Walking Rates in America Improve, Still Pitiful

There’s a new report out from the Centers for Disease Control that finds nearly 40 percent of American adults had not walked for a ten-minute period in the previous seven days. Yikes.

Believe it or not, that’s an improvement over the 2005 results, when just over half of all Americans had found the time and energy for a ten-minute walk in the course of a regular week.

Could this somehow be tied to the fact that in this country we’ve developed a transportation system where $1.7 billion urban interchanges are a matter of course, but where Congress takes aim at a much less expensive national program to help children not get killed while walking to school?

Yes, according to Walk Arlington’s Commuter Page Blog:

Despite the encouraging news, experts conclude that far too many people are still not getting enough exercise to improve their health — less than half of U.S. adults get the recommended amount of physical activity of 2.5 hours a week. The CDC says that walkable, pedestrian-inclusive communities are key to encouraging Americans to travel by foot. The report encourages employers and state and local governments to support walkability — and fitness — by developing new sidewalks, paths, and other safe places that encourage people to walk for work, errands, and recreation.

This news comes on the heels of another CDC report containing alarming new data on U.S. obesity rates. There is not a state in the union where less than 20 percent of the population is clinically obese. The car-oriented South and Midwest regions of the country ranked worst.

Elsewhere on the Network today: Systemic Failure says the controversy over Progressive Insurance’s handling of a fatal auto collision highlights just how high the stakes are for drivers — much higher than many states require insurance for. Missouri Bicycle Federation features a small town with high standards for bike-friendliness. And Bike Portland wonders if a mayoral candidate’s bad driving record will be a liability to his campaign.