An iconic 1970s health campaign would be rebooted to get Victorians off the couch if the Coalition is elected next month.

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy on Monday announced he would bring cartoon character Norm and his family from ‘Life. Be in it’ out of retirement.

The Coalition managed to blame “out-of-control population growth” for increased time in traffic and less time for getting out and about.

“With half of all adults and a third of all kids in Victoria overweight or obese, a comprehensive and sustained campaign to promote the benefits of being fit and healthy is desperately needed,” Shadow Health Minister Mary Wooldridge said.

The Heart Foundation wants to see both parties commit to getting the state to exercise more.

“With an ageing population and a growing state, a 10-year Victorian Walking Strategy is needed to steer investment into creating more walking paths, better crossings and prioritisation of pedestrians,” Heart Foundation Victorian chief Kellie-Ann Jolly said, championing improved means of accessing recreation facilities.

“Close to a third of Victorians aged 15 years and over do very little or no exercise at all. In addition to the national promotion of walking for health, we encourage the next Victorian government to invest in healthy urban design that encourages more people to be active in our cities and towns.”

The Heart Foundation said the government should invest in preventative measures.

Life. Be in it began in Victoria in 1975 and was rolled out nationally two years later. The television advertisements featured cartoon characters being active.

Forty days out from the election, Mr Guy spent Monday promising $9 million to upgrade Fairhills High School on Melbourne’s eastern outskirts, and reinforcing his free textbooks for students plan.

Premier Daniel Andrews and Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan headed to Dandenong to inspect the first of the next 39 new V/Locity regional carriages, which will hit tracks in November.

-with AAP