Does anyone walk anymore?

[ErinE]

One of the reasons we live in our current home is it sits 0.4 mile from the elementary school, 0.3 mile from the middle school and 0.7 mile from the high school. These schools are surrounded by neighborhoods with kids and the district has a minimum distance bus policy - you must live one mile from the school to ride a bus. There are sidewalks everywhere.

 

Except for some children who lived right across the street from the elementary school, DD and I were the only people walking today. I saw a man and a child on a motorized scooter, but everyone else was in cars. I'm sitting at a playground watching cars pull out of neighborhoods, cross the street, and enter the high school parking lot.

 

It's sunny and humid, but not hot. Many parents were wearing extremely casual clothes; most likely they're not going straight to work.

 

I don't understand why more people aren't walking. Cars are sitting in the street, waiting to pull into the parking lot. In the parking lot, they're waiting to pull up to the school to drop the child off.

 

Maybe I'll see more children walking as time goes on, but I'm surprised we were the only ones. DD asked if we could drive tomorrow. She got a side-eye and a firm no.

[The Girls' Mom]

Apparently not.  Every time my kids or I walk to my in-laws (less than a mile away) we have cars stop and ask if we are ok or if we need a ride.

[SKL]

There are some walkers in my area, though most kids seem to get either a car or bus ride.  Things are spread out a lot.  The closest public elementary school is over 2 miles away from my house.  I was always a walker as a kid, but it isn't realistic for my kids right now.

[mommaduck]

In the city, you see little, little kids walking with sightly older kids. Here, small town, you don't see anyone walking. The school drive gets so backed up onto a street that they bring out three police cars to guard and deal with traffic, every day.

[Dmmetler]

We live across from the elementary school and have a middle/highschool bus stop right on our corner, and do see kids walking. We also see a lot of cars dropping kids off. I think some kids get dropped off by parents on the way to work, and then walk home based on numbers.

[bettyandbob]

My dd goes to public high school. we live slightly over a mile. There is a crossing guard for the one major road she has to cross. She has been driven a handful of times. She doesn't like to be driven. No matter how dark, cold or rainy it is. She walks when sidewalks are pretty iced over. We frequently offer to drive her when weather conditions warrant. Even in heavy rain she will frequently refuse. I've come to the conclusion the walk is an important transition period in her day.

 

I have one neighbor who has commented positively about seeing her out every single day (and a little disgusted he was driving his own kid). My dd has friends whose parents have expressed to her concern about her well being because they see her walking. One teacher in the midst of a call about something else mentioned seeing dd walk and wanted to drive her because "sometimes it's just too cold". 

 

dd walks both ways. There are more students walking home than to school. The two main reasons parents drive in the morning are 1) to let the teen sleep a tiny bit later and 2) to make sure the teen actually got to school (this was my reason for driving dd's older brother, otherwise he would have slept until 11 or 12 daily). Parents schedules often do not allow driving home. 

 

My youngest is a special education student. I walk him to the local middle school. I will probably walk him to school all the way through high school. I do look for ways for him to be independent. Perhaps as he matures I will "shadow" him without him knowing. 

[Ottakee]

I see that a great deal as well.

 

I am currently contemplating our foster child's walk to the bus stop.  It is only a short distance----one house between us and the school where the bus stop is........but we live on the 2nd busiest road in the township, small shoulder, no sidewalks or bike paths.  In a few weeks when the time changes the walk in the morning will be in the dark.  The distance is certainly doable but I worry about the busy road with heavy early morning traffic in low light conditions.

 

That said, I often see that walking as a form of transportation (getting from point A to point B) is not highly thought of......and mostly for those lower income who can't afford a car.  Walking as a form of exercise though is much more highly regarded.  Doesn't make sense but it seems to be like that in our area.

 

I love rural living, having our horses in our back yard, etc. but I sure do wish we had a bike path for this busy road. 

[Julie Smith]

Everyone in my town walk everywhere, or bike. 

 

Even at my husbands office at least half of the workers don't commute by car. 

[ErinE]

Perhaps I'll see more kids this afternoon. It's just that this area is designed for walking with sidewalks, crosswalks, and short distances. When we chose this house, I thought I would see more people out and about.

