walkit.com

From the blog

Sir Muir Gray walks the talk (or vice versa)

We've had a few chats with Sir Muir – he's a big cheese in the NHS and the walking world.

Here he tells you why walking is the single most important, effective and safest thing you can do for your health.

Are we wiping out history?

Are we wiping out history? Well, The British Cartography society has accused internet maps of “demolishing thousands of years of history -not to mention Britain's remarkable geography – at a stroke by not including them on maps which millions of us now use every day.” 

We currently include important transport landmarks like Train, Bus and Tube stations but we don't currently include things like Churches, Galleries or Historic Buildings. 

We'd love to add extra information to your walking routes, but what sort of things should we point out on your journey. Should we stick to traditional landmarks like Churches and Post Offices, or would you like to see Restaurants and Newsagents? 

Let us know by adding a comment!

Way to go, Boris

Trains “packed to the gunwales with perspiring passengers”, traffic lights lingering for an “unconscionable time in red”, new tubes “designed like gigantic worms”, buses like a “queue of expiring whales” (when they are not “chuntering and roaring around”) and a “holy war against holey streets”.

You’ve got to give it to Boris Johnson, his new transport document, Way to Go!, is at least an entertaining read (even if it's been dismissed as utter drivel).

He says he wants all Londoners to have the information they need, when they need it – including travel on foot. He says that if it is quicker to walk…you need to know. He says his ambition is to help people out of their cars by persuasion, not persecution, by helping them recognise that there are cleaner, greener, cheaper and more efficient alternatives.

Well Boris, we’re here to help. We’ve been doing a lot of this for over 2 years now.

So we’re expecting to be clasped by the warm embrace of Boris’ bosom any minute now…

Image of Boris some rights reserved by adamprocter2006

What do you love about walkit.com?

Hi, I'm Tom and I'm working with the walkit.com team to create the next great version of the site.

My favourite thing is knowing exactly how long walking to work will take …

… so I can try to arrive at work on time.

What do you love about walkit.com?

Pollution-aware routes in West London

We've now added in a lot more pedestrian data in West London to coincide with the launch of 'pollution-aware' routing there.

For example, Richmond Station to St Margarets Station:

Direct

Pollution aware

You can find an explanation here.

Please give it a go and let us know what you think.

Here's an image of the data we've based it on (can't imagine where Heathrow is…):