Week Without Driving
What We Learned From a Week Without Driving
Originally published in SNHPC's Fall 2023 Visions Newsletter
During the week of October 2, 2023 over 30 elected officials, planning professionals, municipal staff, school representatives, and transit providers in New Hampshire participated in the Week Without Driving challenge.
Unlike Bike to Work Week or Walk to School Day, the Week Without Driving is not a celebration of active transportation. Rather, it is an opportunity for leaders and decision makers to learn about the barriers that non-drivers face in accessing our communities.
An estimated 1/3 of Americans are unable to drive because of age, physical or cognitive limitations, or other circumstances.
SNHPC Regional Planner Tammy Zamoyski organized the NH Challenge in conjunction with the national challenge lead by America Walks and Disability Rights Washington. Tammy, whose family already lives a “car-lite” lifestyle, used public transit all week.
“I learned a lot this week, but perhaps my biggest takeaway is that having the option to use public transportation is such a luxury. Being transit dependent, on the other hand, is quite challenging,” Tammy said. “Once I got over the learning curve, I found transit to be a nice way to slow down my day and feel more connected to my community. On the other hand, I spent nearly 8 hours commuting to and from work last week (which would have only taken about an hour and 20 minutes total in the car). A longer commute meant more time spent away from my family and the need to delegate some of my responsibilities around the house.”
SNHPC’s Senior GIS Analyst, Zachary Swick, also participated in the challenge. He shared, “I had to give a presentation in a neighboring town this morning and it was too far to walk and not served by transit. Ride-hailing is available but can be unreliable; a round trip would cost between $25-$30. On-demand transit services would cost significantly less but need to be set up in advance. In the end I took the easy option and just drove. However, there are around 4,600 households in my area without a vehicle. For them, the “easy option” doesn’t exist for any trip.”
Click here to read what other Granite Staters learned during the Week Without Driving.