Healthy lifestyle of walking to work gets former weatherman 'addicted'
Former Observatory assistant director has been making his way from home in Lai Chi Kok to his office in Tsim Sha Tsui on foot for 14 years
For 14 years until he retired as Observatory assistant director in 2011, Leung Wing-mo kept to a routine that the city's crowded streets and filthy air make unappealing to all but the determined - he jogged 45 minutes to work.
Leung shared his "addiction" ahead of the United States' 10th Walk to Work Day tomorrow.
This healthy lifestyle is a tough act to follow in Hong Kong, urban planning experts say, given the city's narrow footpaths, air pollution and poor cross-district connection on foot.
But to Leung, the daily routine from his home in Lai Chi Kok to the Observatory in Tsim Sha Tsui helped him relieve stress. "I really got addicted and I jogged to work every day, even when it was raining," he said.
Reduced stress and better health are just two benefits of going to work on foot, says Baptist University geography professor Tang Wing-shing, who teaches urban planning. It would also help lower the carbon footprint.
He urged the government to decentralise offices so Hongkongers can live and work in the same district. "People in other countries can cycle to work. But not in Hong Kong," he said.
The first Friday of April is Walk to Work Day, as designated by the US Department of Health and Human Services since 2004 to draw attention to the need to exercise and to prevent obesity.
