In an attempt to get more active, the London olympic committee has implemented a program to increase the amount of walking and bycicling spectators do before, during and after games. They have encouraged spectators to travel in other forms of transportation other than cars and buses. In order to do this, they invested 10 million euros to improve London´s cycling and walking networks. The improvements include better cycling paths, more lights and security for safety, and improved paving. These improvements should ensure a rise of walkers and cyclists at the games. They believe that the increase of people using other forms of transportation from cars will be in the millions. They have even installed thousands of bike parking spaces for those who wish to bike to the games. Not only will this increase exercise in spectators but this also will benefit London´s plan to become greener.
The Program the initiated is called the London 2012 Active Travel Program (ATP). This plan hopes to instill the idea of physical exercise as a way of getting places without the spectators even realizing they are exercising. The goal is to subconsciously have the spectators exercise and hopefully even after the games are gone and the newly constructed/improved pathways remain, people in London will be more interested in traveling on foot or bike, rather than cars or buses. This will also reduce the amount of fuel consumed as well gases released into the atmosphere that harm the environment.
This initiative to create more pathways and encourage people to get places on foot is a lot like the other programs that encourage people to get involved in exercising and promote a healthier life style. However, this plan should be one of the more effective ones because it gets people to exercise without them even knowing it. Sometimes if people label exercise as actual exercise it makes them less likely to do it. However, everyone who is at the olympics wants to watch the games, therefore they will have to walk or bike which makes it more likely that they will.
http://www.london2012.com/news/2011/10/london-2012-spectators-encouraged-to-use-upgraded-walkin.php
I am curious why they are putting money into bike paths and waterways and not increasing forms of public transportation like metro lines to and from the stadium. If the stadium is going to be used after the olympics are over for sporting events it sounds like it would make sense to increase amount of quick public transportation like metro or buses that would bring down London's carbon footprint by giving an alternative mode of transportation for spectators so they do not have to drive individual cars to these events
ReplyDeleteOne of London's major goals with the Olympics is to promote physical activity among its own citizens. So creating all these footpaths, etc. would be consistent with encouraging people to walk/ride bikes/ or run as an alternative to public transportation. I think that is why officials are making a more concerted effort on this front rather than spending large amounts of money on additional metro lines or different infrastructural projects throughout the city.
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