Pedestrians in Madrid – the third fastest in the world
According to a report in El País this week, the fact that Madrid is a stressful city full of people under pressure has been confirmed by research carried out by the University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom in collaboration with the British Council. The study discovered that pedestrians in the Madrid are the third fastest walkers in the world, covering a distance of 10 metres in around 6 seconds. The only other cities found to be faster were Singapore and Copenhagen.
According to the results of the study Madrid is one of the most stressful places to live if you relate the speed at which people walk and their quality of life. Professor Richard Wiseman, in charge of the study, believes that measuring how fast people walk gives a good indication as to the ‘physical and social health of a city’.
The experiment was carried out by observing thousands of pedestrians all over the world.
In each city included in the study a street without many pedestrians was chosen so that the speed at which people walked was normal and not impeded by it being overcrowded. The researchers timed 35 men and women walking over a distance of 60 feet. People who were not carrying heavy shopping bags or talking on their mobiles were chosen at random. According to researchers people who live in fast cities suffer more heart disease and are less likely to help others. Further information on the study can by found at www.richardwiseman.com.
Related:
Guide to Madrid
Driving in Madrid
