DENVER — If it feels like you’re seeing more people in Denver’s bike lanes and at RTD stops this week, it’s not your imagination.
The Denver Streets Partnership kicked off its first Week Without Driving pledge, which challenges participants to leave their car keys at home and get around on foot, bike or public transportation from Oct. 2 through Oct. 8. The goal of the event, according to organizers, is to help both residents and local leaders develop a better understanding of life for those who don’t have access to a car, and where our current infrastructure falls short.
Denver7 spoke to Ana Ilic, who is participating in the challenge. Ilic is no stranger to the bike lanes in Denver, now biking to work one to two times per week ever since receiving one of the city’s e-bike rebates earlier this year.
“I’ve always kind of been looking for alternative methods of transportation,” Ilic said. “I don’t love being stuck in a car for various reasons. You know, it’s more fun to having something else. It’s more environmentally friendly.”
Ilic’s ride to work is eight miles each direction, which she said is more than manageable on her e-bike on days with nice weather. Therefore, her challenge this week will be to stick to the plan no matter what Mother Nature throws at her.
“If the weather gets weird — which might be today’s commute, we’ll see on the way home — that’s usually when I don’t tend to bike to work,” Ilic told Denver7 as she was leaving work Monday. “I brought a jacket. So if it decides to rain on the way home, we’ll see how that goes.”
More than a hundred people in the Denver area have taken the Week Without Driving pledge, according to the Denver Streets Partnership, including a mayor, a city council representative and employees with Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and the Denver Office of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI). Adrienne Razavi, an organizing manager for the Denver Streets Partnership, said she hopes the experience will inspire them to rethink the future of infrastructure throughout the Denver metro area.
“The idea is to try and see what it’s like for the third of Denverites who don’t have a car, who can’t drive and have to get around town without that,” Razavi said. “It is really difficult — when you don’t have the option — to get around without a car because we have invested so much in cars in our infrastructure that other modes just get squeezed out.
“We are really hoping that the local leaders who agreed to participate get the experience that they need as a participant on the road to help make policy and budget decisions that have a larger systemic effect on our transportation infrastructure,” Razavi continued.
Though she holds no public office, Ilic is looking to gain similar insight herself over the course of the week. Her own neighborhood of University Hills is slated to receive new biking infrastructure, which she said will help her feel safer on her e-bike.
“I just want people to realize that not everyone can car, or even not everyone wants to car,” Ilic said. “So, maybe we can kind of aim for future builds to be a little more friendly for both sides.”
The Week Without Driving challenge runs from Oct. 2 through Oct. 8. The Denver Streets Partnership is welcoming anyone who is interested to learn more and consider taking the pledge. Even if you cannot commit to going completely car-free for the week, the team encourages you to partake as much as you’re able.
