Creating Walkable Communities, Part III

The next big question in the third part of the summary of the Surgeon General's initiative to create more Walkable Communities series is “Why don’t people walk more?” 

In other words, what excuses can people come up with to avoid exercise? 

Here’s what the proclamation said:

• “Not enough time.” It’s an easy go-to excuse for just about anything that people don’t actually want to do -- exercising, eating healthy, make the bed, etc. I hear it from everyone -- “I don’t have any time.” Sometimes it’s followed by “Did you see the newest episode of ********** last night?” Hmmmmm…….
• It’s not safe. Luckily I live in a neighborhood that has wide streets, BUT we don’t have sidewalks. Having sidewalks and crosswalks are both important for people to feel like they BELONG outside. When you don’t have room to walk on streets that lack sidewalks that are also narrow and unkept, of course it seems like too much of a risk, especially with children and crazy drivers who don’t pay attention. Other risks are poor lighting, heavy traffic and high crime areas.
• Community design can create barriers for potential walkers. In suburban areas, houses and commercial businesses are spaced far apart. Don’t get me wrong, having a big yard is awesome! When public transportation is lacking and it’s a three mile walk to the nearest grocery store, there’s not much of a chance for people to do their activities of daily living, like “running” chores efficiently on foot.
• Disability, Chronic Conditions, and Aging -- It’s easy to realize that all of these can make getting around on foot difficult. Community outreach is necessary to assist with this limitation, and family intervention and proper planning can make people more comfortable being physically active.

Can you relate to one of these? Start making decisions that can decrease the impact of these limiters and call attention to controllable factors to local government and community leaders to create a better vision to make your community more walkable.

The last summary next time will be about HOW to create a more community and opportunities that already exist in the Kansas City area.

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