City of Rochester Encourages Residents to Pledge to a Week Without Driving
Ever wonder how much time you spend behind the wheel? If you're an average driver in Minnesota, you travel about 13,957 miles a year. That's roughly 38 miles a day, according to PolicyGenius.
Here in Rochester, nearly three-quarters of residents drive to work every single day, with an average commute of just over 15 minutes each way, per Data USA. Now, city leaders are asking the community to leave their car at home and shake up their normal routine.
A city press release, says thousands of local residents already make their daily trips without ever getting behind the wheel, and organizers want the rest of us to give it a try.
A 'Week Without Driving' runs from October 1 through 8.
The goal is to get daily drivers to experience getting around the city the way their non-driving neighbors do every day.
Rochester Encourages Residents to Go a Week Without Driving
Matt Lynch, Mode Shift Coordinator for the City of Rochester, says this is a way to discover new ways around town.
One of the most powerful parts of Week Without Driving is simply trying something new. Many participants discover convenient routes, hidden connections or a new appreciation for the options already around them. And if someone plans a trip and finds they can’t make it work without driving, that insight is incredibly valuable too. Every experience, successful or not, helps us understand real barriers and opportunities so we can continue improving transportation options for everyone.
If you want to take part, you can head to the Week Without Driving website to take the pledge. For the week, instead of driving yourself, you swap the car keys for walking, biking, public transit, or ridesharing.
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