CNN SAYS
We are the fastest walkers in the world ...
woohoo ! .... 
LONDON, England -- Pedestrians all
over the world are moving faster than a decade ago, according to
scientists who have conducted a study into the pace at which people
walk.
Psychologists say walking speeds have increased by an average of 10
percent in the past 10 years.
People in the greatest hurry live in Singapore, according to the
study of cities in 32 countries. Following in their footsteps are
residents of Copenhagen in Denmark and Madrid in Spain.
Researchers in each city found a busy street with a wide pavement
that was flat, free from obstacles and sufficiently uncrowded to
allow people to walk at their maximum speed.
The speed of each city's walkers was then timed by a team
researchers, armed with stopwatches.
They timed how long it took 35 men and women to walk along a
60-foot (18-meter) stretch of pavement, monitoring only adults who
were on their own and ignoring those conducting mobile phone
conversations or struggling with shopping bags.
The results of the study, headed by British psychologist Professor
Richard Wiseman, were compared with similar results from a decade
ago in an experiment carried out by American psychologist Professor
Robert Levine, from California State University.
Wiseman said walking speeds provided a reliable measure of the pace
of life in a city.
"This simple measurement provides a significant insight into the
physical and social health of a city. The pace of life in our major
cities is now much quicker than before. This increase in speed will
affect more people than ever, because for the first time in history
the majority of the world's population are now living in urban
center," Wiseman said.
Surprisingly, some of the world's biggest cities did not even make
the top five. New York came in at eight, London was placed 12th on
the list and Tokyo was ranked 19th.
The findings also explode the myth of the laid back Irish. Dublin
topped Levine's table in 1997 and takes fifth place on the new
list.
The study was carried out with the help of the British Council,
which promotes cultural links in 109 countries.
Comparing the results with those compiled by Levine in the 1990s,
the study showed that people were, on average, now walking 10
percent faster. Men were generally 25 percent quicker on their feet
than women.
The biggest changes were found in the Far East. In Singapore,
walking pace had increased by 30 percent and in Guangzhou, China,
the pace was more than 20 percent quicker.
Here is a list, in order, of the cities ranked by the speeds at
which people walk:
1) Singapore (Singapore)
2) Copenhagen (Denmark)
3) Madrid (Spain)
4) Guangzhou (China)
5) Dublin (Ireland)
6) Curitiba (Brazil)
7) Berlin (Germany)
New York (U.S.)
9) Utrecht (Netherlands)
10) Vienna (Austria)
11) Warsaw (Poland)
12) London (United Kingdom)
13) Zagreb (Croatia)
14) Prague (Czech Republic)
15) Wellington (New Zealand)
16) Paris (France)
17) Stockholm (Sweden)
1 Ljubljana (Slovenia)
19) Tokyo (Japan)
20) Ottawa (Canada)
21) Harare (Zimbabwe)
22) Sofia (Bulgaria)
23) Taipei (Taiwan)
24) Cairo (Egypt)
25) Sana (Yemen)
26) Bucharest (Romania)
27) Dubai (United Arab Emirates)
2 Damascus (Syria)
29) Amman (Jordan)
30) Bern (Switzerland)
31) Manama (Bahrain)
32) Blantyre (Malawi)
