There were also logistical challenges associated with walking during the pandemic. In the spring of 2020, with most of the country on lockdown, the couple continued their walks but tried to keep six feet apart and wear masks. Stopping at a gas station to use the restroom or McDonald’s to buy coffee suddenly felt risky, so they packed more snacks and brought devices that would let them unobtrusively relieve themselves outdoors.
“We just got creative,” said Ms. Hosbrough, a consultant. “We were determined not to shorten our outings.”
Pandemic walking also had its benefits. Justin Robbins, who walked every street in Longmont, Colorado, in late 2020 and early 2021, said the pandemic appears to have inspired more ambitious Christmas decorations in his city.
“People have gotten bigger — bigger than usual,” said Mr. Robbins, a software engineer who is fed up with walking the same route near his home and credits his 586-mile journey through Longmont with improved physical fitness. and mental health.
But the pandemic has also led to an increase in reckless driving and, in some places, a record number of pedestrian deaths. More than 6,700 pedestrians died in crashes in 2020, up about 5% from 6,412 a year earlier, according to the Governor’s Highway Traffic Safety Association. Peoria police said there has been no increase in pedestrian deaths.
Both Ms. Hosbrough and Ms. Jacobsen-Wood, who are 50 and grew up in the Peoria area, said they saw their walks as a way to counter what they saw as a common but unfounded fatalism in the way some Peorians viewed your city. . Sometimes they were joined by local journalists.
Peoria, located about halfway between Chicago and St. Louis, has experienced a population stagnation of about 110,000 in recent decades. Caterpillar, a manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, moved its headquarters out of town a few years ago. Murder rates hit record highs during the pandemic, leading some commentators on the Pedestrians in Peoria Facebook page to wonder if it is safe for women to walk in certain areas, according to The Peoria Journal Star.