The bare facts – the top to bottom of walking statistics

Walking, and high quality street environments, links to so many different policy areas it can be quite hard to separate out the information you’re looking for.

We’ve tried to make it as easy as possible by putting our key facts and stats into different categories, linked to below. If you have any other queries, please contact Anna Powell, Press Officer

Statistics for the new Living Streets Website

• General walking
• Walking and health
• Walking and the environment
• Road safety (including 20mph)
• Walk to school

General walking

Nearly a quarter of people (24%) walk for 20 minutes less than once a year, or never Department for Transport, National Travel Survey, 2005

Twice as many women (15%) walk to work as men (7.3%) Department for Transport, National Travel Survey, 2005

69% of commuting trips are made by car and only 11% are made on foot. Department for Transport, National Travel Survey, 2005

On average, commuting trips by car take 24 minutes, by bus 40 minutes, rail 66 minutes and on foot 17 minutes. Department for Transport, National Travel Survey, 2005

Over 1/5 of trips less than a mile are made by car Department for Transport, National Travel Survey, 2005

A quarter of all shopping trips are made on foot Department for Transport, National Travel Survey, 2005

On average, females make 15% more walking trips than males, making 261 trips a year compared with 228 for males. Department for Transport, National Travel Survey, 2005

Walking and health

A third (33%) of adults say walking for more than 10 minutes is their only form of exercise in a typical month Department for Transport, National Travel Survey, 2005

Walking for just 30 minutes a day during the working week means reaching the Government’s recommended level of daily activity needed to transform your health.

An estimated 70% of adults do not do enough exercise to benefit their health Institute of Sport and Recreation Management, 2006

Only 37% of men and 24% of women in the UK are sufficiently active to gain any health benefits Health Survey for Session 2003–04, Department of Health, 2004

Nearly a quarter of all adults in the UK are obese Department of Health, Health Profile of England, 2007

Walking one mile in 15 minutes burns about the same number of calories as running a mile in eight and a half minutes NHS, Walk your way to health, 207

Walking one mile (1.6km) can burn up at least 100kcal (420kJ) of energy and walking two miles (3.2km) a day, three times a week, can help reduce weight by one pound (0.5kg) every three weeks Department for Transport, National Travel Survey, 2005

By 2050 almost 60% of the UK population could be obese with the economic cost reaching £49.9 billion at today’s prices Government Office of Science, Foresight Tackling Obesities: Future Choices, 2007,

95% of adults agree that walking is a good way to stay healthy Department for Transport, National Travel Survey, 2005

82% of adults agree that walking is a good way to loose weight Department of Health

Regular physical activity improves mood, helps relieve depression, and increases feelings of well-being. A survey carried out by the charity Mind found that 83% of people with mental health problems looked to physical activity to help lift their mood

Walking and the environment

The school run accounts for 18% of car trips by residents of urban areas during term time at 0845am Department for Transport National Travel Survey 2006

Cars consume most fuel and pollute more at the start of their journey when the engine is cold, therefore, walking for short journeys will reduce the amount of CO2 emissions by a disproportionate amount Institute for European and Environmental Policy 2007

The average commuter driving an average car, covering the average commute distance will produce almost one tonne of CO2 per person per year. With 25 million people in the UK commuting, that is the equivalent CO2 emissions that would fill almost 50 billion one litre water bottles every day, or enough to fill 89,000 typical three-bedroom homes, which is a city of some 200,000 inhabitants Workwise UK, 2007

If all commuters left the car at home one day a week this would save enough miles in a year to drive to the moon and back 35,000 times. This is the equivalent emissions reduction of taking over 1.7 million cars off the road and would reduce the UK’s total CO2 emissions by almost 1 per cent. Energy Saving Trust

Road safety (including 20mph)

Britain has one of the worst road safety records in Europe for child pedestrians and almost 20% of casualties occur on the way to or from school Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, ‘School Assembly Plans Using Road Safety Themes’

People living in the 10% most deprived areas of England are almost one-and-a-half times as likely to be killed or injured on the roads as people living in the 10% least deprived areas. Department for Transport Road Casualties Great Britain: 2007

A pedestrian hit by a car at 40mph has only a 15% chance of surviving. At 30mph this chance increases to 55%. But at 20mph the chance of survival increases to 95%.

