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HomeMy WebLinkAbout082122 FW_ Will You Take the Week Without Driving Challenge_ ________________________________ From: Kimberly Kinchen Sent: Sunday, August 21, 2022 6:30:42 PM (UTC-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada) To: Heidi Eisenhour Cc: Anna Zivarts Subject: Will You Take the Week Without Driving Challenge? ________________________________ ALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them. ________________________________ Dear Commissioner Eisenhour, What if you couldn’t drive? What if taking the bus, riding a bike, walking or asking for rides weren’t a choice you could make, but a necessity? What would it be like getting around without driving yourself? For people who can drive, and can afford a car, this isn’t something you think about. But for nearly a quarter of the people in our state - people with disabilities, young people, seniors and people who can’t afford cars or gas, this is their every day. As an elected leader and transit board member, the decisions you make around transportation planning, policies and funding impact all of us, and we want you to have the opportunity to learn with us. That’s why we here at the Disability Mobility Initiative at Disability Rights Washington are inviting you to participate in the Week Without Driving <http://www.weekwithoutdriving.lif e/> this September 19-25. As you’ll hear from elected leaders who joined us last year in this video <https://youtu.be/bUX_VWzer2o> , they found the experience incredibly valuable and are encouraging other elected leaders, like you, to join us this year. Will you join us and take the challenge? Sign up at weekwithoutdriving.life How Does the Week Without Driving Work? You can get around however you want, but you can’t drive yourself in any car. This applies to all your activities — not just your work commute. And if you normally transport other family members or friends, it applies to those trips too. This isn’t a disability simulation or a test of how easily you can find alternatives. We know that it is far easier to give up your keys if you can afford to live in a walkable area well served by transit, or can outsource your driving and other transport and delivery needs to other people. Instead, we intend this as a learning experience to inform the decisions you, as an elected leader or policymaker, will make about land use, climate, health equity and transportation access and funding. We want you to have this experience so you can start to understand the barriers non-drivers experience in accessing your (and our) communities. If you decide to, you can ask someone else to drive you, but make a note of how much you “owe” this person in their time, and if you felt obligated to support them in other ways (ie, doing all the dishes). If it’s a staff person, make a note of how much you pay them for this time. You can use ride-hail or taxis, but make a note of how much it costs you. During the week, we’ll ask you to share your experience on social media. At the end of the week, we’ll ask you to reflect on and share what you learned from participating in the Week Without Driving. If you have questions, contact me or Anna Zivarts, director of the Disability Mobility Initiative, copied here. Thank you! Kimberly Kinchen She/her Engagement Manager, Week Without Driving <http://weekwithoutdriving.life> Disability Mobility Initiative <https://www.disabilityrightswa.org/programs/disabilitymobility/> Disability Rights Washington 315 5th Ave S, Ste 850 Seattle, WA 98104 347-604-2516 <tel:347-604-2516> kimberlyk@dr-wa.org