Philadelphia transit advocates want you to spend your week without driving

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Advocates and organizers gathered Monday to officially kick off the Week Without Driving, a national movement that aims to shed light on the barriers that non-drivers face.

The event was hosted by Transit Forward Philly, a coalition of Philadelphia advocacy groups. Representatives from coalition members spoke to an audience of almost 40 people about how to improve public transit options in the city.

“One of the things that makes Philadelphia such a great city and such a great place to live is being able to get around safely and being able to have the freedom of choice of how to get around,” said Chris Gale, the executive director of Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.

Top of mind was finding a long-term funding solution for SEPTA. Gale emphasized the importance of investing in both the public transit system and the Philadelphia area’s infrastructure.

JJ Tiziou, founder of Walk Around Philadelphia, said that when residents become preoccupied with the cost of financing public transit, they lose sight of the benefits.

“For me, it’s just an investment that will bear exponential benefits for the region,” Tiziou said. “It seems silly we’re fighting over little bits and pieces of the system as it currently is, when I feel like it could be resourced three times that amount, really.”

Transit advocate Alan Fisher’s op-ed in The Philadelphia Inquirer this past June similarly argued that rather than being a wasteful expense, SEPTA is actually quite cost-effective compared to peer cities and that more spending could deliver even better results.

This year’s Week Without Driving comes as Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and the Republican-controlled Senate have been unable to agree on a state budget, a situation that led SEPTA to institute significant fare hikes and service cuts around Labor Day. A short-term funding deal for SEPTA was announced in mid-September, using capital funds to cover service costs for the next two years. Since then, a “grand bargain” on sustainably funding public transit has remained out of reach.

Advocates at Monday’s event kickoff meeting said there is still time to fund transit systems across Pennsylvania and replace the capital assistance SEPTA dipped into to temporarily avert cuts.

Not everyone has a car

About one-third of the U.S. population doesn’t rely on driving as its main form of transportation, according to Ruth Rosas, program manager at America Walks and the national organizer for the Week Without Driving.

“The week is to show, specifically our elected officials, our decision makers, our planners — the people who fund our transportation system — that there’s a big chunk of the population that is being left out of being able to have transportation options,” Rosas said.

The campaign went national in 2023, with at least one city or town in all 50 states participating. In past years, cities in Canada and Australia have participated, and there is interest from countries around the world, including England and Ghana.

Titania Markland, sustainable transportation program manager at Clean Air Council, coordinated the Week Without Driving in Philadelphia.

“We want people to commit to this week,” Markland said. “If you are a driver, this week is a week for you to step back and into the shoes of someone else who can’t drive.”

The executive director of BCGP put it simply when asked what drivers should take note of for the upcoming week.

“If possible, try not to drive, right?” Gale said.