[CrackMonkey] Fwd: Aversion to Walking?

[Nick Moffitt]

	Jesux!

----- Forwarded message -----
Message-ID: <3AD60872.44E2A132 at menlolog.com>
From: Kevin Standlee <standlee.kevin at menlolog.com>
Newsgroups: ba.transportation,misc.transport.urban-transit
Subject: Aversion to Walking?
Date: Thu, 12 Apr 2001 12:56:34 -0700

Last night, I attended a public feedback session relating to the San
Francisco Transbay Terminal replacement (including the downtown
extension of Caltrain). An optional piece of the project includes a
tunnel from the TBT to the Embarcadero BART Station, around 500-1000
feet away or so.  Among the various things I said during my comments
was that I think the tunnel to BART should not be considered optional,
as integrating buses and Caltrain with BART here in downtown San
Francisco really does a lot to add to the overall value of the
project.  

I suggested that a tunnel with retail development and travelators
(such as are used in airport concourses) would be appropriate, and
would maintain the psycological feeling that the TBT and BART station
are the same building.  To my surprise, at least one person there
appeared highly opposed to any tunnels, insisting that they would be
very dangerous places where no sane person would go, and suggesting
that shuttle buses be used.  I said that running a shuttle bus for
only a block or two would be a waste of resources; besides, with the
volume of people moving between the points, you would essentially have
to have the buses stacked bumper to bumper on 30 second headways,
which is pretty dumb.

After the main meeting, I asked her for more details, and she insisted
that she would never walk such a dangerous long distance.  "It's not
much longer than the walk from this building [the SamTrans offices in
San Carlos] to the Caltrain station," I protested.  She looked
horrified, and told me she would never walk such a long distance (two
blocks; maybe 500 feet).  "Have you ever walked down an airport
concourse?" I asked.  She said, "No. I always ride the carts they
provide."

At this, I more or less threw up my hands and gave up.  There is
probably no way that I would ever be able to reach someone with this
much of an aversion to walking more than 20-30 feet at a time.  But
what I wonder is how many more people feel the way she does?  Aside
from being physically unable to walk that far (and I don't want to
sound like I don't appreciate this), what's the big deal with walking
a short distance like that?

Has anyone done any studies on the psycology behind this?  I'm boggled
by people who will trek across a large parking lot to their car, but
consider it impossible to walk the same distance to make a transit
connection.

-- 
-----------------------------------------------------
Kevin Standlee              | Fast / Accurate / Cheap
standlee.kevin at menlolog.com |      Pick Any Two
-----------------------------------------------------

----- End forwarded message -----

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