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[Nataley Davis | features editor] This is the third year Pittsburgh has participated in the \u201cWeek Without Driving\u201d initiative.<\/p>\n[Nataley Davis | features editor] This is the third year Pittsburgh has participated in the \u201cWeek Without Driving\u201d initiative.<\/p>\n
Nataley Davis | features editor
\u2003
Coraopolis resident Bill Frissell has been using Pittsburgh Regional Transit on and off for 40 years since he started working in the North Hills, taking the bus back and forth.<\/p>\n
In 2023, Frissell had his left leg amputated and noticed that riding public transit can be difficult for people who use wheelchairs or canes.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom my experience, sometimes the bus driver can\u2019t pull right up to the curve because of people parking,\u201d Frissell said. \u201cPeople will park right where the bus stops are, but then I have to walk out to the street to jump on a bus.\u201d<\/p>\n
Three years ago, several local organizations banded together to join the national movement, \u201cWeek Without Driving,\u201d to show lawmakers that Pittsburgh needs safer sidewalks, connected bike lanes and a public transit system that works for everyone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to have individuals that do drive see some of the problems that individuals that don\u2019t drive have by utilizing different modes of transportation, whether it\u2019s on a bicycle or on the bus,\u201d Frissell said.<\/p>\n
This year, BikePGH, Pittsburghers for Public Transit, Access Mob Pittsburgh and Age-Friendly Greater Pittsburgh are hosting \u201cWeek Without Driving Pittsburgh \u201cwith support from sponsors across the region Oct. 1-8.<\/p>\n
So, I decided to take the pledge to go a week without driving, to learn about the struggles people like Frissell encounter daily.<\/p>\n
How the week went for me<\/p>\n
A question I have asked myself countless times over the few years I have lived in Pittsburgh: Should I drive, ride or walk?<\/p>\n
I live on campus and I have my car here, so usually the answer is drive.<\/p>\n
The first thing I noticed when I began walking around the city instead of driving this week was, of course, the city\u2019s infamous hills.<\/p>\n
I found myself winded walking with my grocery bags up inclines small and large back to Duquesne.<\/p>\n
I also began to carpool with friends instead of driving my own car. It felt almost burdensome to ask other people if I could tag along in their car.<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t get to take the bus or the train yet this week, but in my past experiences, Pittsburgh Regional Transit has driven right past me waiting at the stop.<\/p>\n
This always made me think about people who rely on public transit everyday for work and medical appointments. I get annoyed when the bus or train doesn\u2019t come on time, but this exercise made me realize what a luxury it is to have other options I can turn to in a pinch.<\/p>\n
Why it\u2019s important<\/p>\n
Cassandra Masters, the interim executive director of Age Friendly Greater Pittsburgh, said because so much of the city consists of non-drivers, it\u2019s only right that Pittsburghers are given the right to decide how they feel comfortable traveling in the city.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know in Allegheny County that 30% of our neighbors don\u2019t drive, and a big portion of that 30% is older residents,\u201d Masters said. \u201cAt age friendly, we really believe that everyone deserves to be able to move throughout their community in whatever way they choose.\u201d<\/p>\n
She added that taking the pledge helps build community support and bridges a divide between drivers, pedestrians and public transit riders.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is definitely an empathy, sympathy building exercise for people,\u201d Masters said. \u201cEspecially for people who drive \u2014 which is myself included \u2014 we sort of tend to forget the different challenges that non-drivers face.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel Yablonsky, a digital organizing director for Pittsburghers for Public Transit, said another reason the week is hosted is to alert lawmakers in Pittsburgh that all residents deserve accessible transportation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that some of the difficulties that people are going to run into are directly the result of our elected officials not prioritizing some of the most vulnerable in our communities,\u201d Yablonsky said. \u201cIf at the center of public policy were children, were seniors, were people who are disabled or people who have low income, society would look a lot different.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not all negative, though.<\/p>\n
Week Without Driving Pittsburgh also emphasizes the joys of using alternative methods of transportation in the city.<\/p>\n
Masters said driving around the city often limits connection to the outside world and inhibits building community.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you bike, you\u2019re able to sort of slow down and you\u2019re able to really feel like you\u2019re part of the streetscape, whereas when you\u2019re in the car, it feels very contained and you\u2019re probably listening to your own radio or taking a phone call or eating while driving,\u201d Masters said. \u201cI think with public transit and walking, it\u2019s also just an amazing opportunity for you to connect with neighbors \u2026 You really do get to know people who are also heading where you\u2019re heading every day.\u201d<\/p>\n