Walking our planet, and ourselves back to health: writer

(We can walk about planet back to health, and along with that bring benefits to our own health – Melbourne-based writer Clare Boyd-Macrae is doing just that)

Clare Boyd-Macrae.

"The slow road to nowhere" read the recent headline in this paper. The piece recounted that Vic Roads has released a list of Melbourne's slowest roads, revealing that peak-hour traffic moves at average jogging speed. "Melbourne motorists," the journalist wrote, "it might be time to consider investing in a really good pair of walking shoes."

I've been walking to work for 10 years now, and cannot understand why anyone who lives six kilometres or less from their work place would do anything else.

The time it takes is a non-issue. For the many thousands of us who live in the inner suburbs and work in the city, it adds barely any time to your daily commute at all.

Here's how it works for me. I live in West Brunswick and work in the eastern part of the CBD. Six-and-a-half Ks door to door and it takes me 65 minutes. If I drive, it takes a minimum of 30 minutes at peak hour and costs a fortune to park. If I catch the train or tram it takes me three-quarters of an hour. I have to write off 45 minutes every morning for my commute anyway; add 20 more, and I have done a large part of my exercise for the day.

Read the opinion piece in today’s Melbourne Age by Clare Boyd-Macrae - “Sick oftraffic jams? There is a solution.”