The motivations to walk or bike vary greatly by income levels, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Washington. The wealthy, as it turns out, are the outliers.
Jennifer Langston reports: "Lower- and middle-income King County residents who live in denser neighborhoods — with stores, libraries and other destinations within easy reach — are more likely to walk or bike, according to new University of Washington research."
The flip side of the report is that higher-income residents offered the same resources made the choice to use their cars anyway. "Of the environmental factors they studied, the only one that significantly influenced how frequently that group walked or biked was how attractive they found their neighborhoods to be," adds Langston.
Langston provides more detail about the study's methodology as well as more details about the findings. The study will be shared in detail at the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, next week.
Hat tip to H. Pike Oliver for sharing the news of the study.
Read the full story: What motivates people to walk and bike? It varies by income
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