is to promote walking as a means of a healthier lifestyle – to help people get their World Health Organisation-recommended minimum of 30 minutes walking a day without even realising it.

By 2020, some 600 signs will be in place.