 

I admit that, as a passenger, I can't stand it when an able-bodied driver circles a parking lot multiple times trying to find a closer spot. If I'm not in the car, I don't judge, but if I'm in the car and we spend more than a minute or two looking for a spot, I must resist the urge to say, "We could be in the store by now."

[Sarah CB]

Not in our subdivision - I'm not even sure where the public elementary school is, but the school bus stops down the street.  My kids go to school in the downtown area and when we drive to school we see lots of young kids walking (with or without parents) to the public elementary school downtown.  

[Closeacademy]

A lot of people walk or ride bike in my town.  I see a lot of people walk by my house every day--10 or even 5 years ago we wouldn't have had that many.   It just like the parks are used more now.  They used to be fairly empty when we would walk but now there are lots of people.  I think it is mainly because of the huge amount of people from India that now live here.  They use a lot of what our town has to offer that so many of the locals just turned their noses up at.  It's nice to see all the people walking and using the trails and that the parks are being used now.

[Joker]

Where we used to live most kids walked to and from school. There were lots of sidewalks and crossing guards for bigger intersections. Where we live now I see no walkers. There are very few sidewalks and no crossing guards for big intersections. The intersections near/into the schools also have no cross walks. They will have an officer stop traffic to allow buses to get in and out though. I don't know why it's different here other than the weather will get much colder and nasty here eventually.

 

ETA: Bikers here scare me because there are no bike lanes or side walks. Many of the roads are narrow and curvy with lots of hills. It's just not safe at all.

[Kerileanne99]

I NEVER walk anywhere at all. Not for pleasure, or necessity. I might even use one of those grocery store scooters. I even send my dd5 out to the mailbox! Of course, I am in a wheelchair so I have an excuse😊

 

Sorry, couldn't resist when I saw the topic title😄

 

That being said, we live across a grassy field from the University where hubby teaches specifically so that he can walk to work. We own one vehicle by design. If I go visit him at work I wheel unless it is raining. It would be difficult to park anyway since the students seem to all drive to class from their dorms/apartments a couple of blocks away! It really is shocking how few people walk anymore:(

 

In walking that short distance, hubby has been offered countless rides by well-meaning students who assume he is walking because a) his car must have broken down or b) he must not be able to afford one. (No joke, heard in the hallway by the secretary!)

 

ETA: of course, ironically, the endless line of treadmills and stair masters at the uni gym are always full:)

[73349]

My neighborhood doesn't have consistent sidewalks, and going toward the closest school (which we're not zoned for anyway) would involve crossing a fairly busy street (2 lanes each way plus center turn lane) with no light, so I'm not surprised that nobody walks to school here.

 

The school district's transportation policy does not take into account whether there are sidewalks, either. Some people also drive kids to school because of concerns about behavior on the bus.

[Word Nerd]

My kids do, weather permitting. I see people of all ages walking in our town regularly.

[mommaduck]

I get told that I'm nuts, brave, etc for walking. We don't have a car. My adult son walks 45min one way to work (heat, cold, rain). It's how I pay bills, do laundry, get food. God have me two legs. There is no public transportation. There are no taxis. You own a car or you don't.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I don't walk much.  Nothing is all that close for one thing.  For another, it's not pedestrian friendly.  And I'm lazy.  

 

I do see a lot of walkers around here because a lot of people can't afford a vehicle. 

[Amira]

I walk all the time and get a lot of weird looks when I do it in the US and in my neighborhood in Mexico. I like driving in rural areas where walking isn't really possible, but in cities, towns, and suburbs, I walk everywhere and have been doing it for 10 years.  It's always fun to see what interesting things I can walk to in different places.  

 

There is no way I would drive to a school that's an .8 mile and deal with the drop-off and pick-up traffic jams. 5-mile round trips are about as long as I'm interested in.

[gingersmom]

Where I used to live their were no sidewalks. To walk to school my kids would have had to walk next to railroad tracks and cross many busy roads. People drove like crazy. My neighbor who did not drive would walk insane distances everyday. She was plowed down in a cross walk. Two years later she was still walking (slowly with a cane) but now needed to be driven.

