What We’ve Discovered So Far in regards to the Nationwide Week With out Driving

Nationwide Week With out Driving allowed us to ask elected public officers and transportation professionals throughout the nation to make use of the system they funded, designed, and constructed for us. And our elected and public officers did simply that. Virtually 300 elected officers, public officers, and transportation professionals from twenty-nine states and Washington D.C. participated within the #WeekWithoutDriving problem. 

This success was potential as a result of one-hundred and forty-two organizations throughout the nation hosted native Week With out Driving challenges throughout thirty-three states and Washington D.C. Lots of of people additionally joined the decision to take part. Collectively, they raised consciousness through native media and social media, wrote letters and emails, and known as on their native leaders and transportation planners to take part.

Why It Issues

For many years, individuals throughout the US have requested elected officers and transportation professionals to heart individuals when designing the transportation system. We all know the constructed atmosphere – together with our streets, buildings, and public areas – is constructed for driving and parking on the expense of strolling, rolling, biking, and utilizing public transit. Auto-oriented improvement has come at an enormous price to the general public, whether or not counted via the deaths and accidents to individuals touring, the ailments brought on by air pollution and inactivity, or the injury from a quickly altering local weather. It additionally divides our group at a time once we must be coming collectively. The people who find themselves not ready or can’t afford to drive are sometimes excluded from full participation in social, cultural and financial life as a result of their modes of journey are usually not seen and supported by these holding the levers of energy in authorities.  

Week With out Driving Goes Nationwide

To fight the presumption that “everybody drives” and due to this fact U.S. cities and cities should prioritize automobiles, Nationwide Week With out Driving inspired individuals throughout the nation to surrender their keys and transfer all through their communities with out driving themselves. Not having the ability to drive day-to-day challenges us to know firsthand the struggles of 1000’s of Individuals who don’t drive and don’t personal automobiles. Utilizing the sidewalks, trains, and buses permits us to see our communities in another way than from behind the wheel of a automobile. 

In some locations, it’s practically not possible to think about going a day with out a automobile, not to mention per week.  Auto-centric design is so ubiquitous that vast roads, acres of parking, and zoning guidelines typically put properties, shops, workplaces, parks and colleges too removed from one another to simply and safely stroll. Mixed with lacking sidewalks, absent crosswalks and disconnected and unreliable transit, there are areas inaccessible to those who can’t drive.  

However we should keep in mind that our cities and cities weren’t all the time that method. The vast majority of cities and cities have been established lengthy earlier than the invention and widespread use of the automobile. The locations that outline a group have been constructed shut sufficient to one another to make strolling and non-motorized types of transportation the default alternative. That historical past tells us that decision-makers have the ability to make higher selections about how we design our streets and communities. Regardless of what we see at the moment, it’s potential to re-imagine and rebuild our communities to create locations which might be equitable, related, accessible, inclusive, and protected for all.

The Week With out Driving problem helps decision-makers perceive the selections non-drivers should make and lays the inspiration for what is feasible. Even cities and cities which have been thought of car-centric have confirmed to tackle the problem efficiently. To get an image of what the week appeared like, learn our weblog about cities and cities throughout the U.S. that acquired their decision-makers to tackle the problem.

The Paradigm Shift

In our newest webinar, on October fifth, America Walks and Incapacity Mobility Initiative co-hosted a panel dialogue with organizers, advocates, and elected and public officers on what the Week With out Driving meant to them.

Councilmember Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin and Senator Marko Liias from Washington joined the panel to share their experiences and challenges of not driving for per week and the way the expertise is shaping their understanding of the transportation system of their communities. 

Tenille Warren, from Metro Transit Minneapolis and non-driver advocate, shared the significance of not solely listening to non-drivers but additionally having your personal first-hand experiences of the transportation system in your group.

Adrienne Razavi, from Denver Streets Partnership, talked about the advantages of Week With out Driving, not just for elected officers but additionally to spark long-term habits in residents and exchange some driving journeys with different modes of transportation. 

The Principal Takeaways:

1. First-hand experiences broaden views

To actually perceive and join with individuals who stroll, roll, bike, and trip public transit, you should expertise it. These experiences provides you with direct information and scale back misunderstandings about how the transportation system works or doesn’t work.

2. Non-drivers have to be on the decision-making desk

The voices of non-drivers are invaluable. Their experiences are wanted to totally perceive the place the gaps and disconnections are within the transportation system. Though this week offers you an opportunity to discover not driving for per week, those that have been non-drivers daily of their communities will present a extra complete analysis and understanding. 

3. Collaboration is vital

Working along with different organizations, grassroots actions, group teams, advocates, transportation professionals and different allies in your space/state means you’ve got individuals energy, allies, and the flexibility to affect on a bigger scale. Collaboration additionally means extra relationship-building with different organizations, residents, and decision-makers you could not have met.

4. Kids and youth voices are wanted

Kids and youth are an enormous share of non-drivers in our communities and they should go locations. Transportation to daycare, faculty, medical companies, and extra change into an integral a part of their improvement. The reliance on driving impacts their mobility significantly, so these concerns and wishes needs to be thought of when designing the transportation system.

5. There are main implications for the atmosphere

Our planet suffers significantly from our transportation patterns. The transportation sector within the US is the most important contributor to greenhouse fuel emissions, with on a regular basis autos being the most important contributor to the sector. Collaborating within the Week With out Driving permits elected leaders to re-evaluate how their communities are designed and take reliance off driving, which is able to support in assembly local weather targets.

Watch the Full Webinar Right here: