Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

The Crisis in American Walking

slate.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

81–90 of 137 posts

Re: The Crisis in American Walking

#81

Post by Goronmon »

dhimes wrote: post #73
backprojection wrote: post #66

"Carlin Robinson, 12, walks from her grandmother's car to the school bus in Manchester, Ky. Her house can be seen in the background. A study published in 2010, investigating high obesity rates in the town found that residents used cars to minimize walking distance, to the detriment of their health." Association != causation. While the picture this caption is from is indeed ridiculous (grandmother driving her daughter…

Exactly. The organized sports for kids is insane in its breadth and depth. We used to play one, maybe two sports. Now normal kids are playing something most seasons. Not only are they playing, but they are going to special coaching sessions, camps, and so on. This is much more prevalent today than when I was a kid. We had football practice twice a week (at 12 yo) with a game on Saturday. She got a ride to the end of…

She got a ride to the end of the driveway? Probably because she has a double-header soccer match that night.

Someone athletic enough to play in a double-header soccer match wouldn't bat an eye at walking 100 feet down a driveway. As someone who played many sports in my earlier years, this line of reasoning seems completely off the mark.

Re: The Crisis in American Walking

#82

Post by kilowatt »

danso wrote: post #10

In NYC, I think nothing of a 30min to 1-hour walk to get to dinner. In my hometown, where there are sidewalks connecting my house to the "downtown", I can barely walk 3 blocks without feeling weird. It's not just the practical distance, or how "safe" it is to conduct the walk... it's the strangeness of walking through something not as dense as NYC. I've done far less formal exercise these days than I ever have at any…

This is so true. Although I'm not sure it's entirely about density--I think part of it is just that you're so alone as a pedestrian. At least if you're walking around my hometown, you might be the only one on the sidewalks, barring neighborhood kids hopscotching around or whatever, for 2 miles, even though there are homes and businesses everywhere. The psychological effect of being such an outlier is really noticeable.

Re: The Crisis in American Walking

#83

Post by angersock »

excuse-me wrote: post #37
_delirium wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can think of quite a few... San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Chicago, New York, Boston, Dallas, Austin, Houston. Even Los Angeles and Atlanta have nice "new downtown" areas, though the traditional downtowns are sketchy (Wilshire and Midtown, respectively).

I got pulled over by the police for walking in Houston Running alongside the freeway is an access road where all the on-off ramps feed. It has a wide sidewalk along the side and it was only a couple of junctions between the hotel and the site I was visiting so I walked. A police car immediately pulled up to ask where I was going and why? Fortunately the English accent convinced them I was obviously merely some pinko-…

HPD generally gives no fucks, sorry about that. :(

Maybe it was one of the little townships that still refuses to integrate into the ever-expanding maw of Houston (think West U area)?

Re: The Crisis in American Walking

#84

Post by georgieporgie »

tallyho wrote: post #56
noonespecial wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I tried to take a walk in the suburban neighborhood where my parents live and was brought home in a police car . The neighbors called the police and reported someone suspicious walking through the neighborhood. Apparently, its just not done. I didn't have any ID on me so I was brought home in the cruiser so I could present my "papers" to the officer. Its a terrible thing to think but I distinctly remember being grate…

Nowhere in this country is a citizen required to carry or produce ID in public. Furthermore, officers need reasonable suspicion that you have committed, or are about to commit, a crime before you are required to identify yourself. You are never required to explain your actions.

I don't know whether to agree with your second sentence or not. It looks like reasonable suspicion is required, but it also sounds like individual states' stop-and-identify laws are varied and vague.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_and_identify_statutes

Re: The Crisis in American Walking

#85

Post by dhimes »

Goronmon wrote: post #81
dhimes wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly. The organized sports for kids is insane in its breadth and depth. We used to play one, maybe two sports. Now normal kids are playing something most seasons. Not only are they playing, but they are going to special coaching sessions, camps, and so on. This is much more prevalent today than when I was a kid. We had football practice twice a week (at 12 yo) with a game on Saturday. She got a ride to the end of…

She got a ride to the end of the driveway? Probably because she has a double-header soccer match that night. Someone athletic enough to play in a double-header soccer match wouldn't bat an eye at walking 100 feet down a driveway. As someone who played many sports in my earlier years, this line of reasoning seems completely off the mark.

