Walking is one of the simplest and most effective forms of physical activity. Although it offers many health benefits, a declining number of individuals engage in it as a form of exercise. This essay will discuss both the causes and solutions to this problem.
To begin with, the lack of pedestrian sidewalks is one of the primary reasons for discouraging fewer people from walking. Many individuals choose to use faster transportation options like private vehicles because of poor pedestrian access. As we can see in cities like Jakarta, this leads to an unpleasant walking experience. Another reason for this issue is inadequate integrated public transportation systems. Both pedestrian sidewalks and integrated public transportation systems require significant improvement because they are essential for encouraging people to walk. Furthermore, these result in a convenient walking experience for people, which makes them opt to walk over using private vehicles. The last cause of this issue is uncontrolled vehicle sales. The unrestricted vehicle sales lead people to use private vehicles rather than public transportation, and at the same time, this discourages individuals from walking.
On the other hand, to tackle this issue, governments have an important role in encouraging people to walk. Infrastructures such as pedestrian sidewalks and integrated public transportation systems must be improved. Both of these infrastructures are fundamental things to make walking more convenient. Another ultimate solution is that governments should enact strict regulations of vehicle purchases. For example, Singapore has become one of the countries that restricted the number of car ownerships through higher taxes. This results in people opting for public transportation and requires people to walk.
To sum up, governments play a crucial role in encouraging their citizens to walk by improving infrastructures like pedestrian sidewalks, integrated public transportation systems, and implementing strict regulations of car ownership.