 

Where I currently live I can walk my subdivision but it would take me hours of walking to reach anything else. Bike riding is very very popular and we have bike lanes on most roads.

[AK_Mom4]

Tons of walking kids here.  There are many neighborhoods close enough to the elementary and high schools that kids walk (the jr. high is farther away but easy biking distance) and we have a good bike/walk path along the busy street.

 

BUT........ once it gets dark here in the mornings, that number walking will drop significantly.  Also, once the snow falls, the path becomes prime real estate for moose and dealing with a grumpy moose who wants the bike path is no fun.

[ErinE]

I NEVER walk anywhere at all. Not for pleasure, or necessity. I might even use one of those grocery store scooters. I even send my dd5 out to the mailbox! Of course, I am in a wheelchair so I have an excuse😊

 

Sorry, couldn't resist when I saw the topic title😄

 

That being said, we live across a grassy field from the University where hubby teaches specifically so that he can walk to work. We own one vehicle by design. If I go visit him at work I wheel unless it is raining. It would be difficult to park anyway since the students seem to all drive to class from their dorms/apartments a couple of blocks away! It really is shocking how few people walk anymore:(

 

In walking that short distance, hubby has been offered countless rides by well-meaning students who assume he is walking because a) his car must have broken down or b) he must not be able to afford one. (No joke, heard in the hallway by the secretary!)

 

ETA: of course, ironically, the endless line of treadmills and stair masters at the uni gym are always full:)

The man I saw while walking was using a motorized scooter-chair and the child was sitting in his lap. The sidewalks are smooth and wide, great for strollers and wheelchairs. He and I were the only two not in cars (that I saw).

 

I've lived in areas where it wouldn't be safe to walk: no sidewalks, high-speed road, rural area. I was just surprised in this fairly dense suburban area with low-speed roads and wide sidewalks that I didn't see anyone else.

[SparklyUnicorn]

 

I've lived in areas where it wouldn't be safe to walk: no sidewalks, high-speed road, rural area. I was just surprised in this fairly dense suburban area with low-speed roads and wide sidewalks that I didn't see anyone else.

 

Where I lived in CT it was like this.  Nobody walked.  In fact there seemed to be a general attitude that it was "icky".  If you had to walk you must be too poor to own a car.  I kid you not.

[Amira]

Where I lived in CT it was like this.  Nobody walked.  In fact there seemed to be a general attitude that it was "icky".  If you had to walk you must be too poor to own a car.  I kid you not.

 

I think this idea is pretty common and I've run into it in more than one place in the US and also overseas, although it's much less common overseas.  People stop to offer me a ride assuming something must be wrong with my car and are very surprised that I'd choose to walk.  It is much more acceptable to walk around in circles for exercise or to run on a treadmill than to walk 2 miles to the library.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I think this idea is pretty common and I've run into it in more than one place in the US and also overseas, although it's much less common overseas.  People stop to offer me a ride assuming something must be wrong with my car and are very surprised that I'd choose to walk.  It is much more acceptable to walk around in circles for exercise or to run on a treadmill than to walk 2 miles to the library.

 

Although it's nice to think that someone might be willing to help if you really were stuck. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

I think this idea is pretty common and I've run into it in more than one place in the US and also overseas, although it's much less common overseas.  People stop to offer me a ride assuming something must be wrong with my car and are very surprised that I'd choose to walk.  It is much more acceptable to walk around in circles for exercise or to run on a treadmill than to walk 2 miles to the library.

 

Ok I'm relieved to hear that.  I thought I lived in the most stuck up place on earth or something.

[AmandaVT]

Our local schools encourage walkers. Depending on where you live, it may or may not be possible.  From where we live to our local elementary school, it would be an 11 mile walk on 50mph roads where cars regularly go much faster. And most don't have sidewalks. Not really feasible. Interestingly, the elementary schools in the 4 surrounding towns are all closer to us than the one in our town. 

 

Montpelier (closest town) has a ton of children that walk or bike to school each day and lots of sidewalks and crossing guards. Many of them walk alone or in small groups.

[sbgrace]

I see kids walking to and from school here.

My sister lives in a large metro type area and she walks her elementary kids to and from. I gather from conversation that they aren't the only ones. They even have cross guards.

