"Walking commuters" become a growing trend in Chongqing

September 22 was China's "Car-free Day." At 7:50 am on September 22, Lin Yuan, who lives in Sanxia Square, Shapingba District, left her house as she always does, and walked over 40 minutes to an office building located at Fengtian Road. The number of "walking commuters," like Lin, who go to work not by squeezing into packed buses and by driving cars, but by walking every day, is growing in Chongqing Municipality. According to sources, the number of "walking commuters" in Chongqing has exceeded 5,000.

Civil servants in Shapingba District walk to and from work.

Lin, 27, is a civil servant working for the Shapingba District government, and walked to work for over two years. She walks for over 40 minutes every morning, and then retraces her steps when she gets off work in the evening. For over two years, Lin walked to work every day except for strong winds and heavy rains.

Lin said that previously, she squeezed into a bus every morning. Later, she discovered through a TV program that "walking" is a healthy and eco-friendly way to go to work, and tried it for several days. Because Lin felt good, she stuck to it. "During the last two years, I knew several new friends on my way to work, and my weight has gone down from 56.5 to 49 kilograms." Lin's several friends that live nearby also do exercise by walking to their working places.

Lin said that actually, many of the "walking commuters" in Chongqing own a car. Walking to work is a lifestyle, which not only lets them breathe the fresh air, but also relieves psychological pressure as well as reduces emissions from tailpipes. However, Lin suggested that if you want to be a "walking commuter," your house should be near to the place where you work, or you will be very tired.

The number of "walking commuters" in Chongqing exceeds 5,000

Through a "walking commuters" forum on a website, reporters got in contact with many walking commuters from Chongqing. A netizen nicknamed "Qiao Duoduo" told the reporter that she lives in Jiefangbei Pedestrian Street, and the office building where she works is located on Jiaochangkou. She walks 10 minute to work every day, which makes her very happy because this enables her to not only exercise, but also contribute to making the city's public transportation less crowded.

On September 22, the Car-free Day, a netizen nicknamed "Vanguard of Environmental Protection" appealed to the public to walk to work as much as they can, which not only protects the environment but also makes our bodies healthier. The netizen also displayed his walking equipments, including sportswear, flat shoes, a backpack and a towel.

According to sources, the number of walking commuters in Chongqing has exceeded 5,000, and most of them are civil servants and white-collar workers aged between 25 and 35. These walking commuters often do not contact each other through walking commuters' special forums or QQ groups. In Contrast, there are over 20,000 walking commuters in Chengdu, Shanghai and other cities, who have special forums and QQ groups to contact each other. Sometimes, walking commuters that live near to each other will make a date to walk to work together.

Experts suggest moderate walking

"Office workers always sit too long, which hurts the digestion system, bone and muscle. Walking to work is one of the best methods to relax." A bone expert from Southwest Hospital said that walking is an ideal method to make body stronger and improve the immune system, because it can help cardiovascular circulation, exercise heart and lung function, and accelerate blood circulation and metabolism. However, the expert also warned that office workers should consider the distance between their home and their workplace as well as their health condition when they decide to walk to work. It is recommended that people should begin walking ten minutes after the breakfast, and the walking speed should be faster than moderate.

Translated by LOTO