Report: Walking to Work Pays Off for the Economy

"If you walk for 20 minutes to and from work, the state economy benefits $8.48," according to an article by Timna Jacks.

That's the finding of a new report commissioned by Victoria Walks and completed by Arup—so the figures are specific to the state of Victoria in Australia. According to "The Economic Case for Investment in Walking" [pdf], the cost savings "comes from reducing costs to the health system, removing the cost to run a car or public transport and improvement to local traffic and the environment."

The report also quantifies the benefits of investing in pedestrian infrastructure. "For every $1 spent on walking, Victoria would stand to gain $13, according to the report using modelling by engineering firm Arup." Despite those figures, the state has budgeted only $7 billion for pedestrian programs and projects by 2020. That's down from $9 billion in 2017.