Walking is a commuting option that can significantly reduce your commuting costs and be part of a program for better health and fitness. Walking also reduces traffic, which helps to improve air quality.
Employers can help encourage their employees to walk to work by offering lockers and showering and changing facilities.
Walking To Work
Make safety a top priority when you walk to work. If you want to start walking to work:
- Try a practice run on a weekend to find a route, identify safety considerations and see how long it takes
- Select a good pair of walking shoes and appropriate clothing.
- Be safe and use sidewalks, crosswalks, and other pedestrian facilities wherever possible.
- Especially if you are walking at dawn, dusk or in the dark, consider the lighting conditions where you will be walking. Consider wearing reflective clothing and/or wrist or leg bands.
- Start slowly, perhaps one or two days a week, and gradually build up to using this option more often.
- Find co-workers and friends who bike or walk and commute with them.
What if I Need to Get Home for an Emergency?
Be sure you, or your employer, are enrolled in the Emergency Ride Home Program, if you use options like biking or walking at least two days a week. Then you can get reimbursed for a ride home in the event of a qualified emergency and you can’t bike or walk. If you haven’t already, you can sign up online on the Emergency Ride Home page.