In 2008, 572 pedestrians were killed and 28,481 injured on our streets Department for Transport, Road Casualties Great Britain, 2007

20mph schemes in Europe and the UK have cut the number of adult pedestrians killed or seriously injured by 50% and child pedestrians by 61% Transport Research Laboratory, 2003, Review of 20mph zones in London Boroughs

The equivalent of 60 classrooms full of children were seriously injured or killed on our roads last year. There were 1784 child pedestrians killed or seriously injured in Great Britain last year. Based on the average of 30 children per classroom, the number of classrooms of children killed or seriously injured is 60.

In 2005, the National Centre for Social Research found that 74% of people wanted 20mph in residential areas, including 72% of drivers.

Driving at 20mph rather than 30mph reduces stopping distance by 134% and therefore reduces the risk of collision considerably. DfT, 2001, Calculation based on thinking and braking distances taken from Think! leaflet

In the UK, 20 mph zones have been found to drastically cut the number of pedestrians killed and seriously injured (KSI) on our streets. Pedestrian KSIs as a whole are reduced by 50%, and child pedestrian KSIs are reduced by 61%. Transport Research Laboratory, 2003, ‘Review of 20 mph zones in London Boroughs

Road deaths and injuries cost the NHS £470 million and the UK economy £18 billion every year. DfT, 2005, Highways Economics, Valuation of the Benefits of Prevention of Road Accidents and Casualties

The Commission for Integrated Transport’s 2001 study found that where cities have 20mph speed limits covering between 65% and 85% of the urban network, they are transformed “from being noisy, polluted places into vibrant, people-centred environments”. Commission for Integrated Transport, 2001, Study of European Best Practise in the delivery of integrated transport

Child pedestrians from our lowest socio-economic groups are currently a staggering 21 times more likely to die on our roads than those at the top.6 Department for Transport, Trends in Fatal Car-occupant Accidents: 2007

Walk to school

Among primary school children, 54% of girls travel to school on foot, compared with 49% of boys Department for Transport, National Travel Survey 2006

A higher percentage of boys go to school by car, with 44% travelling by this method compared with 38% of girls Department for Transport, National Travel Survey 2006

An 11-year-old starting secondary school is almost twice as likely as a 10-year-old at primary school to be killed or seriously injured in road collisions Department for Transport, Road Casualties, 2006

In 1971, 80% of seven and eight-year-olds travelled to school without an adult, in 2006 it was down to 12% of seven to 10-year-olds Department for Transport, 2006

Nearly 30% of children aged two to 15 were classed as overweight or obese in 2006 Department of Health, Obesity General Information

The average cost of the school run by car per primary school child is £367, which equates to £612 million for transporting all primary school children to school per year. Centre for Economics and Business Research (cebr), 2008, based on ONS, DfT, and AA figures

Two recent tragedies where pedestrians have been killed by car drivers mounting the pavement, have highlighted the need to take action to make our streets safer for all road users.

In Ashford, Kent, on Sunday 27th September, two pedestrians were killed and several injured.  On Friday 25th September a group of schoolchildren in Worlingham, Suffolk, were knocked down by a car as they walked on the pavement: nine required hospital treatment, including a broken leg and pelvis.  These incidents highlight the human cost of lack of respect on our roads, and Living Streets calls upon the police and CPS to do everything to ensure that the culprits are brought to justice.

While incidents like these are fortunately rare, they are symptomatic of a more general imbalance in the protection afforded to pedestrians, as the most vulnerable road users.  This is why Living Streets champions 20 mph speed limits in all areas where people live, work and play. A default 20mph limit would have an immediate impact on the community, drastically cutting road casualties and helping to create safe, attractive and enjoyable streets for all.

A pedestrian hit at 20 mph has a 97% chance of survival.  As speeds increase that chance falls steeply, and by 35 mph half of all pedestrians hit will lose their lives.

Now is the time for government to take action to improve road safety in England and Wales, and you can help by taking part in our 20 mph campaign. You can download our free campaigning pack from our Resources section today, and get 20mph made a reality where you live.

