Walking as transportation?

Slate magazine has a series dedicated to walking and how Americans don't do it anymore. The author, Tom Vanderbilt, said the following in an interview for NPR's Morning Edition:

-"Americans now walk the least of any industrialized nation in the world"

-"We're all born pedestrians." [but] "There is not a single dollar in the U.S. federal transportation budget dedicated strictly to walking."

-'In 2009, about 2.0 percent of federal-aid surface transportation funds were used for pedestrian and bicycle programs and projects. However, those two modes are estimated to account for almost 12 percent of all trips and represent more than 13 percent of all traffic fatalities.'"

This is obviously not a new idea--I found an article from the November 1961 edition of the Atlantic magazine about the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle--but it is good to see someone focusing on the details. Our increasing laziness has consequences that extend well beyond the healthcare industry.

If we are serious about improvement we will have to re-look everything; how we design our communities, how we integrate technology into our lives, how we get our necessities, where we work and live.


Via: Medical Billing And Coding