What’s Your Walk Score?
December 4, 2007 by Sandy Renshaw
Filed under Editor: Sandy Renshaw, Environment, Fun Finds, Iowa
Here’s an interesting tool. Enter your physical address and the tool calculates “the walkability of an address by locating nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks, etc.” This is a patent-pending system and they welcome your feedback as they continue to improve the algorithm.
My location came in with a score of 51 - which is right on the line between “Not Walkable” and “Some Walkable Locations” - and I totally agree. There is a park and a grocery store nearby, but you really need a car. And, the amount of traffic on the main streets makes it a very unpleasant walk.
How about you? Does the score accurately reflect the walkability of your location?
A tip o’ the hat to dmweblife.com for sharing the link to Walk Score. Many of you know I love to find unique tools and programs. This definitely fits in that category!
[tags] Iowa, Des Moines, Des Moines News, Walk Score [/tags]
Alas, the site may be fun but it doesn’t meet the needs of a true walker. Does it assess the number and types of trees? Does it assess the number of routes one can take to vary the days? Does it list which yards have the friendly dogs that will wag their tails as you pass? What about the cats that sit on front porches providing myriad entertainment? Are sidewalks even and cleared of snow and leaves? Does the overgrowth of spring and summer remain trimmed from the walking paths? Are the facilities identified appropriate to one’s interests and accessible by one’s handicaps? Is there a bus line identified? How dare Bauder’s be classified merely as a pharmacy and not as a delectable soda fountain. (Oops, time for an ice cream break.)
Walk score is a great service. With the help of it you can estimate your present location and see how walk able your neighborhood is. I have tried and my result is just 25. But how often do we walk nowadays? At http://drivescore.fizber.com/ I have found one more service very similar to this one. It is called Drive Score. With the help of it you can see how close establishments are by car. My drive score is 55.
Hi Mike,
Thanks for stopping by with a comment - and sharing the Drivescore link! I’ll have to check it out.
Sandy
I agree, walk score is very good. But are many people travelling now on foot? Practically all families have cars, and practically everyone moves in a car.
Walk score is still actual. But more actual, to my mind, is drive score. You should also pay attention to it.
Katya, the answer to your question is “yes.” A television news report recently noted that there had been 400 complaints about sidewalks not being clear of snow and ice in Des Moines. I have been on buses in many cities and heard 80-year-old women and 20-year-old men say they would walk in winter if there was not so much slush and ice left on sidewalks. In addition, surveys done over the past 10 years show that people have dramatically reduced their walking only because there have been so many more cars added to the road that it has become too dangerous to walk.