Ariel Ranieri/Metropolitan Planning Council
Get out and enjoy the nice weather for National Walk to Work Day on April 5!
There seems to be a day for everything, and walking is no exception. This Friday, April 5, is National Walk to Work Day, not to be confused with The American Heart Association’s National Walking Day on April 3. So whether you decided to walk on Wednesday, take a stroll this Friday, or hoof it all week, here are some ways you might consider working walking into your routine – and why it’s a practice worth adopting this spring.
The goal of National Walk to Work Day is to encourage commuters to walk for all or part of their commute, with a minimum walk of 15 minutes each way. Virtually all commuters are pedestrians for part of their commute, whether it’s walking to or from a bus stop or train station, or even from your workplace’s parking lot to your job. Not everyone can walk the entire way to work, of course, but everyone can participate in one way or another:
- Public transit users can get off a stop early and walk the rest of the route, or walk to a farther stop before boarding.
- People with lengthy commutes can try a new lunch spot that’s, say, a 15-minute walk from work.
- People without an attractive or safe place to walk can get involved in making their community more walkable.
The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning’s (CMAP) 2008 Travel Tracker Survey showed that 2.9 percent of all Chicago area workers walked to work. Not surprisingly, the highest percentage of walkers (4 percent) was in Cook County, largely because Chicago’s density and network of sidewalks lends itself well to walking.
We asked employees who took our Commute Options survey about their mode choice. Twelve percent of Chicago employees walked, while the percentage of walkers at suburban employers was negligible.
Why walk? It’s an easy to implement health benefit. Walking even 30 minutes daily reduces the risk for heart attack, cancer, stroke and diabetes. It puts you into the “moderate physical activity” category, which contributes to lowering health risks. WalkScore.com’s website states these additional benefits of walking:
- Health: The average resident of a walkable neighborhood weighs 6 to 10 pounds less than someone who lives in a sprawling neighborhood.
- Environment: Your feet are zero-pollution transportation machines.
- Community: For every 10 minutes a person spends in a daily car commute, time spent in community activities drops by 10 percent.
If you’re interested in comparing your community’s walkability with others’, WalkScore.com has an excellent community walkability calculator. They rate Oak Park, Evanston, and Chicago as the three most walkable cities in Illinois.
So, as the weather warms up and you find yourself gazing out your window more often, set a little time aside to get out in the sun and start walking!
Still need some convincing? Check out MPC Program Director Josh Ellis' compelling case for walking to work (or at least walking home).