I see it, though. Not quite to that exaggerated level, but not entirely hyperbolic either. It's not a matter of "they cant't do it," but "they don't have to do it." Not if an alternative is offered (and they like being with grandma anyway).

Re: The Crisis in American Walking

#86

Post by J3L2404 »

hammock wrote: post #23

Get your Walk Score: http://www.walkscore.com/score/times-square-nyc

"Walkers Paradise" nice. But I knew that already. Actually everything is almost too close, two food markets and five pubs within 3 blocks, so I have to circle around to get more exercise.

Re: The Crisis in American Walking

#87

Post by ccoggins »

bartonfink wrote: post #52
simmons wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'll second that -- I loved living in Downtown Denver, and still visit as much as I can. Funny, when I was reading about the seven-minute commute in Nashua, I thought "that sounds like the commute I had in Downtown Denver," then saw your comment. I'm now living 6 miles out in Olde Town Arvada. It's actually a neat walkable area with coffee shops, brewpubs, etc., although there are no major tech employers within walki…

Somewhat different note, any interest in a Denver HN meetup sometime? I knew I couldn't be the only one but I'd like to meet more if anyone's interested.

Sounds like a great idea. I'm in.

Re: The Crisis in American Walking

#88

Post by HeyLaughingBoy »

backprojection wrote: post #66

"Carlin Robinson, 12, walks from her grandmother's car to the school bus in Manchester, Ky. Her house can be seen in the background. A study published in 2010, investigating high obesity rates in the town found that residents used cars to minimize walking distance, to the detriment of their health." Association != causation. While the picture this caption is from is indeed ridiculous (grandmother driving her daughter…

ridiculous (grandmother driving her daughter essentially to the end of her driveway for the school bus)

I drive my son about half a mile to the school bus every morning. One of my neighbors drives their children from the house, down the driveway to the street to the same school bus.

Their driveway is just under half a mile long!

We're not encouraging laziness: the reason I (and I suspect the neighbor also) do it is because if we just let him walk, he'd screw around and not make it to the bus on time. Eleven year-olds do stuff like that.

He walks home from the bus because it doesn't matter if it takes him a few extra minutes to get home.

Re: The Crisis in American Walking

#89

Post by evilbit »

juiceandjuice wrote: post #70
_delirium wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can think of quite a few... San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Chicago, New York, Boston, Dallas, Austin, Houston. Even Los Angeles and Atlanta have nice "new downtown" areas, though the traditional downtowns are sketchy (Wilshire and Midtown, respectively).

Salt Lake City's downtown and everything north, east, and south isn't sketchy at all. If you start going west, it's a little different story but compared to most anywhere in SF it's super tame.

SLC blocks are huge, though, and (with exception of a thin strip along Main St), it was clearly not designed with walking in mind. Yes, there are sidewalks, but there's very little street furniture, retail is set far back and not at sidewalk level, and lights don't open for pedestrians unless you specifically press the button.

It's better than most, I agree, but still a far cry from NYC, Boston, or SF.

Re: The Crisis in American Walking

#90

Post by civilian »

cowpewter wrote: post #59
civilian wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That sucks :( My former office (in Pioneer Square, Seattle) has a pretty large homeless & drug-dealing population, but I rarely don't feel safe. Even when I leave work at 1am on a friday night, I just dodge a few intersections that are especially bad and I get home safe. But I'm also a guy-- I know that some of my female coworkers didn't like it, to the extent that we'd sometimes walk them to the parking garage. Have…

Well, 1 am I might still feel okay. Downtown Gainesville is full of nightclubs, and they don't close until 2 am, so there's a large number of (drunk) pedestrians milling around up until about 2:30 am. It's 3-4am that I don't feel safe. I can't change my route, any detours I could take would only take me through even less safe areas. I've considered mace/pepper spray but quite honestly I'd rather just avoid the possib…

Oh yeah, 3-4am is pretty serious night-owlage. And you're totally right about the drunks giving relative protection.

I also am a bit of a runner... my plan, if I get in trouble, is to just book it. Or, throw my wallet at them and run.

Post reply on HN