ENERGY AND LABOR INTENSITY OF WALKING

Walking (in 1971) has an energy intensity of 1,380 Btu/passenger mile (PM) and a labor intensity of 0.75 jobs/million PM. Additional food requirements to sustain the body while walking account for the direct energy cost and 10.4% of the total energy cost. An average walker, for purposes of this study, weighs 130-150 lbs., walks on a level surface at 2.17 mph, and consumes 3.3 calories or 13.2 Btu's per minute. Indirect costs include shoes, which measure 345 Btu/PM and .75 jobs/million PM. Walkways and the complexities of the human body cannot be meaningfully measured in this context. Bicycles, because of increased physiological efficiency, are a slightly more efficient (1, 340 Btu/PM) transportation system than walking. Appendixes include calorimetric measurements and analyses of footwear costs. (DCK)

• Corporate Authors:

  Government Printing Office

  Superintendent of Documents
  Washington, DC  United States  20402-9325
• Authors:
  • Penner, P S
• Publication Date: 1976-6

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 200
• Serial:
  • Energy Abstracts for Policy Analysis
  • Volume: 2
  • Issue Number: 6
  • Publisher: Government Printing Office

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bicycles; Calorimeters; Costs; Energy; Food; Passenger miles; Transportation; Walking; Walkways
• Uncontrolled Terms: Footwear; Transportation systems
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Energy; Operations and Traffic Management; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00138172
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: #1060
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 23 1976 12:00AM