A Bar-Ilan University researcher wants Israelis to take “small steps” and incorporate a few more minutes of walking into their daily lives.

Prof. Jonathan Rabinowitz of Bar-Ilan’s Weisfeld School of Social Work spoke to The Times of Israel as he stepped off a bus and walked to his daughter’s house, explaining that walking to work, or even integrating a few more steps of walking into one’s commute, can improve health without adding extra travel time.

The proof-of-concept study, part of Rabinowitz’s More Walking Project, analyzed potential commuting routes for over 2,100 employees traveling to Bar-Ilan University. By increasing the walking distance thresholds in trip planning, the researcher found that most commuters would be able to maintain their total travel time and benefit from an average of nine minutes of walking.

“This means you can leave home at the same time, get to work at the same time, and walk more along the way,” said Rabinowitz, 67. “It’s a simple shift with significant benefits.”

Many transportation apps, such as Google Maps, Moovit, Efobus, and HopOn, have a “less or least walking” preference, which helps those who are unable to walk.

“That is obviously important,” he said. “But I want to add to existing navigation/trip planning apps a button that will give users the option to get a route that has more walking.”

Contrary to common assumptions, increasing one’s walking time does not necessarily increase commute time, Rabinowitz said, and in some cases, it actually reduces it.

The research, recently published in the peer-reviewed BMC Public Health, was led by the late Bar-Ilan University researcher Dr. Yuval Hadas and graduate student Dan Katz. The scientists say this represents the first phase........

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