Most people are pedestrians at some point every day. Whether only within buildings or throughout the entire community, we walk to our final destinations. It is a healthy and fun mode of travel, which can be enjoyed alone or with friends and colleagues.
Background
Why walk?
Walking is one of the best ways to get and stay physically active. It's tremendously easy – no special training is needed. It's inexpensive – all you need is a good pair of shoes. It's portable – you can walk just about anywhere in various weather conditions.
The benefits of walking are countless. You can improve your health, help the planet and ease the burden on your pocketbook all by walking more! Consider these benefits:
Health Benefits
Walking briskly (15 – 20 minute mile pace) is considered moderate physical activity. Moderate physical activity has been shown to help prevent:
Heart disease
Obesity
High blood pressure
Type 2 diabetes
Osteoporosis
Depression
Walking can also help you stay at a healthy weight, maintain cognitive function as you age, reduce stress, sleep better, and feel better overall!
Transportation Benefits
Many of the trips that Americans make can be accomplished on foot or via wheelchair. Forty percent of all trips are less than two miles in length. That means you could walk them in 30 minutes or less. And for very short trips (1 mile or less), walking is often faster than driving, once you factor in finding parking and traffic stops.
Walking also reduces the amount of cars on the road. This in turn, lowers the number of accidents, and cuts down on noise pollution.
Environmental Benefits
Walking instead of driving, especially for short trips, can significantly reduce air pollution. Private vehicles are the largest contributor to household carbon emissions. Sixty percent of the pollution created by automobile emissions happens in the first few minutes of operation, before pollution control devices can work effectively. Because of this, shorter car trips are more polluting on a per-mile basis than longer trips.
A four-mile walking trip keeps about 15 pounds of pollutants out of the air we breathe.
Economic Benefits
Walking is by far the cheapest way to get around. Car ownership and operation is expensive. According to 2004 data from AAA and US Census Bureau, ownership of one motor vehicle accounts for more than 18 percent of a typical household's income. The cost of operating a sedan for one year is almost $8000. The cost of operating a bicycle for a year is only $120. Walking is free! By walking more, you spend less on transportation, and you'll have more money to save or spend on other things.
