Photo  by  Maya  Spitz  

The  walking  cure  for  the  'hurry  virus'  

Paul  Tranter    

                                 

Sydney,    21st  October  2014  

   

Keynote  

Don't  Blink,  Don't  Miss  A  Thing,  by  Brian  K  hGps://www.flickr.com/photos/my-­‐silent-­‐side/2620572503  

Speed  Yoga?    

Yoga  Class  by  Evan  Lovely  hGps://www.flickr.com/photos/fooWun/2470547374  

 

“Children are not born obsessed with speed and productivity –

we make them that way” (Honoré, 2004, 216 – 217)

“Come on! Hurry Up”

LiGle  Explorer  By  funnyface_6  hGp://www.flickr.com/photos/funnyface_6/4381726824/  

14  Days  le[  (3)  by  krys^anmajewski  hGp://www.flickr.com/photos/krys^anmajewski/2570323007  

Hurry Virus A  barrier  to  healthy  ea^ng  and  regular  exercise  

Car  Dependency  Cart  Addic^on  by  UrbanGrammar    hGp://www.flickr.com/photos/22392855@N08/5502369843/  

Hurry Virus A  barrier  to  healthy  ea^ng  and  regular  exercise  

Fitness  First,  by  Sim  Dawdler  hGp://www.flickr.com/photos/23905174@N00/2411746055/      

1.  Consumption obsession 2.  Time pressure 3.  Parenting pressures 4.  Technology 5.  Car reliance 6.  Marketing of unhealthy food 7.  Confusing advice

 “We  go  faster  so  we  can  do  more    “The  truth  is,  we  just  experience  less”  

 “But  when  we  slow  down,  we  discover  that  life  has  a  natural  pace.    And  it’s  good!    “Life  becomes  richer.  More  pleasurable.  And  more  fulfilling.    “We  may  do  fewer  things,  but  what  we  do,  we  do  well”  

What  would  it  be  like  to  spend  an  en^re  year  within  walking  distance  of  home?  

 “…  walking  may  be  the  quickest  and  least  expensive  path  to  a  cure  for  the  hurry  virus”      (Hoel^ng,  2010,  29)  

The  Speed  Paradox

Could slowing our lives down save us time?

 Could  walking,  instead  of  driving,  

reduce  ^me  pressure?    

Road  Rage  by  biblicone  hGp://www.flickr.com/photos/biblicone/261200900/  

Could our reliance on “fast” modes of transport exacerbate the hurry virus?

Imagine:

 You  live  a  hec^c  life      Your  ^me  management  is    out  of  control      You  can  never  get  things    done  fast  enough  

By  Nick  Tranter  

So you decide to buy yourself a new car

The  fastest  new  car  

Suzuki  Alto  

Suzuki  Alto  sZ3  by  mick  /  Lumix      hGp://www.flickr.com/photos/panasonic-­‐kei/6298678312/  

A  faster    mode?  

Are  we  fooling  ourselves  about  saving  

^me?  

The machine that saves you time

Green  machine  by  caffeineslinger  hGp://www.flickr.com/photos/caffeineslinger/18271998/  

The catch: you need to spend an hour per day winding up the spring to power this machine

In our society, instead of winding up the spring we must earn money to pay for time-saving devices

Should we consider the time spent winding up the spring?

Effective speed: considers all of the time costs of any mode of transport, not simply the time spent moving

Thoreau (1854) –  first to discuss

the ideas behind “effective speed”

hGp://www.mobipocket.com/en/eBooks/eBookDetails.asp?BookID=359234  

Thoreau argues: “the swiftest traveller is he that goes afoot”

Thoreau's  Cabin  Replica  By  imotov      hGp://www.flickr.com/photos/71411059@N00/5992195071/  

Ivan  Illich  by  josemota    hGp://www.flickr.com/photos/josemota/3616862945/  

“The typical American male devotes more than 1,600 hours a year to his car … He spends four of his sixteen waking hours on the road or gathering his resources for it” (Illich, 1974, 18-19)

Me  and  my  Chevy  about  1973  Photo  by  Hugo90    hGp://www.flickr.com/photos/hugo90/5267822906/  

“The model American puts in 1,600 hours to get 7,500 miles: less than five miles per hour” (Illich, 1974, 19)

Me  and  my  Chevy  about  1973  Photo  by  Hugo90    hGp://www.flickr.com/photos/hugo90/5267822906/  

