A week without driving challenges motorists to learn about transportation inequity

City council members, state senators, and transit CEOs from around Washington state are taking to sidewalks and light rail stations to better understand what it's like to not have access to a car.

Here's an idea: instead of driving to work this week, hop on a bus. Or leave your car keys at home and walk to school. Or perhaps you could ride your bike to your next errand. That's what Disability Rights Washington is challenging elected officials across the state to do during the week of Sept. 19 to 25.

The group is calling this a "Week Without Driving." The week is aimed at raising awareness about what life is like when you don't have access to a car.

"We want people to understand both the choices they make individually, but much more critically, the larger systemic barriers and the ways we've invested or vastly under invested in mobility options for people who don't have the privilege of driving," said Anna Zivarts, director of the Disability Mobility Initiative at Disability Rights Washington.

Zivarts said that a quarter of people in Washington state don't have the privilege of driving everywhere they want to go, including young people, people who have aged out of driving, people who are disabled, people who can't afford a car, or those without IDs.

Zivarts spoke to Soundside about a Week Without Driving and how it can better help people understand the deep seated inequalities of car first infrastructure.