Week Without Driving: A different perspective
This year marks the second year the Elizabeth River Trail (ERT) Foundation participated in Week Without Driving. As an urban trail, we take pedestrian safety very seriously, as the trail sees nearly 675,000 trail user interactions each year. Visitors who walk, run, use a wheelchair, bike, roller skate, or skateboard can enjoy changing scenery, parks, playgrounds, and waterfront views all along the trail. They will also encounter stop lights, crosswalks, and underpasses. The ERT also connects to sixteen public transit stops, so it is a natural fit to join in the movement and bring awareness to Week Without Driving (WWD), as well as other initiatives like Walk, Bike, & Roll to school day and Pedestrian Safety Month, or Walktober, which is recognized every October and organized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This year was particularly special because the newest team member of ERT Foundation is a non-driver. That’s me, Brittany, the ERT Outreach Coordinator.
The ERT serves as a safe commuter alternative offering a lovely route that connects 28 neighborhoods, off of busy roads that are overflowing with all types of vehicles. Unfortunately, statistics show that the ERT’s smooth pavements and ADA accessibility are absolutely necessary, with pedestrian accident fatality rates up by 4% since 2021. I have come up with several safety strategies to make sure I can get from point A to point B in one piece. The number one rule of pedestrian safety is staying aware of your surroundings. And not to brag, but I own multiple safety vests. I also always carry a flashlight along with a fully charged cell phone. Since moving to Norfolk, the ERT has been a vital and deeply valued route for me, whether I’m walking or biking.
I’m also really grateful for the Tidewater region’s public transportation – Hampton Roads Transit (HRT). I got to take a ride on our area’s light rail system, the Tide, with HRT staff and City of Norfolk council members, one of whom is the Commissioner for the HRT. I learned about some exciting plans for the future of public transportation in Tidewater, as well as many setbacks due to a lack of funding. Inadequate investment in public transit results in a lack of service routes, minimal amenities at bus stops, outdated buses, and leads to heavy reliance on rider fare revenue, often leading to a lack of ridership even amongst the population that doesn’t own vehicles. Situations like this make the efforts of the ERT and active transportation partners like Bike Norfolk and the Bike, Pedestrian, and Active Transportation Commission highly necessary.
One-third of the U.S. population does not have a driver’s license. Who are these non-driving citizens? The vast majority are children. Many of the early protests held in opposition to automobile supremacy took place in the 1950s, organized by mothers concerned for their children’s safety. Unfortunately, most state funds for transportation plans do not take into account non-drivers, which has led to parents chauffeuring children back and forth to school to ensure their safety. Another group that makes up one-third of non-drivers is people of low-income status. The average annual cost for owning a car is roughly $12,000, and that doesn’t include the cost of the car itself. One of the questions Week Without Driving poses is: What would you do with an extra $1,000 in your bank account each month?
Anna Zivarts, the author of the book When Driving Isn’t An Option: Steering Away From Car Dependency, spearheaded the Week Without Driving initiative in 2021 with the support of Disability Rights Washington, a nonprofit based in Seattle that offers a multitude of free services to those with a variety of disabilities. Anna is a part of the one-third, as she lives with a neurological condition called nystagmus, which causes involuntary, rapid eye movements. This condition makes driving impossible for her. Not all disabilities are visible, which is why this statistic may come as a surprise to some, but Week Without Driving urges all those behind the wheel to consider the wide variety of disabilities pedestrians may have. These could be: physical impairments that limit mobility, sensory impairments such as blindness or hearing loss, cognitive impairments like dementia, intellectual disabilities, neurological and psychiatric conditions, and even a diagnosis like diabetes can cause fluctuating symptoms that can make driving unsafe.
In 2023, Anna partnered with America Walks, a national nonprofit that advocates for policy changes that aim to make America a more walkable country and a safer place for pedestrians. This partnership allowed the movement to spread like a dandelion blossom all across the country, bringing in new partners every year from cities all over the United States. With the backbone support of America Walks, the National Coalition for Week Without Driving was formed and handles the ins and outs of the buzzing campaign for a wonderful week that falls right at the beginning of autumn. This movement asks those with access to vehicles to try on a pair of non-driver’s shoes so that they can experience the existing barriers and challenges non-drivers face first-hand. Barriers like construction zones blocking sidewalks, debris on sidewalks, broken sidewalks, or no sidewalks at all. Challenges like bus stops with no ramps, no shelters or seating, and bus stops in poorly lit areas, late buses, poor weather conditions, traveling with children, and limited mobility. You can imagine that when Anna started Week Without Driving, it was from a deep well of frustration, as she noticed that all of the hard work done by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to create accessibility ordinances seemed to be just a whisper in the wind when it came to public transit and city planning infrastructure.
ERT supports and highlights Week Without Driving to offer our driving community the opportunity to experience firsthand the empowering feeling you get from arriving at your destination safely (and on time) using alternative transportation. It also gives the chance to experience one of my favorite things about being a non-driver: getting to meet my community. Every time I use public transportation or the trail, I get to give a warm smile and a quick greeting to those I pass. Just a few days ago, I helped a woman off the bus who had a newborn, a stroller, and several bags; all the while having a nice chat as I helped her onto her transfer bus. It filled my heart with such joy! Recently, while commuting on the trail, I found a little shoe on the ground and remembered that I had just waved at a family enjoying the trail, so I grabbed the shoe and ran back to them. I felt like a superhero. You can feel like a hero too, and maybe make a new friend. Join us for Week Without Driving 2026; we’ll be there with you along the way!