Published on: 29/09/2009

Rob Cann

Volunteers dedicated to cleaning up Northern Ireland’s coastline were honoured at Stormont when they were presented with prestigious Clean Coast Awards by Environment Minister Edwin Poots. The inaugural Coca-Cola Clean Coast Awards, managed by TIDY Northern Ireland, are part of the Clean Coast Programme and are designed to recognise the outstanding contribution of individuals and groups involved in cleaning and protecting our rural beaches, from Benone on the North Coast to Cranfield Beach in the shadow of the Mournes.

Since the beginning of 2009, 875 volunteers have registered on the programme, spending almost 1,700 hours removing 540 bags of rubbish from our beaches.  In addition to the commonly encountered plastic bags, confectionary wrappers and marine debris, items removed have included trousers, cutlery, fridges, a bed and even a boxing glove.

See the winners and read more at www.communityni.org/news/minister-rewards-coastal-clean-volunteers.

Neglect is the biggest reason for a child to need protection ahead of both physical and sexual abuse. While no-one knows exactly how many children in the UK are neglected, studies suggest that it is up to 10% or almost 1.5 million.

The vast majority of us are unaware of neglect, and that it’s happening on our doorstep. Action for Children surveyed almost 2,000 primary school, pre-school, nursery and health professionals who come into regular contact with children and young people, to gauge their understanding of child neglect and its causes. The results reveal some key clear signals for frontline professionals working in schools, nurseries and hospitals throughout the country.

In Northern Ireland Action for Children is calling for a debate in the Assembly on the neglect of children and a shift to services that intervene early.

Read more and join the call for action at www.communityni.org/news/uk-wide-campaign-focusing-child-neglect.

Spread the Word about Rare Histiocytic Disorders.

Disease Quick Facts:

· Juvenile Xanthogranuloma (JXG) is a rare benign histiocytic disorder.

· JXG is characterized by groups of yellow, red, or brown papules or nodules (known as lesions).

· JXG may be present at birth, but most often arises in infancy.

· Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) is a rare form of non-Langerhans-cell histiocytosis.

· ECD is also known as Erdheim-Chester syndrome or polyostotic sclerosing histiocytosis.

· The first case of ECD was reported by W. Chester and Jakob Erdheim in 1930.

· ECD affects predominantly adults, with a men age of 53 years.

· Rosai-Dorfman (RD) disease is a rare disorder characterized by over-production and accumulation of histiocytes in the lymph nodes of the body.

· RD most often affects the lymph nodes of the neck (cervical lymphadenopathy) however, in rare cases can affect the following: central nervous system, eyes, upper respiratory tract, skin, and head and neck.

· The exact cause of RD is unknown. Some researchers suggest that the disorder may be caused by an infectious agent.

· Symptoms of RD are large, painless lymph nodes in neck, underarms, or groin (can be the size of a grapefruit), along with a fever.

It’s time to spread the word about these diseases and we need your help!

To learn more about histiocytosis visit www.histio.org

Living Streets is hosting a one day workshop to enable transport planners, designers and engineers to develop successful Local Transport Plan 3 policies and projects which create walkable communities. These will be taking place in Sheffield on 6 Nov and in London on 20 Nov. Find out more information on Living Streets’ website.

Free Autumn-themed posters

The latest in our series of seasonal A3 posters is now available to help you promote walking this autumn. You can also order packs of A7 pledge cards which help your employees get in the walking habit. To see the new materials, or to place an order, visit our resource page.

ACT TravelWise conference, 23/24 Nov

The 2009 ACT TravelWise Autumn Conference provides an opportunity to find out just what shape travel planning is in. Delegates will be encouraged to discuss how much strength and vigour Travel Planning has; and examine what it can do for your health, the health of children, customers and employees … and the health of your wallet. Download the conference programme for more information or visit their website.

Walk to Work Week dates announced!

Mark your diaries, the next Walk to Work Week will be held from 26-30 April 2010. We will be providing you with all the necessary information in the coming months through this e-bulletin and on our website. Stay tuned! Meanwhile, you can read about last year’s events on our website.

