Given the growing number of traffic jams during peak hours, it won’t surprise people to learn that they can combine walking with public transport instead of going by car and get to their destination faster.
Now, a new proof-of-concept study from researchers at Bar-Ilan University (BIU) in Ramat Gan reveals that incorporating more walking into public transportation commutes can actually improve health without adding extra travel time.
The study, part of Prof. Jonathan Rabinowitz’s More Walking Project and conducted in collaboration with the Israeli Smart Transportation Research Center (of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa), analyzed potential commuting routes for over 2,100 employees traveling to the university. By increasing the walking distance thresholds in trip planning, researchers found that most commuters could benefit from an average of nine minutes of walking without taking longer to reach their destination.
The More Walking Project is a population-based wellness initiative focused on promoting walking by modifying trip planning to incorporate more active transportation. The project aims to translate research insights into actionable lifestyle changes that promote health at scale.
“What we showed means you can leave home at the same time, get to work at the same time, and walk more along the way,” said Rabinowitz of BIU’s Weisfeld School of Social Work. “It’s a simple shift with significant benefits.”
Increased walking can reduce commute time
The health implications are powerful, he asserted. A brisk, 20-minute walk every day has been shown to reduce the risk of early death by up to 25%. Integrating walking into daily commutes can thus be a practical and sustainable way to boost physical activity – especially for those who struggle to fit exercise into busy schedules.
The idea behind the study grew out of Rabinowitz’s personal experience helping his son recover from an injury. “We saw how impactful small, consistent steps could be. This led us to ask: What if our daily maps nudged us to walk just a bit more?”
Dubbed “Hacking the Map Apps for Active Transportation,” the study explored the replacement of the default “less-walking” preference in navigation apps with a “more-walking” option. The team found that, contrary to common assumptions, increasing walking did not necessarily increase commute times, and in some cases, it actually reduced them.
The research, just published in BMC Public Health under the title “Integrating more walking into public transit commuting: a proof-of-concept study,” was led by the late BIU researcher Dr. Yuval Hadas, along with graduate student Dan Katz and Rabinowitz. It represents the first phase of a broader national initiative to promote walking through smart transportation planning. The study now involves providing commuters with guidance on increasing walking using existing transportation apps and measuring how it affects their behavior.
Hadas, a sportsman and former IDF officer, launched the study about four years ago. In his 50s, he was doing reserve duty at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv on October 7, 2023. But suddenly, Rabinowitz told The Jerusalem Post in an interview, he heard that his colleague was brought to the hospital in an unconscious state, suffering from a rare disease and needing platelet donations. He died soon after.
While previous studies based on simulations have suggested that using public transportation can increase walking, current trip planning apps (including Google Maps, Moovit, Citymapper, Apple Maps, Bus Nearby, and OneBusAway) lack the options to adjust the maximum allowable walking distance or set a minimum desired walking threshold meant for commuters using buses and trains do not prioritize walking as part of the journey.
Regular physical activity is vital for maintaining and improving overall health, yet many individuals struggle to implement it in their daily lives. The health benefits of walking have been studied thoroughly: a recent meta-analysis that included almost 50,000 persons found that taking more steps per day was associated with a progressively lower risk of death from all causes.
A short walk of 20 minutes each day can reduce the chance of early death by 25%. Walking helps prevent chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, risk of stroke, and some cancers. More people walking also raises both actual and perceived safety of public spaces, reduces vehicle emissions and traffic congestion, and stimulates local businesses and economic growth. Promoting walking gives people the option to move around without the need for a private car, thus saving money.
Around 63% of Israeli workers commute to work by car, while about 18% by public transportation, 2% by bike/scooter, and only 8% by walking. However, the breakdown of commuting patterns here differs significantly by city. In Jerusalem, many residents use public transit, carpools, or employer-provided transport due to lower car-ownership rates compared to the national average. While 91% of Jerusalem residents work in the city, a fairly large share (about a third) spends 30 to 60 minutes commuting, which “seems to be due to extensive use of public transportation and large city size.”
In Tel Aviv, 54% used private cars to commute; 21% used public or shared transport; 6% used bicycles/scooters, and 13% walked to work.
Because of the hills, Jerusalem may be more of a challenge to walkers, as is Haifa, where the car still dominates.
Rabinowitz, who was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and spent years in New York City, hopes that the new research will influence people to walk more. At sites.biu.ac.il/en/wellness-research-lab/page/walking_tips, he provides advice (in Hebrew) on how to walk more, including getting off the bus or train a stop before or after your destination.