Interesting Facts

We know walking is good for us, but it seems where you walk makes a difference. (Various studies have found that urban dwellers with little access to green spaces are at a higher risk of developing psychological problems, but a recent study carried out at Stanford university found that volunteers who walked for 90 minutes through a lush, green portion of the Stanford campus were more attentive and happier afterward than volunteers who strolled for the same amount of time near heavy traffic. The volunteers were allowed to walk at their own pace, but they were not allowed to have companions or listen to music. The results suggest that getting out into natural environments could be an easy and almost immediate way to improve your mood. So, let's build more parks.) Source

According to a survey by YouGov, 47% of British adults say they often don’t even bother to find a designated crossing when they need to cross the road. (You might think this is jaywalking, but it's not illegal in the UK. I always say, "the crossings are there for me, I am not there for the crossings".) Source

Scientists in the UK are genetically altering dairy cows so they have no horns, in a bid to make them safer and to cut the risk of injury to farmers and animals. (According to the UK's Health and Safety Executive, 5 farmers were killed and 91 injured by cattle between 2010-11, and according to the Farmers Union 6 workers died in 2012; three were trampled to death by cattle and three were attacked by bulls. And it's not just farmers, walkers, especially ones with dogs are at risk too.)

According to a government chief adviser, British children as old as three are unable to walk because they spend so long in front of the telly. (They don't call it the electronic babysitter for nothing.)

Art Garfunkel is a long distance walker. (Seemingly the famous singer of Simon and Garfunkel fame has undertaken several long walks in his lifetime: In the early 1980s, he walked across Japan in a matter of weeks. From 1984 to 1996, Garfunkel walked across America, taking 40 excursions to complete the route from New York City to the Pacific coast of Washington. In May 1998, Garfunkel began an incremented walk across Europe. In late August 2012, during the 26th leg of his Eurowalk, Art reached Thessaloniki, Greece. He will be continuing his walk towards Istanbul.)

The international standard for walking speed is 4ft (1.2 metres) per second. (This speed is used by the Department for Transport in the UK to set the timing on pedestrian crossings.  The problem is that according to a report published in the journal Aga and Ageing, 76% of men and 85% of women over the age of 65 have a walking speed slower than that.  This means they struggle to cross the road before the green man turns red (pedestrian crossings in the UK use little green men (see the picture - they're not aliens).  I have to add that 100% of people with a bad back struggle too!)