Did you know that about 40% of trips in urban areas are 2 miles or less? That means they would take about 40 minutes to walk, yet 90% of these trips are made by car. It costs a lot to run a car (about $5,170 per year, in fact). Plus, driving is one of the … Continue reading Take the 2-mile challenge!
Upcoming Walking Tours
Philadelphia's compact street grid and numerous parks and trails help to make it an excellent place to experience on foot. Don't let the chilly weather put a damper on your walk! There's still time to go on one of the many walking tours that are offered throughout the city! While the tour season has ended … Continue reading Upcoming Walking Tours
“Trick-or-treat test” another great way to measure walkability
There are a number of ways to measure walkability--we've talked about Walk Score and Walk Appeal before--but none is more fitting for this time of year than the "trick-or-treat" test. Like the popsicle test, the trick-or-treat test uses the walking behavior of children to assess how walkable a neighborhood is. In a blog post for … Continue reading “Trick-or-treat test” another great way to measure walkability
Article: Study finds that darting into street is a top reason young children are struck by cars
An American Academy of Pediatrics study analyzed the cause of child pedestrian crashes in the cases of children admitted to a particular trauma center in New York. Jaywalking was a common cause of accidents for children ages 7 to 12. In the majority of accidents where the victim was a child of 6 years old … Continue reading Article: Study finds that darting into street is a top reason young children are struck by cars
Article: Older kids now at greater risk for pedestrian injury
An article in the Philadelphia Inquirer introduces some scary statistics about pediatric pedestrian injuries. It outlines the takeaways from a report released recently by Safe Kids Worldwide concerning childhood risk of pedestrian injury. The report states that teens and tweens (kids ages 10 through 19) are now the childhood age group most likely to be … Continue reading Article: Older kids now at greater risk for pedestrian injury
Article: Designing good cities for walking
Streetsblog.org has posted excerpts from acclaimed Danish Architect Jan Gehl's book "Cities for People." When it comes to designing a good public space for people to linger in or walk through, Jan Gehl has it practically down to a science. For instance, he says that 1,640 feet is the distance most pedestrians find to be an … Continue reading Article: Designing good cities for walking
Safe Routes to School
It's that time of year again--Labor Day is well behind us, a hint of fall weather is in the air, and children in the Delaware Valley are returning to school. If you like the idea of fitting exercise into daily life by walking to school but are concerned about your students' safety, look no further … Continue reading Safe Routes to School
Article: Portland will lower speeds to 20 mph on residential greenway streets
Portland is making neighborhood greenways safer for pedestrians! Portland's neighborhood greenways are a network of roads that have been redesigned with bicycles and pedestrians in mind. Among other things, these streets have improved stormwater management and better pedestrian crossings. The greenways, which already have low car traffic, will now have lower speed limits as well. … Continue reading Article: Portland will lower speeds to 20 mph on residential greenway streets
D.C. blogger defends “schlepping” groceries
Living without access to a car usually means that you have to "schlep" groceries home on foot or by bike or public transit. While some may see this as an inconvenience, schlepping has many health benefits, and it's not just the workout you get from carrying heavy bags across town.In a post entitled "The Hidden … Continue reading D.C. blogger defends “schlepping” groceries
New pedestrian plaza at 42nd and Woodland!
A new pedestrian plaza is popping up at 42nd Street and Woodland Avenue in University City! According to the Naked Philly real estate blog, there will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the plaza on September 19th.Do you know of any other underutilized paved areas that could be redesigned as public space for pedestrians? Tell us … Continue reading New pedestrian plaza at 42nd and Woodland!
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