Why health officials want you to walk like a penguin
Knees bent, toes out—that's what penguin walking is all about
Knees bent and toes out—that's what penguin walking is all about.
The Middlesex-London Health Unit is urging Londoners via a social media video to walk like a penguin as a way to stay safe on icy sidewalks.
Encounter ice? Walk like a penguin! Keep your hands out of your pockets, loosen knees, point feet outwards, shorten your strides and shuffle. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LdnOnt?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LdnOnt</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VisionZero?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VisionZero</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/MLHealthUnit?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MLHealthUnit</a> <a href="https://t.co/0iCFWQmRs4">pic.twitter.com/0iCFWQmRs4</a>
—@CityofLdnOntThe idea makes sense to Londoner Nic Smith, who said the penguin walk is a familiar move to him given this winter's recent freezing rain spells.
"When it's slippery smooth ice, you gotta pull out the penguin walk," he said, after wrapping up a Family Day game of shinny.
Chantal Whitehead said she penguin walks as she walks her dog in her Old East Village neighbourhood.
"It would be nice if they plowed it a bit more often, but ultimately it's Canada, and we get a lot of ice and you have to do the penguin walk," she said.
Should we even have to penguin-walk?
The wish for better sidewalk-clearing was echoed by several Londoners CBC News spoke to about the penguin walk.
Liz Harris said she has to use a penguin-style stride once every five walks or so—and that she thinks the city could be doing more to keep streets clear to begin with.
"I'm pretty young and agile, but there are people who aren't, people with walkers and just older people that feel unsafe on the streets," she said.
"Today it happens to be clear, but our street hasn't been plowed for 10 days."
The <a href="https://twitter.com/MLHealthUnit?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MLHealthUnit</a> says walking like a penguin can help keep your balance on icy sidewalks. I asked a few obliging Londoners to demonstrate! <a href="https://t.co/0uJGCyFCFj">pic.twitter.com/0uJGCyFCFj</a>
—@PaulaDuhatschekFor the city's part, officials say they're doing their best to keep sidewalks sanded and clear.
John Parsons, the city's manager of transportation and roadside operations, said sand is the best weapon in the fight against slips by providing traction to sidewalks. Salt, he said, only works on roads and walkways with very high traffic, and can't be used everywhere.
Parsons said crews spent Family Day clearing roadways, and that London's road network should be in good shape by Tuesday morning.
"We'll plow and we'll plow, and then we'll follow up with sanding," he said.