Olympics 2012: Commuters Asked To 'Walk To Work'

Commuters are being asked to practise ‘walking to work’ this week, ahead of the Olympic Games.

This morning, commuters between London Bridge and Monument stations watched parkour acrobats perform aerial stunts, jumps and leaps - creating visual proof that these two sites are just a ‘hop, skip and a jump’ apart (i.e. walking distance).

During Living Streets’ Walk to Work Week, Transport for London (TfL) and Network Rail are encouraging those who will be travelling during London 2012 to learn how to make short journeys on foot.

New walking maps are being handed out at London Bridge Rail station, as well as other mainline and some underground stations, as London’s commuters are urged to start making plans for Games travel now.

Ben Plowden, Director of Planning, TfL Surface Transport, said: “London is going to be transformed into a gigantic sporting and cultural venue at Games-time, so London’s transport networks will, at certain times and in certain places, be exceptionally busy.

“Many people don’t realise how short distances are between many places in the capital – for example, it take just six minutes to walk from London Bridge train station to Monument, and there are 47 Tube journeys in central London that can be walked in under 10 minutes.”

Transport For London research from 2005 indicates 53% of all tube journeys made in central London would be faster if made on foot.

Visit Living Streets to log your miles, minutes and steps walked during Walk to Work Week.