You might not have known, but this May was the first National Walking Month. Two national walking organisations, Living Streets [1] and Walk England [2] have teamed up to encourage people across the UK to walk to school and work instead of using their cars. This combines two successful annual initiatives from Living Streets, the Walk to Work Week (09th – 13th May) and the Walk to School Week (16th – 20th May). It is estimated that only 11% of commuters walk to work, with most preferring to use their car instead, and also that one quarter of the UK population admit to walking for more than 20 minutes less than once a year. 43% of children are now driven to school even though most live within a mile and a half of their school, a number that has risen sharply in the past couple of decades.
So why is walking better?
- Walking is the cheapest form of transport, as well as being one of the most effective forms of exercise that a person can do.
- It is estimated that almost a quarter (23%) of the UK’s population is classified obese and this is set to rise by 2050 to 60%. Concerns are that this could lead to an economic and health disaster.
- A half an hour walk every morning has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety levels, improve concentration and transform fitness levels.
- Road transport makes up a quarter of the UK’s CO2 emissions at just over 135m tonnes of CO2 a year, of which 63% is passenger cars.
- Reducing your weekly car mileage by 5 miles through walking or cycling has been estimated by the Energy Saving Trust to save you 85kg of CO2 a year and around £45 a year.
- One quarter of all passenger car trips are less than 2 miles – an easily walkable distance. One half of all trips are less than 5 miles – again walkable or easily reached by public transport.
So what can you do?
- Get up half an hour earlier and walk your children to school if it’s within an easy distance. Check with your school, they may offer a “walking bus” scheme so you don’t lose time in the mornings. If they don’t have one and you live a fair distance away, consider sharing lifts with other nearby parents.
- Invest in a bicycle – 75% of commuters in the UK live within 2 miles of a national cycle route. Many employers offer a cycle-to-work scheme that can offer financial support to help you afford an appropriate bicycle.
- If you don’t live near your workplace, and there are any not suitable cycle routes, consider car sharing. This halves fuel emissions and costs with just one passenger, and for every other passenger, one more car is taken off the roads and away from the daily commute.
- If you need to use your car, use smarter driving techniques as they can save you up to 15% of your fuel costs.
http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/cym/Resources/Features/Features-archive/National-Walking-Month
http://www.livingstreets.org.uk/news/uk/-/may-is-national-walking-month
