Nearly everyone today is reliant on an automobile as a primary mode of transportation. And that’s especially true in Kentucky — about 93% of households statewide have at least one vehicle, according to U.S. Census Bureau data, and nearly 60% have at least two,
The average American drives 13,476 miles per year — or 37 miles per day — according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration.
But an initiative called Week Without Driving that starts Monday in Lexington and nationwide asks residents to consider: What would life look like if you didn’t have a car?
“Yes the name does define it as a Week Without Driving, but it’s important to understand it’s not a challenge,” said Mary Arthur, one of the participants of the initiative. “It’s more of an internal challenge to ask that question: ‘Could I drive less? And if I can’t drive less, why can’t I?’”
The initiative, first created in 2021 by Anna Zivarts at Disability Rights Washington, is now a full-fledged event owned by America Walks , an organization that helps organizations and people create more walkable, safer communities.
A Week Without Driving is intended to highlight the challenges people who don’t drive face on a daily basis. There are a variety of reasons why people are unable to drive, such as disabilities, financial reasons or age.
Participants in a Week Without Driving are encouraged to think about what life would look like if a car was unavailable while experimenting with other modes of transportation, such as walking, bicycling or using public transportation.
“There’s nothing like the firsthand experience of really immersing yourself in a city where the primary way of getting around isn’t accessible to you,” said Alice Hilton, one of the organizers of a Week Without Driving. “I’m really excited that we have a lot of people who are willing to do that and see what it’s like.”
Last year, more than 142 organizations across 41 states and Washington D.C. participated in a Week Without Driving. The organization said it plans for 2024 to be even bigger — and this will be its first time in Lexington.
Week Without Driving in Lexington
Arthur is one of several members of Lexington’s Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee in Lexington. She and others wanted to find a way to convey the importance of pedestrian and bicyclist safety besides talking about the recreational benefits.
Their research led them to a Week Without Driving.
“It’s really meant, especially the way we’re uplifting here in Lexington, to be more about a community conversation around transportation and to really engage that sense of empathy that’s in all of us for others who aren’t like us who may have other limitations to their ability to get around,” Arthur said.
About 8% of the workers 16 years old or over in Fayette County commute to work either by public transportation, walking or other means, according to the U.S. Census Bureau
“In a city where cars are getting bigger and bigger, streets are getting faster and faster, many people can navigate their lives everyday without ever noticing or thinking about the fact that there are others who are not getting around by cars,” Arthur said. “Shifting that mentality could be quite huge because it can shift people’s understanding of the reason why bike lanes, for example, are an important use of public resources.”
People are encouraged to think about their transportation choices and how their lives would be different if access to an automobile wasn’t available.
“What we’re asking for folks to do is think about your own situation,” said Christopher Evilia, Transportation Planning Manager for the Lexington Area Metropolitan Planning Organization. “If you were not able to drive for whatever reason, how would you be able to get to the various activities of life?”
A Week Without Driving will be completely digital this year. The group planning the week will send out daily prompts for local participants to follow.
The prompts will be framed around ideas of reflection and imagination, emphasizing the main idea of thinking about what life would look like without access to a vehicle. Organizers hope participant feedback will help shape future editions of the event, eventually leading to more in-person gatherings.
Other long-term goals include building a coalition of drivers and non-drivers who identify with how the topic of shared transportation relates to them.
“I’d really love to see a conversation that shapes a shared understanding of why this is deeply important and why if you have a body and you have to move your body from point A to point B, then this impacts you,” Hilton said.
Community involvement
Hilton said several local leaders and organizations have shown support for a Week Without Driving. Many local council members plan on promoting a Week Without Driving through “council comments” while others plan on participating, including Liz Sheehan, who represents District 5 of Fayette County.
“I will use my car when I absolutely have to, but I’m really going to try to work on thinking about my schedule and how I plan for that week so that I can have the time and availability to get out of it and use the walking, the biking,” Sheehan said.
Vice Mayor Dan Wu and plans on participating in the event.
“I think it’s a great program and I think hopefully it’ll spur conversation, which will hopefully also lead to better policy and practices,” Wu said.
Lextran — the city’s public bus system — will also promote the event, Hilton said, and she hopes it can provide classes on how to use its service during future events.
Hilton said participation from local leaders is important.
“There’s nothing like the first time experience of really immersing yourself in a city where the primary way of getting around isn’t accessible to you, so I’m excited that we have a lot of people who are willing to do that,” Hilton said.
Complete streets
Organizers and local leaders also hope a Week Without Driving highlights the complete streets policy that was adopted by the city in early 2023. Complete streets are roads that are safe for all forms of travelers and not centric to just automobiles.
“When we live in a car-dependent city, everyone loses,” Hilton said. “It ultimately does not benefit anyone and I think people want to be able to identify their own self-interests in this regardless of where they’re coming from.”
Some of the main challenges for non-drivers are the lack of sidewalk or bicycle infrastructure, Evilia said. Many of Lexington’s roads have been designed mainly for automobiles, but complete streets will make the roadways safer for other travelers.
Evilia also highlighted how spread-out the city is and how difficult it can be to access places the further away you are from downtown.
“Even though we have an urban service boundary, we’re still pretty spread out,” Evilia said.
Organizers hope participants of a Week Without Driving will highlight those barriers and challenges while emphasizing the importance of improving accessibility to the roads.
“Driving is an important tool in our toolkit for how to get around, but the more tools you have, the more everyone wins,” Hilton said.
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