Strive Not to Drive is coming up May 15th through the 22nd. This is one our favorite weeks of the year. I’ll be posting on this a bit more next week and during SNTD week.
As a family we try to park our cars for the whole week mobilize with our feet, bikes, and bus passes. Every year is gets easier to do as we do our best year round to limit how much we use our car. In our drive way is a small 10 year old mazda that gets about 30 mpg and an old truck that guzzles gas. We rarely use the truck. It is just for truck sort of stuff like getting mulch, moving friends, and the sort. We might use about 22 gallons of gas per month in the car and less than 100 gallons a year in the truck.
Bridget and I ride our bikes to work most days. My commute in is only 4 miles. Her’s is maybe 6. I take the bus otherwise. Now that the weather is awesome I have been walking the kids to school in the morning. That has been fun and it seems that our walking train is growing as more kids from the neighborhood join up with us in the morning.
One of the reasons I like Strive Not to Drive week is the focus it puts on non SOV transportation options. The price tag varies, but for every car you eliminate from your drive way is about $5,000 a year in your pocket. The less we use our cars for SOV travel the cleaner our air will be, the healthier we will be, and the more money we will have.
Strive Not to Drive began twenty years ago as Bike to Work Day with the goal of encouraging bicycle commuting. Over the years as concerns about air quality, physical inactivity and related health concerns, and traffic congestion have grown; the event has broadened to encourage any form of transportation other than driving alone in your car.
From the SNTD website: Events being planned for this year include many activities to reward and recognize those making commitments to walk, bike, use transit or carpool during the week and throughout the year. The Leadership Ride will be held to introduce community leaders and policy makers to our successes and challenges in making Asheville and Buncombe a bicycle friendly community. Once again, bus fares on Friday will be 25 cents and we will be partnering with Downtown After 5 to offer bike valet parking. Plans are in the works for some fun and exciting activities for families. And, recognizing all the excitement about Asheville Buncombe’s status as a premier community for microbreweries, we have a few surprises in the works.
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