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Safe walking and biking during COVID-19

Apr 20, 2020 | by Maggie Melin Czerwinski

The COVID-19 public health crisis and the current stay at home order are directly impacting the way most of us move on a daily basis. Many questions have arisen over what this means for walking and biking and how to safely navigate sidewalks, streets, and trails.

During this time, it is important to follow public health guidelines. Although it seems to conflict with our mission as a transportation advocacy group to say, please stay home as much as you can. We’re confident it will help save lives and prioritize our streets for essential workers who are on the frontlines serving all of us.

If you do need to go outside for an essential walking or biking trip, or a brief period of exercise, here are a few tips to follow:

  • Travel solo or with as few people as possible from your household.
  • When you encounter another person walking or biking, maintain at least six feet of space at all times. You may need to wait or move out of the way when others approach you.
  • Most sidewalks and paths aren’t wide enough to maintain a six-foot minimum distance. If possible, use the parkway to create more distance when you encounter other people.
  • Yield to those who may not have as much flexibility to move out of the way, such as a person using a wheelchair or someone pushing a stroller.
  • If you see a crowd, turn around and find an alternative route.
  • Wear a face covering if you expect difficulty in maintaining a safe social distance at any point during your trip. This includes traveling along a busy street or visiting a grocery store, pharmacy, laundromat, or other public indoor space.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands while traveling.
  • Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds after your trip.

In collaboration with subject matter experts from the Cook County Department of Public Health, we have created a shareable infographic (available in English and Spanish) to highlight some of these recommendations.

Shareable infographic

 

We encourage you to post this image on your social media channels (once you open the image link, right click to download) to help remind others to stay at home when possible and walk and bike safely and responsibly during this time.

This infographic is available in both English and Spanish.

Please refer to these public health resources if you have further questions:

 

Photo courtesy of AP News.