From the Dept of Obvious Research: You can (gasp) walk or bike to work!
According to researchers with Kansas State University’s Physical Activity and Public Health Laboratory, active commuting — walking or biking to school or work — can be an easy, effective and efficient way to integrate physical activity into the daily routine.
No shit! That is just crazy! Anyway the interesting findings here, which I’ve been bitching about for years, is that the physical layout of the urban environment contributes to people’s inclination to actively commute. If you have bike lanes, walking paths, safe modes of personal transport, well-arranged services, etc. then people will use them. Hell, I’m almost sorry that Toronto put in bike lanes in some places because there are so many bloody cyclists now, you can get stuck in bike rush hour! It’s also sort of an odd feeling to complain about how there are no bike parking spaces left. But I’d take that any day over the soul-eroding slow death of car commuting.