A new challenge pushes citizens to imagine a life without cars, and how you would navigate life without them.
A Week Without Driving is an initiative sponsored by PedalSafe ROA and the Bus Riders of Roanoke Advocacy Group (BRRAG). The challenge ran from September 29th to October 5th.
The challenge requires you to not use your own vehicle for everyday responsibilities or adventures. This encourages participants to explore the public transportation opportunities. This includes taking the bus, train, or walking and cycling. However, it does mention that you can rely on others not participating in the challenge.
Not everyone has the ability to drive, and this challenge exemplifies the mobility issues within certain cities. Whether someone does not have access to a car for financial reasons, or they themselves cannot operate a vehicle because of a disability; this challenge allows those who have cars to see the other side.
To improve transportation issues, many improvements have been made to the Roanoke area. Specifically in Southeast Roanoke, new bike lanes have been added to promote sustainable travel, and sidewalks have been implemented to allow for safer trips and bus stops. However, amenities like these have not been applied to other communities in Roanoke City, Roanoke County, or Salem.
This is not to mention that the bus system in the Roanoke Valley has had many issues in the recent past. According to WSLS News, many ValleyMetro buses did not show up at stops in the early morning near the start of school.
However, the city plans to make changes to these issues. At the end of the challenge, Roanoke will hold a follow-up meeting to discuss the issues that people had noticed during the week. It will also be open to people who did not participate who have opinions to share. This will be held Tuesday, October 7th at 5:30pm at the Melrose Library. Local government officials who participated in the event, such as Mayor Joe Cobb, will be participating in the meeting.
Sources: WSLS News and PedalSafe ROA FaceBook page
Kara Hopkins
News Editor