 

Maybe it depends on the area and what others typically do.

 

We do a lot of walking just to walk, even though our area is relatively poor for walking in terms of sidewalks (none at all is common in our area of town; the existing ones are generally in poor repair).

[Tess in the Burbs]

we lived across the street from the elementary school when my kids were younger.  And all the ps kids in our neighborhood took the bus.  yep.  You can see the building from your house, but they waited on the bus.   It was humid there, so while we did walk to the library some times, often, we drove b/c we didn't want to be soaked when we got there.  I found people didn't walk many places b/c it was hot/humid. 

 

Where we live now people walk all the time and all over.  I am trying to get into that habit.  It's a mile to everything.  We have done the dentist, library, and Starbucks ;-)  It's all downhill there.  All uphill back.  If it were more balanced I would walk it more.  But we are being deliberate in our efforts to walk to things we can since it's doable and more common here.  

 

My sister just purposely rented a place she can walk to everything.  

 

But my parents both live in places you have to drive to everything.  I think it is what you are used to, and want from the community. 

[mommaduck]

Where I lived in CT it was like this.  Nobody walked.  In fact there seemed to be a general attitude that it was "icky".  If you had to walk you must be too poor to own a car.  I kid you not.

 

Well, some of us are. It's a trial, but saves me money. Such is life. The sad thing is when people look down on you for it.

[MrsMommy]

When the weather is nice, four of my children and I often walk to the school to pick up child number five. It's only about a half-mile drive, but closer to a mile walk, with the way the sidewalks wind around the neighborhoods behind the school. Unfortunately, it's a walk across a busy highway, so he won't be going by himself any time soon, and I imagine that makes it prohibitive for a lot of families. Even with the cross walk at the stoplight, the way the trucks roar down that road make me nervous, and I've seen more than one person blow the light completely. I've actually had several school parents driving past stop and ask me if we need a lift, though, so I guess it really isn't something most people do.

[Butter]

We live 1/2 mile from the elementary school.  I walked my boys to and from school the semester they attended.  A whole bunch of other people walked, too.  More drove (though some of them weren't actually walking distance - they just didn't want their kids riding the bus), but there were a lot of walkers.  About 1/4 of the kids in the school.  Tons of kids walked to my oldest son's middle school (we're over 2 miles from that one).  A whole lot walk to the high school, too.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Well, some of us are. It's a trial, but saves me money. Such is life. The sad thing is when people look down on you for it.

 

Yes that is ridiculous of people. 

[Loowit]

I see kids walking to school all the time around here, but it depends on where you live and the streets.  We live within walking distance of our local elementary and middle schools so if my kids went there they would walk.  It isn't the safest around here though because there aren't sidewalks on most of the streets, but people are usually pretty cautious.  DH would walk or bike to work every day if he could, but he works 40 miles from home.  He did bike to work when he was working closer.

 

When DH and I were in college we walked everywhere, neither of us had a car, but it was also in a place that had decent public transportation we could use if we wanted.

[gardenmom5]

walking to places, depends upon density and how pedestrian friendly it is. even though I'm in walking distance of my neighborhood elementary - it's across a busy (arterial) street, so I didn't allow my kids to walk.  I would have them walk home from the middle school and high school.  (and I kept telling them - if it's raining cats and dogs, it's faster to walk  . . . . .)

 

later I pulled my kids, and put them in a school in a different neighborhood that was four miles away. many kids walked, but I had to drive.

 

 

My daughter lives about a mile from her work, and she will occasionally walk.  

[Mergath]

Where I lived in CT it was like this.  Nobody walked.  In fact there seemed to be a general attitude that it was "icky".  If you had to walk you must be too poor to own a car.  I kid you not.

 

There are people around here with this attitude. Dd and I both like walking, despite owning a perfectly nice car, and on more than one occasion I've had someone driving by hang out their window and yell, "Buy a f****** car!" Always with the f-bomb, too, as if they can't express enough outrage at our walking without it.  :001_rolleyes:  

[mommaduck]

Why would people be outraged about it? I really, really do not understand that.

