walkit.com launches ‘fresh air’ walking routes in London
February 7, 2008
People in central London can now benefit from a new service that helps them map out ‘fresh-air routes’ that avoid pollution areas.
The online walking route planner, walkit.com, has worked with the City of London Corporation and seven London boroughs to gather information for walkit.com’s website to help people avoid the Capital’s more polluted streets.
The new service will benefit everyone, but will be particularly helpful to people who suffer from respiratory and cardiac conditions, such as asthma, bronchitis and emphysema.
For example, a brisk walk along a ‘low pollution’ route from Angel to Old Street tube stations takes about 19 minutes and follows the less-polluted Regent’s Canal and various back streets. A direct route, which takes in the busy City Road, takes only four minutes less.
- Angel tube to Old Street tube: ‘fresh air’
- Angel tube to Old Street tube: ‘direct’
Jamie Wallace, founder of walkit.com says: “Many people know that walking is often the smartest and healthiest way to get around central London, but they also want to know more about the qualities of the route they take. With this new service, you get the double bonus of working out walking routes that not only keep you fit, but also steer away from pollution.”
Ruth Calderwood, Scientific Officer at the City of London Corporation says: “Although overall air quality has improved considerably over the last decade in the UK, poor air quality still poses a real risk to people who suffer from certain conditions. By having this new information on walkit.com’s website, people can work out the best routes for themselves and hopefully, it’ll have a positive effect on their health.”
Notes
www.walkit.com is the online walking route planner with a mission to get people walking more in and around town. In 2007, the site received over 440,000 visits and generated nearly 670,000 walking routes. Currently launched in London, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Newcastle/Gateshead, the service will be rolled out to all the UK’s major cities by the end of 2008.
The City of London provides local government services for the Square Mile, the financial and commercial heart of Britain, and is committed to maintaining and enhancing the status of the business City as the world's leading international financial and business centre through its policies and services. Its responsibilities include management of the Barbican Centre, Central Criminal Court at the Old Bailey, and also extend far beyond the City boundaries to the 10,000 acres of open spaces including Hampstead Heath and Epping Forest and three wholesale food markets, as well as acting as the London Port Health Authority.
Other London Boroughs involved in the project: London Borough of Camden, London Borough of Southwark, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London Borough of Lambeth , London Borough of Hackney, London Borough of Islington and the City of Westminster.