Here are the categories:
- 90 - 100 = Walkers' Paradise: Most errands can be accomplished on foot and many people get by without owning a car.
- 70 - 90 = Very Walkable: It's possible to get by without owning a car.
- 50 - 70 = Some Walkable Locations: Some stores and amenities are within walking distance, but many everyday trips still require a car.
- 25 - 50 = Not Walkable: Only a few destinations are within easy walking range. For most errands, driving is a must.
- 0 - 25 = Driving Only: Virtually no neighborhood destinations within walking range. You can walk from your house to your car!
Lots of places get a zero. Ben's parent's place, my sister's place in Arkansas (although the distances seemed wrong, much further than they actually are), my brother in Montana (not exactly surprising since he doesn't even have a street address).
My brother in the Chicago suburbs got a 58 and my brother in Green Bay got a 42.
I like living in a place with walkable distances although sometimes it's a little dangerous. For instance, Sunday was National Ice Cream Day so Sam and I needed to celebrate with a bit of Ben & Jerry's. I was able to pick up a pint of Cinnamon Bun ice cream about a block and a half from my house. In order to get there I had to cross a very busy street though and that isn't taken into consideration in the calculations. When I walk to work there is a section where I can get killed in three separate places because drivers ignore the pedestrian right of way signs. Walking shouldn't be so hazardous to my health. I suspect that if more people spent more time walking they'd be much more considerate of pedestrians when they're driving. Our neighborhood and others nearby have been trying to get a light installed in this area for a long time, so far without success. We'll keep working on it though.
5 comments:
Weird! My neighborhood got a 57, lower than yours! Yours seems less walkable to me, because you often have to cross Shelburne Road, which is much tougher than crossing Colchester Ave. I'd rate my neighborhood much higher than 57! We are both pretty lucky.
Oh wait- luck has nothing to do with it. We endure noise and high property taxes because we have chosen to live where we can walk to things. Duh!
My neighborhood scores a 20 but I entirely disagree. Many businesses that have been added in the last 3 years don't seem to make it on there. The downtown area is about 1 mile from my house and is loaded with restaurants, the library, a meat market, a pilates studio, TWO ice cream places, dry cleaners, etc. The grocery stores are each about 1.5 miles away though I would want to walk to either of them. But, I've walked downtown many times. I read somewhere too that my town has the most park space per capita of anywhere in Michigan - there are parks and walking trails everywhere.
Hehe. I moved from a neighborhood that had a 77 rating, to a place that has a rating of 5. No Anne, those distances look about right...don't you love that the closest bar is 23 miles away??? Of course they don't count the country club. Only the rich are allowed to drink in this county.
We got a 45, which sounds better than it is, due to the fact that we're on a hill sort of between two more retail-oriented neighborhoods. Whichever one you want to go to, there's going to be a steep climb either coming or going. If it were flat it'd be easy.
If you read the background information it does mention that it doesn't take into consideration things like really busy roads and such. Some of the information is not all that current either but it's still great.
And sister Lisa, your old neighborhood definitely rocked for ped accessibility. Too bad you don't still live there...
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