Reconnect Rochester is kicking off a weeklong effort on Monday to get people to try driving less.
Week Without Driving is a national campaign that began in Washington state. Reconnect’s local push around encourages people to take the bus, ride a bike, use an e-scooter, or simply hoof it.
"We wanted to frame it more as the joy of reducing your driving just to try and inspire people who may not otherwise participate," said Chaz Goodman, Reconnect Rochester's marketing manager.
The different days will have themes, which will be explored in emails people can sign up to receive. Tuesday focuses on buses, for example. And on Thursday, e-scooters and e-bikes will be the center of attention.
"Monday, I'll be talking about, like, tips on how to walk, and how sometimes people think it's impractical or impossible to walk somewhere," Goodman said. "But ... 40% of car trips nationwide are under two miles, so most trips that people take are walkable."
People who sign up to participate and log their car-free miles can compete for prizes. To sign up, go to Reconnect Rochester's Week Without Driving website, which also has links to tutorials on using the RTS transit system and the VEO e-bikes and e-scooters. It also has the ROC Easy Bike Map, which can help users plan bike routes they are comfortable with.