Arguments  against  effec^ve  speed  

“I’ve  no  choice  but  to  use  the  car,  there’s  no  alterna^ve”  

Sprawl  by  silk  cut  hGp://www.flickr.com/photos/silkcut/3604908019/in/photostream/  

“I must have the second car to drive my child to school, because of the traffic dangers created by parents

driving their children to school”

“I like the convenience of the car”

Exurbia  in  mo^on  by  tempo  hGp://www.flickr.com/photos/muller/66391316/  

“I have to work 9 to 5, Monday to Friday, so even if I didn’t have a car, I still could not work less”

(un)  stress  by  HRC  hGp://www.flickr.com/photos/horacio/3781750/  

(un)  stress  by  HRC  hGp://www.flickr.com/photos/horacio/3781750/  

“My car is not for transport, ‘it’s the

image’”

4DCHICS Mike  by  Fazil  Fuad  hGp://www.flickr.com/photos/fazilfuad/2866478485/  

“I’m a skilful driver, and so I drive faster than everyone else”

Faster  and  more  Furious  by  wajakemek  hGp://www.flickr.com/photos/rashdan/329047505/  

Some estimates of effective speed for car drivers

Data  for    

–  single  occupant  car  driving  –  based  on  median  incomes  –  including  both  direct  and  indirect  (external)  costs  

What happens to effective speeds if we increase average trip speed?

If we can somehow travel faster, without increasing the cost of transport, will that help much?

 Holden    Commodore    

 Suzuki  Alto      Walking  

Increase  in  trip  speed  

Increase  in  effec^ve  speed   1.4  km/h  

10  km/h  

Sydney  Data  

Increase  in  trip  speed  

Increase  in  effec^ve  speed   2.5  km/h  

Sydney  Data  

10  km/h  

London  Data  (cheapest  

category  of  petrol  car)  

Increase  in  trip  speed  

Increase  in  effec^ve  speed   0.5  km/h  

10  km/h  

 These  figures  ignore  the  costs  of  increasing  trip  speeds    The  costs  would  be  enormous  for  car  drivers  –  road  construc^on  costs  –  pollu^on  costs  –  accident  costs  –  health  costs  (e.g.  from  less  walking)  

       

What  if  we  could  increase  the  speed  of  walking?  

Increase  in  trip  speed  

Increase  in  effec^ve  speed   10  km/h  

10  km/h  

Fast cars don’t save us time

Sunday  drivers!  By  kenjonbro  hGp://www.flickr.com/photos/kenjonbro/3938403433/  

Faster  walking  may  save  ^me  

_MG_4371  by  Gerard  Avila  hGps://www.flickr.com/photos/chimo_os/4407085886  

Can (slower) active transport modes save us time?

Traffic  this  morning  by  Kai  Chan  Vong  hGps://www.flickr.com/photos/kaichanvong/2608958116  

When walking, cycling and public transport are the main modes of transport, residents spend less time on travel in the city than in cities where cars are the main mode of transport

Joly  (2004)  

Western European Cities 21 km – 29 km/h 43 minutes

Commuter    by  Milton  CJ  hGp://www.flickr.com/photos/miltoncorrea/3118589805/  

North American Cities 40 km – 43 km/h 55 minutes

LA  traffic  by  blacktar  hGp://www.flickr.com/photos/blacktar/4811949760/  

The increased speed is not used to save time but to cover more distance

Increases in speed do not fully compensate for the increasing distances

Car dominated cities pay for their speed with longer travel times

Can  walking  to  school  help  cure  the  hurry  virus?  

Photo:  Ben  Rossiter  Victoria  Walks  

Compare two scenarios A    households  “save  ^me”  by  

driving  their  children  to  school  and  to  other  ac^vi^es  (e.g.  sport),  and  every  household  has  two  or  more  cars  

B    children  walk  or  cycle  to  school,  and  most  households  have  no  car  or  only  one  car  

–  parents spend time at work earning the money to pay for the car that might save them 30 minutes a day on the journey to school

Scenario  A  -­‐  where  households  “save  ^me”  with  their  cars  

Working  late      by  alancleaver_2000      hGp://www.flickr.com/photos/alancleaver/2581218229/  

 

–  because children don’t get exercise walking or cycling to school, parents drive them to sport