[regentrude]

Same here. We live about 0.5-0.7 mile from the elementary school. We were the only ones from our street walking to school. The first fall, people stopped and offered us rides. Us walking to the middle school which is, gasp, a MILE away, elicited shocked comments. "You walk TWO MILES in the morning?" yes, ma'am.

[T'smom]

I live in a small town and our house is near the middle and high schools and one elementary school. School hasn't started here yet, but there are lots of kids that walk. We walk to the park almost daily and see lots of people out and about. People walking/jogging for exercise, walking dogs, other moms with strollers going to the park, etc. Lots of athletes run down the street by our house. They must start their practices that way.

[Tanaqui]

Why would people be outraged about it? I really, really do not understand that.

 

Some people can't see anybody making a choice different from theirs without interpreting it as a direct condemnation of their own actions. It's sad, really.

 

Interestingly, MetaFilter just posted an article on this subject. Read the article, and also the MeFi comments - they're moderated, so they're always worth reading.

[mommaduck]

Some people can't see anybody making a choice different from theirs without interpreting it as a direct condemnation of their own actions. It's sad, really.

 

Interestingly, MetaFilter just posted an article on this subject. Read the article, and also the MeFi comments - they're moderated, so they're always worth reading.

 

True. I've seen that with homeschooling and wearing a headscarf. I just didn't realise that some would feel that way about someone WALKING. Wow.

[DragonFaerie]

We live in a small town, and my DD loves to walk.  I'm always nervous about letting her, though.  Despite how safe our town is, I worry about reckless drivers, angry dogs, and of course the possible creeps.  Today, for example, I have to work, Grandma is out of town, so DD will (happily) walk the 1.4 miles to dance.  She'll go along a residential road (no side walks but plenty of front yards), past her church, and then there are sidewalks going through our little "downtown" area.  She'll even walk right past the police/fire station.  I really should stop being such a worry-wart and let her enjoy herself, right?  RIGHT?  *sigh*

[poppy]

I used to drive a half mile to drop off a kid because the OTHER kid needed to be somewhere else 10 minutes later (not walking distance).  I'd rather walk, but logistically, it just wasn't happening.

 

Just saying it isn't always laziness / snobbery.

 

[rebcoola]

Hardly any walkers here and it is crazy it is safe their are sidewalks, quiet streets, even walking paths that cut through the neighborhood to make the walk easier and more pleasant.  The weather is sunny 350 days a year is rarely to hot or cold.  We used to walk to take my DD to speech and we would leave just 10 minutes before school would get out their would be cars everywhere just jammed into every inch of space parking lots, side streets, etc waiting for pick up it would drive me nuts to be stuck in that.

[mamaraby]

I used to drive a half mile to drop off a kid because the OTHER kid needed to be somewhere else 10 minutes later (not walking distance). I'd rather walk, but logistically, it just wasn't happening.

 

Just saying it isn't always laziness / snobbery.

This. Three years ago I had one kid in one school and another kid in a different school. The first was walkable, the second one was not. I didn't have enough time to walk to pick up the first kid, walk back home, get in the car, and drive to pick up the second kid. I drove to pick up both.

[catz]

We live in a huge pedestrian/bike friendly area.  So yes yes yes! 

[Bluegoat]

It seems to be like that here for elementary students.  I am near the high school, and a lot of them do seem to walk, though many also have cars or get picked up.

 

I know some people who purposefully bought a place near an elementary school, only to discover when their child turned 5 that no kids walk. They tried having their child walk anyway, but it didn't work that well simply because there was no one for her to walk with.  So - they all walk together, which is better than driving, but pretty silly in an objective sense.

 

It makes for a lot of traffic issues at the school too.

[Julie Smith]

Most places I have lived had walking school buses for younger local kids. 

 

[sdobis]

We live about 0.5 miles from the library. I often get asked by friends who pass us if we need a ride. My son walks to and from work on a regular basis, which is about a mile from our house. We only have one car in our household, so walking is often necessary.

[Mergath]

Why would people be outraged about it? I really, really do not understand that.

 

Because they're assholes, would be my guess. Possibly they had to stop at a crosswalk for a pedestrian to cross at some point in their lives, and they never recovered from the trauma of having their drive take twenty seconds longer.

[mommaduck]

*snort*