Takin’ it to the streets – without a car
From Tallahassee.com
By Mari-Jo Lewis-Wilkinson
September 22 is World Car-Free Day. It is an opportunity to give up your car for a day by walking, bicycling, or taking public transportation and observe Tallahassee from a different perspective other than through a car windshield. Here are a few ideas.
Whether walking or bicycling, the old adage, “Safety in Numbers,” rings true. So how about a group walk early that evening to remind drivers there are pedestrians out there on the sidewalks? Florida is second in the nation in pedestrian fatalities. But studies have shown pedestrian crashes and fatalities decrease where there is a heavy pedestrian presence. Gather several neighbors for a short walk to a local park, shop, or restaurant, or just around the neighborhood. Fresh air, friendly conversation, and a fun way to welcome the fall season.
Or maybe you want to form or join a neighborhood “bike bus” that day — a group of kids biking en masse to school. Check out this video about Portland, Oregon’s “Bike Bus for Earth Day.” You’ll wish you hadn’t spent so many hours of your life sitting in the student drop-off lane. https://youtu.be/XNRnKXd9sHE
If you like that idea, consider emulating bigger cities like Chicago that have a monthly “Critical Mass” bicycle ride — hundreds of bicyclists non-confrontationally and cheerfully sharing the road with drivers in a leisurely evening ride through downtown streets.