Scenario  A  -­‐  where  households  “save  ^me”  with  their  cars  

Prac^ce  by  mikecogh      http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikecogh/5764936044/sizes/m/in/photostream/

 

–  because of safety concerns, and because their children don’t know other children in the local area, they have to be driven to their friends’ houses

Scenario  A  -­‐  where  households  “save  ^me”  with  their  cars  

–  parents expose their children to higher levels of pollution, including in-car pollution

Scenario  A  -­‐  where  households  “save  ^me”  with  their  cars  

–  when their children are older they are more likely to be “fatter, sicker and sadder”

Scenario  A  -­‐  where  households  “save  ^me”  with  their  cars  

The collective impact of “saving time” with their cars?

Several hours per week driving children around

Time  per  day  looking  a[er  children    The  Changing  Face  of  ParenIng:  Professional  ParenIng,  InformaIon  and  Healthcare  (2006)  

   

25  minutes  1975  

99  minutes  2000  

Taxi  Driver,  by  Mark  Giles    hGps://www.flickr.com/photos/admitone/330286304  

Scenario B - Where most children walk or cycle to school Children:

don’t have as much need to be driven to sport

Scenario B - Where most children walk or cycle to school Children:

have contact with nature and with local friends

Scenario B - Where most children walk or cycle to school Children:

feel a part of the local community

Music  man  entertaining  children,  by  Stephen  Donkersley  

Scenario B - Where most children walk or cycle to school Children:

are fitter, happier and healthier

Puddle  Hurdler:    Photo  by  clappstar      hGp://www.flickr.com/photos/clappstar/4437903454/  

Parents: get to work by public transport, walking or cycling

Scenario B - Where most children walk or cycle to school

Parents: use their cars only rarely

Scenario B - Where most children walk or cycle to school

Carpooling  II,  by  darren131  hGp://www.flickr.com/photos/darren/431206355/  

Parents: save time by not having to work as long to support the second car

Scenario B - Where most children walk or cycle to school

Relaxing  on  remote  beach,  by  Zoltan  Papp    hGp://www.flickr.com/photos/zoltanp/2567537572/  

Parents: don’t need to drive their children to other places (sport, their friends) as often

Scenario B - Where most children walk or cycle to school

Henderson,  Waitakere  City,  Auckland,  by  Sandy  Aus^n  Papp    hGp://www.flickr.com/photos/sondyaus^n/3665507673/  

Paradoxically, walking to school saves us time

     Need  a  fundamental  cultural  change  

 By  taking  the  ^me  to  observe  our  children,  we  may  re-­‐discover:  

 Lessons  from  children  about  a  cure  for  the  hurry  virus  

   

The  joys  of  slowness    

 The  value  of  community  and  working  together  

     The  excitement  of  risk  

 Oct  04  101    

by  Jessica  Lucia    hGps://www.flickr.com/photos/theloushe/3988170112/  

 A  walking  cure  for  the  hurry  virus?  It’s  child’s  play.  

 

Photo  by  Maya  Spitz  

Thank  you  

Paul  Tranter  

References: Goodyear, 2013 The Link Between Kids Who Walk or Bike to School and

Concentration, the Atlantic cities, http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2013/02/kids-who-walk-or-bike-school-concentrate-better-study-shows/4585/

Honore, C. (2005) In Praise of Slow: How a worldwide movement is challenging the cult of speed, San Franciso, Harper Collins.

Illich, I. (1974) Energy and Equity, London: Harper and Row. Joly, I (2004) Travel time budget: decomposition of the worldwide mean. International

Association of Time Use Research, Annual Conference, 27-29 October, Rome, Italy. http://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/docs/00/08/74/33/PDF/IATUR2004.pdf

Tranter, P. (2010) Speed kills: The complex links between transport, lack of time and urban health, Journal of Urban Health, 87(2), 155-165.

Tranter, P. (2011) The Urban Speed Paradox: Time Pressure, Cars and Health. Dissent, No. 36, Spring, 9-12.

Tranter, P. (2012) Effective Speed: cycling because it’s faster, in Pucher, J. and Buehler, R. (Eds) City Cycling, MIT Press.

Tranter, P. (2014) Active travel: A cure for the hurry virus. Journal of Occupational Science, 21(1), 65-76.

Photos by author, or Ben Rossiter (Victoria Walks), Maya Spitz, Stephen Donkersley or taken from Flickr Creative

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