Being a pedestrian in Toronto offers many advantages over driving: 1) It's a healthy form of exercise; and 2) Free entertainment from "Jesus Man" - a devotee responsible for more heart attacks than McDonalds and Burger King combined. Image by flickr user Metrix X.
A quick look at some of the things that make walking and riding transit work (or not):
Year when humans started walking: 1.5 million years ago
Year when walking became a sport: 19th century (1801-1900)
Year when most North Americans forgot how to walk: Post WWII
Percentage of Americans not meeting 30 minute a day recommendation for physical activity: 50
Percentage reduction in oil consumption in US if more trips were walked than driven: 38
Average number of steps taken during a transit trip (Montreal): 1250
Round trip: 2500
Daily recommended number of steps per day: 10,000
Hours of walking to achieve 10,000 steps: 1
Percentage of recommended daily exercise achieved by 2500 steps: 25
Average stride length: 2.5 ft (0.762m)
Average Walking Speed: 4.5km/h
Time to walk 1250 meters: 13 minutes
Transit trips requiring most steps to least steps: Train > Subway > Bus
Dollars saved from obesity-related medical costs through additional walking associated with public transit: $5500 per person
Gender that walks more on average during transit trip: Men
Gender that jaywalks more: Men
American city most dangerous for pedestrians: Orlando
Canada: Toronto
Percentage of pedestrians seriously injured by motor vehicles in UK: 21
Percentage of pedestrians seriously injured by bicycles in UK: 22
World’s worst pedestrian: Richard Ashcroft