Mazda & Walking to Work
I think I’m going to have to start a “Truth is Stranger than Fiction” category or something, reserved for those phenomena which would probably be considered impossible or highly unlikely…until someone or some company does it.
Like in this case…
Mazda, the Japanese car manufacturer, is encouraging its employees to walk to work for health and environmental reasons (yes, a car manufacturer is asking its employees to walk to work):
Japanese automaker Mazda Motor Corp. is recommending its employees walk to the office, rather than drive, to improve their health and protect the environment, a company spokesman said Friday.
Those meeting a set of requirements by going to office on foot are eligible to receive 1,500 yen ($12) a month, Mazda spokesman Ken Haruki said.
Even though Mazda is implementing this plan only within Japan for the moment, it still affects 20,000 employees. There is no mention of how Mazda intends to monitor and verify that its employees are walking the required amount. Something as simple as a pedometer would provide enough evidence, I suppose.
I wonder how this could affect the urban environment around the corporate campus if more people were to walk to work. Maybe more restaurants or cafes would spring up, or the city might provide better pedestrian features.
I know that around the corporate campus where I used to work in California, there weren’t many places that I could walk to for lunch or for a coffee. Indeed, it was rather odd to see pedestrians in those areas, as the people who worked in the buildings generally drove or took public transit.