Great to have a 1st chat recently with AJ Stewart of @developthewest!
He immediately asked us “What is the first step you would take to making a community less car-dependent?“
This is the million-dollar question isn’t it!
One of our first steps is to establish communication & hopefully a relationship with the municipality.
Without this, in most (if not all) cities & towns, sustainable change in mobility infrastructure & patterns is unlikely to happen.
Establish a dialogue with the city planning office. Find out if there is an agency designated for urban mobility. Find out if there is a pedestrian plan in the works. Establish a connection with your local transport authority. Find out what they are doing within their agencies to reduce car dependence & shift the paradigm. Find out how you as a local resident (or local citizen organization) can ally with municipal officials to effect change.
Reach out, drop an email as a concerned citizen & also explore social media – many municipal agencies are active online & have a presence on social media.
We also, of course, advocate being the change we want to see – so walking, biking & using your public transit as often as you can & communicating with your community about their mobility choices & habits.
Of course, we want to put this question to our community here as well! Feel email us what you would do as a first step to making a community less car-dependent.
