The City of Vancouver has two projects that should benefit
riders of all ages and abilities.
#1
Would you consider the challenge of not driving for a week?
September 30-October 6 - The goal: appreciate transportation
barriers non-drivers face and advocate for changes to improve mobility options.
Walk, roll, or take the bus for transportation for seven
days. https://weekwithoutdriving.org/
Can’t do it? Do what
you can. (See #2 below for more immediate advocacy action you CAN take.) Then reflect. How might people without the option
to drive get to work, get groceries, or get kids to daycare? All of us need to get somewhere, but not all of
us drive due to age, health, or finances.
Theoreticals are one thing, but this issue is both personal
and a reality at our house. It’s more
than not driving. Our family can no
longer even ride in a car, so we rely solely on transit. Wheelchairs roll into buses.
I asked city councilors to do four things during this
challenge: BIKE on a sharrowed street, e.g. Columbia Way by the river. WALK
slowly as one does with some health conditions across wide intersections, e.g.
164th Ave. ROLL a wheelchair
over uneven sidewalks. And last – COMMIT
to making travel safer and more accessible for non-drivers. What would you ask them to do?
#2
Here’s advocacy we can all do.
The 29th and 33rd Streets Safety
Mobility Project is happening.
*READ about it----https://www.beheardvancouver.org/29th-and-33rd-safety
*RIDE the project loop----Community Bike Ride with city
planners! September 25, 5pm https://www.cityofvancouver.us/events/29th-33rd-community-bike-ride/
*TAKE THE CITY SURVEY----Give your feedback. (Link on their
website)
My feedback includes nixing the sharrows planned for 33rd
St westbound. You may not mind a 5,000 -pound
SUV on your tail, but I do. Lowering speed limits is good, but relying on them
and speed cushions to slow drivers isn’t enough and I don’t want to be the city’s
speed bump.
We’re VBC and we roll.
We know street conditions. We can
also raise the bar on expectations for transportation equity. Safer, accessible streets for all, more
people on bikes, and a cooler planet.
Janet (aka Jan, but rhyming is fun)