The Community Greenway project is one of the most exciting ventures to take place in East Belfast, the need for the directors of the project to make sure they get it right, this is essential to the project as it cannot be left when completed to run its self.The Project needs to have packages for business involvement by either leasing sites along the Greenway, where the directors have full control of who they let set up business along the pathway. There is huge investment going into the Greenway and it should be looked at as being a project that will bring jobs to the whole area of East Belfast. The Greenway project should now be looking at sites along the Greenway they could use for lease back.

The Greenway could inject money and jobs into East Belfast it could quite simply run itself and be self financing. This is a very exciting time for East Belfast and we must not turn this project into a white elephant where it is left in the hands of the council to run, this is a time where the expertise of the private sector needs to be included, this project could be the biggest tourist attraction anywhere in Northern Ireland and could bring the East Belfast Community much need revenue for the local shops and generate small pilot business along the the Greenway that could be set aside for young entrepreneurs of East Belfast a chance to lease the sites and use them for Coffee Bars,News Paper Stands and Sweet Shops.

The need to include the Sydenham area is vital for this project as it has the only entrance that will service Victoria park and the greenway project, we have heard lots of talk regarding a footbridge into the park, another white elephant that would turn out to be like all footbridges no one would use it, why would they when there is a perfectly good entrance to the park at the Bottom of Kyle Street, this is the natural entrance to the park it was the entrance to the park before the Sydenham by pass was built, so fix something that is not broken.  It would give the area of Connsbrook Drive and Kyle street a much needed cash injection, and give the community in the area a confidence boost. The funds that were  to be spent on a footbridge could be redirected in to the regeneration of both Connsbrook Drive and Kyle street. This would encourage Northern Ireland Railways  to invest in the old Victoria Halt, which would service the Greenway and Victoria Park this would encourage much needed visitors to the Sydenham area and Victoria Park.

  This is a picture taken in North Manchester by making the street home zoned it encourages the children to play  and also discourages the motorist, this gives a community feeling in the area and neighbours find it much easier to interact, the need for work like this to be included for Kyle Street And Connsbrook Drive would make sense, it would also give the area a plaza down to Victoria Park  and the Greenway. we would encourage home zoning through to Victoria Park Primary School enabling the zones to be closed when children are going to school and returning home in the afternoon,  it would be vital for the Greenway and its survival that the area around Victoria Park is included in this project.

Here we can see Kyle Street and the Entrance to Victoria Park, for many years this entrance has needed an upgrade but now with the Greenway Project it could bring this area back to life, give the young people in the area a focus and purpose, it may give them a chance to step into the ownership of business but in a small way, where it would be small investment for them and in return giving them a purpose for life. Our photo also shows Connsbrook Drive what changes could be made to the lives of people who own their homes along Connsbrook Drive, if the drive was made part of a home zone and landscaped not to carry out such an upgrade would hamper the Greenway project.

These photos show just how much land is being wasted with very little purpose, only used to light the annual bonfire once a year. Yet with a bit of insight this could be a valued community space used by the youth in the area to sell crafts, tea, coffee, newspapers, sweets and bicycle hire,the middle picture shows where the old Victoria halt once stood if this was reopened it would benefit the whole area of Sydenham, Victoria park , Greenway and including the area in the last two photos. it could bring in much needed revenue for the up keep of the Greenway when completed, the area outside any new station could be made into a plaza with seating area and a new and much safer entrance to Victoria Park Primary School.

SEN London 2009 – 16 & 17 October

Kareem Diana and Jo will be on stand ICT 34 at the TES SEN Exhibition at the design Centre Islington

http://www.teachingexhibitions.co.uk/Exhibitions/TES+Special+Needs+Exhibition/London/2009/

Visit us on the stand to be entered into a free daily draw for a dual pack of our AccessAT and AccessFun pendrives. As the man said “Too good to be true”

BT Community Connections

If you are a community or charitable organisation that is looking to extend your work through use of the internet and ICT but don’t have the means, apply for an award today!

