“Why don’t Americans ever walk anywhere?”
This was a question I constantly heard when I was in England. I tried
to defend my own walking habits, but now that I’m back in America I realize how
much more often I use my car.
For most Americans, it didn’t matter how nearby somewhere may be.
Driving is always the preferred method of transportation.
I decided to challenge this yesterday and walk to the 0.6 miles to a nearby Walgreens instead
of driving there. Before I left, I invited my brother to walk with me. He looked
at me in horror and said, “I’ll go with you if you drive maybe.”
It reminded me of an article I read that pointed out the way people
seem to have forgotten that walking is a viable and environmentally-friendly option
for nearby destinations.
So, I went on my trek alone and realized another dilemma with walking
in America. The roads were horrifying.
Once I was out of my neighborhood, I had to cross a six-lane road with
cars speeding by at almost 50 miles per hour just to get to a store less than a
mile away.
Maybe the reason Americans don’t walk anywhere is because the way our
roads are set up make us fear for our lives. Either way, I’m trying to remind
myself to walk when I can. Not only is it good for my health, it’s good for the
environment as well.
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| The six lanes of traffic I had to cross. |
I am a big fan of Katy Bowman's books on natural movement and movement ecology. She addresses a lot of the issues in industrial parts of the world where movement is a lost art, and why movement is imperative for the environment. Your post reminded me a lot of what she writes about, and I would highly suggest checking out her book "Movement Matters."
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