London is one of the most global cities in the world. While that has many advantages, it also means it can be dangerous on the streets. This means that the way you get around London is very important in keeping you safe. Also, the way you transport around London can affect how healthy you are.
Travelling to and from school is something everyone at ASL does every day. One hundred and thirty two students filled out a survey about how they get home from school on an average day and 43.1 percent walk home from school. Eighth grader Arhan Sarma is one of many students who walks home from school. “I walk home because I live only ten minutes away from school,” said Sarma.
Fifth grader Max Levine is another student who walks home from school, “I only live like 10 minutes away from school so I walk with my mom,” Levine said.
Seventh grader Gavin Crawford says that even though he doesn’t walk home from school he really likes walking. “Walking is something very simple to do yet it is good for you to walk,” said Crawford. “Students should walk more around London.”
Walking is actually great for your health. Walking helps strengthen your heart and reduce your risk of heart disease. By simply walking 30 minutes a day it helps prevent and control your blood pressure that causes strokes, reducing the risk by up to 27 percent.
If you want to lose weight, walking is a start. If you were to walk 2 mph for 30 minutes you would burn 75 calories. Bump your speed up to 3 mph and you would burn 99 calories. If you walked 4 mph you would lose 150 calories! One hundred and fifth calories are equal to three Jaffa Cakes and a jelly filled doughnut!
Scientists believe that the more you walk, the longer you live. Mbah Gotho recently died at the age of 145 years old. Scientists say the reason his heart was able to continue working is because of the amount of walking he did in his life. Gotho said that he never even drove in a car in his life. Walking helps you live longer.
Although a large majority of students walk home from school, most students prefer riding in their own car than any other way of transportation. Twenty seven percent of students said that riding in their own car was their favorite way to travel. This just edged out walking where 26.3 percent said walking was their favorite.
Riding in a car is a very safe way of traveling most of the time and it takes far less effort than walking. Many still argue about what is better, taxis or personal cars.
Seventh grader Ines Ghandour and sixth grader Ines Caillaux Diaz shared similar thoughts that their favorite way to travel around London was in their car, mostly because of safety and convenience.
On the other hand, Levine and Sarma’s favorite way to travel around London is by taxi. “I really like how taxi drivers know the streets,” said Levine. “Also, they can avoid traffic really well.” eighth grader Arhan Sarma said something very similar to Levine.
“I really like how you can just call a cab and they get to you in less than 5 minutes,” said Sarma.
Interestingly, the reason black cab taxi drivers have such a great knowledge of the streets of London is that of a special test they are required to take. The Knowledge test is a test all taxi drivers have to pass in order to drive a taxi. The drivers are required to spend three years memorizing the streets of London, and in between the years, they take multiple tests to help increase their knowledge of the streets.
London can be very dangerous. Travelling around London can be very dangerous. On the survey students said that in their opinion the safest way to travel around London is riding in their own car. Walking home from school is the how most ASL students get home, but walking can be the most dangerous way to travel. For those of you who walk around London or even transport in public areas, there are essentials for staying safe:
Keep your phone in your pocket, and don’t wear headphones. When traveling around London you should always have your phone away. Thieves look out for vulnerable kids with expensive things like iPhones or by having your phone out, it is almost like you are asking for trouble.
Avoid walking around the streets by yourself at night. Nighttime is when criminal activity is peaking. By walking around the streets at night already puts you in danger, but if you must walk alone at night, try as best as you can to stay in well-lit public streets. If there are many people around, it is harder for criminals to steal your goods.
Be aware of your surroundings. Always be aware of who’s around you and where you are. Criminals will most of the time strike from behind when you are not ready. Be aware of your surroundings and you can get out of anything that doesn’t seem to look right.
Students at ASL are able to use public transportation to get around London. Even though, public transportation can be dangerous it has many advantages such as being more convenient and very easy.