Find out more about BT Community Connections

Free AT and AAC Assessments

30 free AT and AAC Assessments for children as part of the Innovative Projects grant from Becta we will be delivering 30 free AT and AAC (Assistive and Augmentative Communication) assessments for children. We will aim to work with local Speech and Language therapists, teachers, parents and Occupational Therapists where appropriate to provide the assessment. Please circulate this information to the Speech and Language teams, special schools and other relevant people within the LEA. Each request will be evaluated to ascertain that we can meet the needs of the child. To request an assessment jo.greenwell@abilitynet.org.uk

Interview with our very own Robin Christopherson

Lynda Elliott, a Usability Professional, interviews our own Robin Christopherson, head of Accessibility Services at AbilityNet

Access News

iCanSee: Magnifying application for the iPhone

Use your iPhone to magnify text up to 4 times with this app

EU Considering Europe wide accessibility law

Out-law finds out more about this proposed legislation

HTML 5 pocket book

Useful one page reference to HTML5: structure and elements, from Jeremy Keith

Bruce Lawson @ FOWA on HTML5

Bruce spoke at last weeks Future of Web Apps event about HTML5, focusing more on the application development aspect of HTML5 than the markup

Article on accessible gaming\games

Accessibility doesn’t mean just access to information or services, but leisure pursuits like gaming as well. This article discusses accessible gaming and some of the issues that exist

Alistapart: Usability Testing Demystified

Accessibility and Usability go hand in hand, and frequently overlap, but many people are still unsure what usability testing entails

Best of YouTube

Many Methods, One Goal: Communication – AAC Awareness 2009

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCfC4ew8i08

In support of ISAAC’s (International Society of Augmentative and Alternative Communication) 2009 AAC Awareness month (see www.aacawareness.org), Sam tells a story entitled, "Taffy the Dog Goes on a…

Tutorial – Starting TapToTalk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTs7FomNQbI

This video describes how to use your TapToTalk Starter Kit Game Cartridge with your Nintendo DS Lite or DSi. It shows you how to insert the cartridge properly and how to turn on the Nintendo.

Microsoft Surface Churchend Primary School in the UK

http://www.youtube.com/user/gordondjrimmer#p/a/u/1/FOMwzu-y7Gs

A great video showing how both Students and Teachers can engage and use Surface with Education. Without prompting they talk about the interface, collaboration and interactions and what it means to them. Are we really tricking them into learning!

All of these and many more can be found on the AbilityNet YouTube channel www.youtube.com/abilitynet.

What’s Hot on Twitter @AbilityNet #Accessibility

Eye Controlled Typing technology (from Palestine) to help people with physical disabilities use computers http://ow.ly/tGj4

New videos from Trace Research Center, with one on Web Application Accessibility: http://www.doit.wisc.edu/ac…

International Kindle ships October 19 to over 100 countries for $279, ‘US’ edition falls to $259 #pc – http://bit.ly/lMaRS

Special Offers

E-learning

1 year access to AbilityNet elearning – only £35 per user + VAT

Go to www.abilitynettraining.org for details

Stimulate your Team with ICT Innovation Days

Get your team to look ahead and think about how access technology is going to change during the next 5 years – how will access be happening and what will be the impact. These interactive and hands on days are extremely popular in helping with planning and diversity. Contact David Banes at david.banes@abilitynet.org.uk for further details

Request a free HiSoftware Compliance Sheriff™ accessibility scan

HiSoftware Compliance Sheriff™ is an enterprise accessibility validation solution that scans your Web site for over 172 separate issues and delivers the results in a powerful online report.

Request your free HiSoftware Compliance Sheriff™ accessibility check today.

Need an accessibility speaker for event or workshop ?

Let us know if you would like us to try to speak at your events – we can deliver onsite or remotely across video conferencing email david.banes@abilitynet.org.uk for further details

Courses

The Autumn Course programme is released

Accessibility in Microsoft Windows Vista and Office 2007

Investigating accessibility within the Operating system and Office Applications

More information and booking for Accessibility in Microsoft Windows Vista and Office 2007 course

Effective Assessment of Problems at Computer Workstations

Helping those involved in workstation assessments respond effectively

More information and booking for Effective Assessment of Problems at Computer Workstations course

Mobile Access Solutions

Exploring the key issues in selecting portable technology

More information and booking for Mobile Access Solutions course

Using ICT to Support People with Dyslexia

Use technology to help those who have reading and writing difficulties

More information and booking for Using ICT to Support People with Dyslexia course

