Who walks to the grocery store and rides
a bike to work? Not the majority of Americans. In fact, walking as a primary
means to get somewhere a reasonable distance away probably is not the average
American’s thought. Instead, for reasons of convenience, Americans drive to
school, work, the grocery store, the gym, almost everywhere. Compared to other
industrialized countries, America walks significantly less . One
reason for that is that because of America’s preference to drive, urban areas
have become designed for vehicles, not pedestrians.
Urban and suburban areas alike are
created more and more with the driver in mind, not the pedestrian. Destinations
are not always safe or easy to walk to, and the way to those destinations are
not always accessible by walking. Thousands of pedestrians have been killed or
injured in the United States over the last decade by automobiles, which could
be attributed to inadequate roadways that do not accommodate pedestrians. While sidewalks and crosswalks are a common
site in urban areas and even in suburban counterparts, they vary in number and
availability. Safety and accessibility, along with a strong American preference
to drive, limit the number of people who walk to their destinations in America.
Roads in some areas of the Midwest have no sidewalks at all, making it
dangerous to walk at all . Around this
infrastructure built for drivers, the idea of walking to regular destinations
is dying out.
Walking (walking regularly, that is), is
associated with physical, cognitive, and emotional benefits.
The simplest way to maintain weight, cardiovascular health, and bone strength
is to take a walk. Walking also requires no special equipment, no expensive and
environment-harming fuel, no extensive preparation. It is possibly the
cheapest, healthiest, and most environmentally friendly way to get around. On
top of that, we are all born pre-wired to learn how to walk. Unfortunately, in
a vehicle-centric culture, the mode of walking is fizzling out. People no
longer use walking as the primary means to get anywhere because driving is
faster, more convenient, and just the obvious answer. Driving to the restaurant
one mile away for dinner is the default choice. Walking is rarely ever the
default answer when deciding to go somewhere nearby. An additional factor to
this is that people are often so pressed for time, walking is not an option.
Why do Americans walk less than anyone
else in the world? Because we drive more than anyone else.
People are living farther from the places they need to go, walking environments
are less safe, and the infrastructure is developed for drivers. Walking is such
a common behavior, it is easily overlooked as a means of transportation, as a
possible way to reach a destination. We live in a society where people drive to
a location to take a hike. We drive to the gym a mile away. Walking as means to
a destination is lost in our culture.
Driving, for Americans, means many
things: independence, laziness, efficiency, and freedom. With more driving,
there’s been a decrease in walking. As a result, the average American leads a
more sedentary lifestyle. Sedentary lifestyles, along with other health
behaviors have been associated with increasing rates of heart disease and
obesity. Another consequence with our obsession with driving is the sheer
volume of fuel burned to power the cars on American roads. This is
significantly impacting the environment.
The lack of walking is part of a
sedentary epidemic in this country. Hopefully the future will see a shift in
culture to one that promotes walking as a primary and legitimate means to get
from point A to B. The health of the people, and the state of the environment,
depends on it.
I think the problem of declining number of pedestrians depends on where you live. In a large city like Los Angeles with poor public transportation, people are discouraged to walk. One must need a car to commute to work because riding a bicycle to the bus station and waiting for a bus that will take you near your workplace is a very unrealistic scenario. However, in a city like New York, the picture is completely different. You see a lot of pedestrians on the sidewalk and many others riding bicycles to work. They are able to walk to places not only because there are simply too many cars in New York City but also public transportation would take you about anywhere you want. Similar phenomenon can be seen around the globe in many cities with similar characteristics. In Seoul, South Korea, even though many people own cars, they choose to rely on walking and public transportation to go to work because it is that much more convenient. Same thing happens in Tokyo, Japan as well. If we want to combat the epidemic of a sedentary lifestyle, the United States needs to improve its public transportation system. This would not only effectively deal with the health issues associated with sedentary lifestyles but also help improve our environment. Now then, let’s stand up and kill two birds with one stone, instead of sitting around doing nothing.
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