Center City Scenes: Road not taken exercises body, mind

“I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.”

There’s no doubt that riding the bus, biking and walking to work are the roads less traveled in Springfield. The U.S. Census Bureau in 2000 says less than 1 percent of the workers in Greene County used public transportation and only 2.9 percent biked or walked to work. The majority, 82 percent, drove alone, while 10 percent carpooled and 3 percent worked at home.

Area nonprofit organizations are tapping into the upcoming warmer spring weather to promote wellness and alternative transportation on the following dates:

April 12 – Start! Walking Day: Inspired by the American Heart Association’s Start! program, Springfield Business Journal in February introduced an employee wellness program centered around walking. SBJ provided free pedometers and healthy snacks to its staff, and Publisher Dianne Elizabeth Osis offered weekly incentives and a grand prize for employees and teams with the most steps taken at the workplace. She encouraged involvement with the community by giving a 20 percent daily step bonus if staff members parked in the College Station Car Park the entire day and another bonus if they participated in the American Heart Association’s National Start! Walking Day on April 12.

May 2 – Rally in Patton Alley: Ozark Greenways will once again partner with First Friday Artwalk to promote its Bike, Bus, and Walk to Work Week. Activities will include closing Patton Alley for displaying art bikes, distributing bike commuting information, demonstrating a city bus bike rack and registering for Bike, Bus, and Walk to Work Week.

May 12–16 – Bus, Bike, and Walk to Work Week: The challenge from Ozark Greenways to the entire Springfield community will be to bike, ride the bus (or some combination of biking and busing), walk or carpool at least one day that week to work or school. Individuals must register their workplace, and schools must register through the support of a teacher or principal at the school.

In addition to these events, the long-term location of businesses or residences is important. An online tool, www.walkscore.com, provides an index measuring the “walkability” of neighborhoods. For instance, two Strafford addresses from my formative years returned scores of less than 25, which means there are virtually no neighborhood destinations within walking range. However, our two most recent addresses in the Midtown and West Central neighborhoods were between 65 and 69, indicating there are several stores and amenities within walking distance. The 85 to 90 scores for those living in downtown and Commercial Street lofts show it is possible to get by in those districts without owning a car.

Poet Frost was faced with multiple choices. Ultimately, he didn’t know which would be best. But he reminded us that we should at least take a few minutes to consider “the other road” – it might make all the difference.

Walking Scores

The Web site, www.walkscore.com, calculates the “walkability” of a neighborhood based on ease of access on foot to shops and entertainment. Here’s how some areas of town were rated (0–100):

Downtown (Public Square): 91 (Walkers’ Paradise: Most errands can be accomplished on foot and many people get by without owning a car.)

South (Campbell/Republic): 65 (Some Walkable Locations: Some stores and amenities are within walking distance, but many everyday trips still require a bike, public transportation, or car.)

East (Battlefield/Glenstone): 62 (Some Walkable Locations.)

North (Kearney/National): 54 (Some Walkable Locations.)

West (Kansas/Sunshine): 37 (Not Walkable: For most errands, driving or public transportation is a must.)

Rusty Worley, executive director of Urban Districts Alliance, can be reached at rusty@itsalldowntown.com.[[In-content Ad]]