Web 2.0

Demonstrating how to make the most of web 2.0 technologies

More information and booking for Web 2.0 course

Windows 7

Looking at the new accessibility features available in Windows 7

More information and booking for Windows 7 course

And there’s MORE

Stay in Touch with AbilityNet

Come find us at a number of events in the next few weeks…

Telecentres Europe Summit – Istanbul

14/15 October

David Banes will be presenting on accessibility and resources for telecentres at the summit meeting in Istanbul

SEN London

16/17 October

http://www.teachingexhibitions.co.uk/Exhibitions/TES+Special+Needs+Exhibition/London/2009/

Access IT 2009

Technology World 09

23rd and 24th Nov, 2009

Venue: Ricoh Arena, Coventry, UK

AbilityNet will be on stand 56 come and find us

Across the Web

Join our daily Twitter channel @abilitynet

Join our YouTube channel www.youtube.com/abilitynet

Read our regular Blog www.abilitynet.org.uk/blog

Join GATE The Global Assistive Technology Encyclopedia

Podcast No 8 Released

Our latest podcast is now available  – contents include

• AbilityNet’s recent Accessibility2.0 ‘A Million Flowers Bloom’ conference
• Review of www.bubbl.us free mind-mapping tool and the capture screen facility in Windows
• Item on the recent Access–IT Awards event
• Web accessibility news roundup
• An introductory item to Twitter
• Events for your diary

It’s available for free from www.abilitynet.org.uk/podcast or via iTunes

We would like to thank Chris Deconnink for all the support he has given us during 08 in relation to supporting are grant for Disabled Learners Classes that we will now be able to set up in the new year Chris has always been very supportive in our projects but we feel that our classes will enable us to help our disabled community and allow them to access the Internet and to open up a whole new way of life for them.

The classes will be starting early next year we will have places for five people at the beginning but we are hoping to expand on this as time goes on we will also be holding classes for our senior citizens to enable them to access the Internet giving them more choice in how they live in regard to online shopping,emailing and Online Banking we will be keeping our classes small to enable our learners to have a better chance to interact with the instructors.

Classes will be held in community centres and church halls to enable citizens have a much easier access to them and any one wanting to join a class will have to apply to the residents association for booking information.

To Book Please Write To

Terry Hoey

Palmerston Residents Association

C/o 86 Palmerston Road

Sydenham

Belfast

Northern Ireland

BT4 1QD

This is a picture of our brave little grandson who is fighting XLP,HLH,EBV, in Bristol Childrens Hospital in England. At the age of only five years old our little grandson fights these dreadful diseases that are infecting his little body. when he would visit us on holiday he would say he was a super hero.
Cavan is like any other little boy of his age running around in a Spider man suit zapping everyone in site. We cannot understand why these diseases have picked on him, we have been told that XLP only effects one hundred families world wide. when we went to Bristol Hospital to see him we found it all very hard to take in.
Our grandson has lost an inconceivable amount of weight and the drugs he has to take to try to fight off the infections are incredible. We rely on medical research to tackle this disease to help young children fight it with better odds than they have at present. When we see our grandson and how he is now it just rips your heart out.
XLP is a genetic disease could it be tested for before birth and the gene fixed before birth, this must be possible we can do so much but we cannot solve this problem why?
when you see and live with the results of this disease and the uncertainty of it all, and the impact it will have on our grandsons life. We have to ask how this can happen in a world that is so far advanced and has made so many medical achievements, but this gene cannot be cracked.
As the grandparents of Cavan we have decided to set up a trust fund for him as we cannot be sure of the outcome of the XLP. His doctors are giving him chemotherapy by lumber puncture to kill off lymphasites in his brain. We do not know what effect this will have on his brain We ask the readers of ZIMBIO to Lobby their drug manufacturers to look at XLP and to help us get the word out regarding this disease please when you read this article make up your mind to join with us in a search for a drug that will wipe this disease of the face of the earth .
Our grandson had glandular fever and seems to have been the trigger for it how many more parents in the world could be at risk of this disease and do not know they are passing it on to the boys in their families. as XLP only attacks boys and is passed on by the mother. Help us to help them make

XLP known throughout the world and press for research.

The Cavan Tommy Hoey Trust
C/o 86 Palmerston Road
Sydenham
Belfast
Northern Ireland
BT4 1QD
Do not Read This And Do Nothing Do Something To Help Our Fight