The ABC’s of A2B
In many cities, especially in the U.S., the car is the primary mode of transportation. Cities of all sizes seem to be designed around the car, not the human.
Our car-focused environment can shape our everyday journey experiences. We live in a system designed for cars, we're taught how to drive at 16, and we never really question if there could be a different way of doing things.
More Americans would probably use different modes of transportation if the infrastructure system itself encouraged these modes (i.e. if bike lanes were truly protected from car traffic and if buses arrived more than once an hour).
However, even given the current infrastructure, more Americans would probably use different modes if they actually knew how.
I don't mean that Americans need to be taught how to ride a bike - most of us were taught how to do this early on, yet seem to have forgotten at some point how great it is to get around on two wheels.
I mean that many people wouldn't even consider getting around in any way other than driving. The thought of "other modes of transportation" wouldn't cross their minds as an option. And even if it did, they would probably give up the idea before trying it because of jumbled, unreadable bus maps and perceived safety concerns (more on this later). The point is, we're creatures of habit - if we're used to hopping into our cars for every little thing, we don't often consider anything else.
This is why my friend in Dallas, although she lives 0.1 miles away from a light rail station, has never used the train. It's why my friend in a mid-sized university city hops into his car to make a half-mile journey, rather than considering riding a bike or electric scooter.
It's time to rethink why we do what we do.
The goal of JourneyFully is to empower people to rethink their own mobility. Macro-scale improvements to infrastructure can be a very long time in the making, but even now many individuals can still shift their journey habits to some degree. What we’re talking about here is step-by-step incrementalism, not sweeping transformation.
If just one person would be inspired to try out biking or taking transit to work (or other destinations) once a week as a result of reading this blog post, that would be an encouraging outcome!
If that person’s coworker sees the change and is inspired to do the same, that would be amazing. If that coworker’s friend is also motivated and decides to shift three of their weekly A to B trips, or half of their trips... you get the idea. We’re looking to catalyze those little-by-little realizations that transportation doesn’t only have to be utilitarian - it can also support our personal wellbeing.
Our car-focused environment can shape our everyday journey experiences, but we don’t have to let it define and constrain every single journey!
What do you think? Will you journey more fully this week? Leave us a comment below!
~ And whatever mode of transportation you choose, please journey safely for yourself and others! ~
