Lock the car and set out for work on foot
The Daily Telegraph
Wednesday 3 October 2001
By Caroline Adam
SYDNEY'S love affair with the car is expected to be put on hold briefly on Friday for the annual Walk to Work Day.
Thousands of commuters are expected to steer away from peak hour traffic and leave their cars behind.
Train and bus passengers will also be encouraged to slip on their sneakers and walk to work instead.
Organised by the Pedestrian Council of Australia, Walk to Work Day has expanded nationally for the first time, after proving a success in Sydney over the past three years.
About one in every 16 people in Sydney participated in last year's event by changing their commuting behaviour on Walk to Work Day, according to the PCA.
PCA chairman Harold Scruby said the event offered Sydneysiders the chance to improve their health while helping the environment.
“This is a phenomenal opportunity for Australians to get healthy, change their lifestyle, improve air quality, to actually smell the roses,” he said.
Employers have been encouraged to support their employees.
One workplace, the NSW Health office at North Sydney, has already started practising for the day by walking across the Harbour Bridge daily in their lunch hour.
Olympic athlete Jane Saville will be leading the walk, with many community leaders and celebrities joining in.
“A lot of people are walking into the city, certainly across the bridge, definitely from the inner city,” Mr Scruby said.
People living too far from their workplace should not be discouraged from joining in the event. They can combine public transport with walking.
SYDNEY'S love affair with the car is expected to be put on hold briefly on Friday for the annual Walk to Work Day.
Thousands of commuters are expected to steer away from peak hour traffic and leave their cars behind.
Train and bus passengers will also be encouraged to slip on their sneakers and walk to work instead.
Organised by the Pedestrian Council of Australia, Walk to Work Day has expanded nationally for the first time, after proving a success in Sydney over the past three years.
About one in every 16 people in Sydney participated in last year's event by changing their commuting behaviour on Walk to Work Day, according to the PCA.
PCA chairman Harold Scruby said the event offered Sydneysiders the chance to improve their health while helping the environment.
“This is a phenomenal opportunity for Australians to get healthy, change their lifestyle, improve air quality, to actually smell the roses,” he said.
Employers have been encouraged to support their employees.
One workplace, the NSW Health office at North Sydney, has already started practising for the day by walking across the Harbour Bridge daily in their lunch hour.
Olympic athlete Jane Saville will be leading the walk, with many community leaders and celebrities joining in.
“A lot of people are walking into the city, certainly across the bridge, definitely from the inner city,” Mr Scruby said.
People living too far from their workplace should not be discouraged from joining in the event. They can combine public transport with walking.
