Week Without Driving PGH uplifts the stories of nondrivers and invites us all to advocate for improved mobility options. Together, we can win better access for all!

“It is important that people realize how difficult, or impossible, it is to access many areas of the region either at all, at certain times, or within a reasonable time frame. It is important to me that their experience then translates into advocacy for major investment in public transit expansion.” 

• Opal Middleton

Whether we live in a suburban town or city neighborhood, everyone in Allegheny County deserves safe, reliable, dignified access to the places we need to go. I’m inviting you – whether you are an individual, organization representative, or elected official- to take the pledge to experience life as a non-driver, and participate in the national Week without Driving from Monday, Sept 30th – Sunday Oct 6th 2024!

The Week without Driving is a national week of action in which we uplift the experience of non-drivers in our communities, and highlight some of the barriers and challenges that we face getting where we need to go without being able to drive or afford a car. As youth, people with disabilities, older adults, people who cannot afford cars or gas- we non-drivers represent nearly a third of the population.

The #WeekWithoutDriving challenge was launched in 2021 by Anna Zivarts at Disability Rights Washington and is now a national initiative, led by America Walks and the National Campaign for Transit Justice. I’m proud to join this movement to raise awareness for greater mobility needs in every community, and I’m a member of Access Mob, a Disability Justice organization which is one of the four co-hosts for Week Without Driving PGH.

My name is Opal Middleton and I invite you to join me for the Week Without Driving PGH to advocate for improved mobility for all!

Prior to moving to Pittsburgh, my family lived in DC. When we lived there, we did not even own a car. It was not only unnecessary, it was a liability. Our experience of living car-free in DC was smooth and easy. This is because DC has robust, functional, inexpensive public transit. Sidewalks are maintained by the municipality, not property owners. Parking violations are strictly, and quickly, enforced. The culture shock in moving here with regards to transit was intense! We had to buy a car within a month of moving. 

And so now, with very few exceptions, my spouse drives me around. This is a huge time and energy sink, and responsibility, for my spouse to shoulder alone. Occasionally, I will use Lyft, but those instances occur every few years, as the service is so expensive. Having my spouse drive me everywhere is very limiting. We have children who cannot be left home alone, so a simple trip for a medical test becomes a family trip. What would otherwise be a low stress meet up with a friend becomes a logistical ordeal. As a person with a profound immunodeficiency, I would be able to access public transit again if others would wear high quality masks while on transit. 

When I was able to access public transit, there were huge swaths of the region that I was unable to get to. I still used Lyft several days per week pre-pandemic, because I was either unable to get to a certain place at a certain time (early morning or evenings), unable to get to a location at all, or unable to get there in under two to three hours with three transfers. Public transit was only practically usable for me when traveling to/from a core area, such as downtown or Oakland. A trip that takes 20 minutes by car often takes two or more hours via transit. 

Blocked, crumbling, or absent sidewalks were also an issue when using public transit. As a person with a mobility impairment, who uses mobility devices, navigating the hills and sidewalks to/from transit stops that are several blocks from one another was another barrier. 

We need protected bike lanes outside of the east end and downtown. It’s great that those exist! But the city is more than these two areas. 

I would love for families with multiple children to go car-free for a week, to see just how difficult it is to navigate a two to four hour round trip ride on transit with children, just to get to an appointment or after school activity, let alone grocery shopping.

Join me to participate in the Week without Driving! It’s my hope that your experience then translates into advocacy for major investment in public transit expansion. 

• Opal Middleton