Take a walk
YoCo’s “Community Plan” vision for York Central was of a walkable place - where there were places you’d want to go (on foot or otherwise under your own steam) - cafes, hairdressers, workshops - mixed in among the places you’d live. We have continued that quest with our proposed community-owned neighbourhood, with homes built above the things the residents - and thousands of other people in neighbouring communities - would need. But this walking - what’s it about? Who wants walkable cities?
Well, our pal Tim Larner, for one. Join Tim in his moment of realisation that there’s a whole world to get to on foot - and for all sorts of very sound reasons…
“Fancy coming out for a walk?” That’s a question I often get asked at home. My wife has taken to a much more active life in recent months and feels so much better for it. “Good for her” says I, very quietly. I don’t mind a walk from time to time – nice on a summer’s day in lovely countryside. But do I really want to go out on a cool, cloudy day, in the drizzle, in the dark, now? Well, usually no. So she goes out by herself. Why walk around outside when I could be in a nice warm house doing something ‘productive’?
But hang on, how about walking to go somewhere? Now, that’s far more interesting. Back in the day when I was a transport planner – I earned an honest crust for 45 years doing that – walking for transport was interesting and definitely to be encouraged. Clog up the pavements not the roads, low carbon travel, improved health – physical and mental, what’s not to like? Good for the walker, for the town, for quality of life, the NHS, and just about everything else. So Tim – you might not want to go out for a walk, but how about walking to get somewhere? Hmmm, now that’s more enticing.
So, in recent weeks I’ve discovered a new mode of transport! My transport planning brain tells me I’ve at least five ways of travelling the two point something miles to central Harrogate from my home in Starbeck– can you name them[1]? They all have their advantages and disadvantages, but I’ve come to realise that walking has a lot more of the former than I had previously thought. It’s:
the ultimate in reliability – I’ve learned with the help of GoogleMaps to predict my arrival time within a minute or two. Roadworks, no problem; traffic congestion, no impact; cancellations, irrelevant. Use Google as you go along – speed up or slow down to suit or just arrive a little early.
free – save the pennies and the pounds!
healthy – it raises my heart rate slightly, it helps me keep my weight under control, it keeps me warm as long as I choose my clothes well. It’s a great stressbuster. Light load? Just take a rucksack.
social – I smile and say ‘hello’ to each person I pass. Some are a bit surprised, but I hope pleasantly so. I hope I spread a little sunshine – I had a lovely conversation with a mum and her pushchair-riding 2 year old this morning.
interesting and fun - I see what’s happening in my own locality, enjoy nature, marvel at creation. I kick the leaves crossing the Stray, travel by different routes, depending upon the way things take me – there’s lots of route variants to choose from.
productive - I spend my time productively – grapple with problems in my head, make a phone call to a friend I’ve been meaning to catch up with, even pray.
refreshing - I arrive ready to face the rest of the day. I even think I’m probably a nicer person to do business with because of my healthy, stress-free travel.
much less time consuming than you might think – 30 minutes, door to edge of town centre. It really hasn’t cost me many minutes to travel more slowly.
I know it rains sometimes but I carry a large umbrella when necessary, and I may need to review my raingear when winter comes.
Join me, rediscover the joy of walking - somewhere!
[1] Bus, train, cycle, car and walk. Add a few more if you like – taxi/private hire/Uber, motorcycle, scooter.