“Week without driving” Monday, Sept. 30th-Sunday, Oct. 6th “? https://weekwithoutdriving.org/ The #WeekWithoutDriving challenge was launched in 2021 by Anna Zivarts at Disability Rights Washington. After two successful years, in 2023 in partnership with America Walks they took the “Week Without Driving” national. More than 142 organizations, 41 states and the D.C. joined the challenge in 2023 and they’re already organizing so the 2024 challenge will be even bigger!” See highlights from 2023 → This week (is) a reminder that mobility is a human right. And it’s also a reminder that so many people in our region are excluded from this right, simply because driving for them is not an option” Girmay Zahilay, King County Councilmember
From Anna Zivarts:
September 5, 2024
We are less than a month away from the 4th Annual Week Without Driving challenge, which will be held September 30-October 6, 2024. The #WeekWithoutDriving challenge launched in Washington state in 2021 and now has become a national event, with more than 300 organizations cohosting the challenge across all 50 states.
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 challenge 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 Week Without Driving challenges elected leaders, advocates, and individuals to understand the barriers for nondrivers. Participants can get around however they want, but can’t drive themselves. This applies to all activities — not just work commutes. The challenge isn’t about not using a car, rather it’s to see what it’s like to not be the one able to drive, to better understand what it’s like to try to navigate their communities without the privilege of driving.
In Washington state this year, Week Without Driving events will be taking place across the state in Vancouver, Kitsap County, Olympia, Tacoma, Seattle and Pasco. A full list of planned events is included below.
Governor Jay Inslee has officially commemorated the Week Without Driving with a proclamation recognizing that “going a week without driving is great way to understand how we can improve our current transportation system to better meet the needs of Washingtonians and improve and enhance transportation options such as transit, light rail, biking and walking pathways as key strategies in our decarbonization efforts.”