EVERETT — Elected officials, transit agencies and Snohomish County residents are taking part in the Week Without Driving, which asks people to go a week without driving to get a new perspective on the transportation challenges that people who can’t drive face on a regular basis.
Disability Rights Washington, a Seattle-based nonprofit that operates the Disability Mobility Initiative, created the Week Without Driving in 2021. The week-long event has happened annually since and spread across the country. This year’s event began Monday.
Philip Jefferies, the manager of marketing programs at Community Transit, hoped the week would help people understand the experiences of others who have to navigate the transportation system without driving.
“They would maybe know what it feels like to be a pedestrian along a busy street or a cyclist along those lanes that aren’t separated or in traffic, and how vulnerable those people feel,” he said. “… The more experiential people can be this week, and get out and do it, the more they’re going to develop that understanding.”
About 470,000 Washington residents over the age of 16 don’t have a driver’s license, according to a 2023 legislative report. That could be due to a disability that limits someone’s ability to drive, the inability to afford a car or simply personal preference. Around 400,000 other Washington residents over 16 have a driver’s license, but don’t own a car. Another 1.4 million residents are under 16, meaning they can’t yet drive.
Everett City Council member Paula Rhyne has taken part in Week Without Diving for the past four years. Every time she does, she learns something different, she said Thursday. Viewing the built environment through the lens of people with mobility challenges can be an eye-opener about the importance of properly maintained transportation infrastructure, Rhyne said.
“Just walking down the sidewalk, I’m able to step over a crack or walk over a curb that hasn’t been cut,” she said. “But to have that lens this week that for people who are in a wheelchair or don’t have the same level of agility I do, that’s a huge barrier just to get to the other side of the street, and it’s something we take for granted.”
Brock Howell, the executive director of the Snohomish County Transportation Coalition, took part in the week-long event by taking transit to Tacoma for a conference, biking to a dental appointment and walking to work. His route to work has sidewalks, but some of the intersections along his route feel unsafe, he said.
“Still, living just a mile from work, and the ability to work from home gives me a great degree of freedom. That’s why land use — increasing the proximity of housing and jobs — is so important for creating age- & ability-friendly communities,” Howell wrote in an email.
A key focus of the transportation coalition, he said, is improving that connectivity and making sure people have the opportunity to live closer to work and their daily needs.
For those unfamiliar with taking alternative forms of transportation, Jefferies hoped that the week would open people’s eyes to the benefits that can come along with a car-free commute.
“You can get a lot of fun and personal satisfaction out of being around other people, being in the community and seeing the world without being locked into the driving process,” Jefferies said.
Week Without Driving ends Sunday. More info: weekwithoutdriving.org.
Individuals can also take part in Switch Your Trips WA, a new monthlong event that gives residents the chance to earn prizes from commuting or running errands using sustainable travel modes like walking, biking or transit. More info: switchyourtripswa.com.
Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.
