A Week Without Driving

The first week of October the Week Without Driving!

This is a week dedicated to bringing awareness to how pervasive personal vehicle use is in our society today. It's like air – all around us, but very much "there."

From the Week Without Driving website:

If you can drive or afford a car, you may not understand what it’s like to rely on walking, rolling, transit and asking for rides. But for nearly a third of people living in the United States – people with disabilities, young people, seniors and people who can’t afford cars or gas – this is our every day. We created the Week Without Driving experience so that those who have the option to drive can learn firsthand about the barriers and challenges that nondrivers face and work with nondrivers to create more accessible communities for all. 

The point of the week is to be aware; to be mindful of this tool that we all depend on: the automobile.

How can you be a part of it?

Try out the bus

If you don't usually use the bus, or haven't used the bus before, now is a great opportunity to! In Bike Academy, we took the bus across town. A great way to start is using Google Maps or Apple Maps, specifically the transit feature in each app to get directions from point A to B.

This will provide some opportunities for reflection: Is the bus on time? How much longer does it take to get to your destination? Did the bus match your expectations? Was it clean? Was it dirty? Did you meet anyone new?

The bus costs $1.25 for a one-way trip, and is payable in cash. You do not need any special account or bus pass to use this public service.

Ride a bike

If your bike is dusty and needs some love, take it in to The Bike Library for a tuneup!

For a lower-cost option, the new Lime bikes in Downtown are great. Here is an article explaining how to use them.

There are many articles, both on this blog and elsewhere on the interwebs, that will go into great depth about how to set up a great commuter bike. Go forth! Learn! Bike!

A great way to get in on the advocacy in an active way is to join Critical Mass the last Friday of each month. Check out this cool ad that Chip Thrasher made after this past week's ride!

Walk

Pat and Charlie won't fail you. Build in the extra time. Walk fast. Walk hard, if you want. Or walk slow. But chances are, you have somewhere to be. Walk fast and see if it's a good workout. It just might be ;)

Although you had to leave earlier than if you'd have driven, maybe you can skip the gym after an extra 45 minutes of low intensity cardio. Plus, walking through the neighborhood you live in is way more fun than walking on the treadmill next to a sweaty guy in a tank top.

Driving does not signify failure

Rather, it signifies the bind that the automobile has on our life and provides an opportunity to reconsider this fact and how it makes us feel.

If you have to drive, great! Don't sweat it. Maybe listen to a Strong Towns podcast episode and think about how you can be a part of sustainable development in your city.

However it looks for you: be mindful. Be thoughtful. We can change the world if we refuse to accept that how it is now is how it will always be.

Go forth!