Humboldt leaders participate in National Week Without Driving

In Humboldt County, it can seem impossible to get from Point A to Point B without a car. But those with disabilities and those who cannot afford to drive face that challenge every day.

The Week Without Driving was started by Disability Mobility Initiative in the state of Washington before expanding nationwide. This allowed 23 local leaders throughout Humboldt to take part in the event.

“I think it’s really important to model the behavior I want to see in our community,” City of Eureka Mayor Kim Bergel said. “And I know, for me, I get so much benefit lately but also riding my bike and being out in the fresh air.”

Those in the county have numbers of way to accessible ways to navigate the area too.

This includes an expanded version of the county’s Dial-A-Ride service. Another method is the tap to pay option using debit cards on Humboldt Transit buses.

Those riding public transit can use the Transit app to see when buses are approaching in real time.

City Councilmember Renee Contreras-DeLoach spoke from her own personal experience of using transit in the past.

“When my family first moved her in 2009, we, you know, we were saving for other things, we had two young children at the time, so having a vehicle was not a priority for us,” Contreras-DeLoach said. “It was challenging to figure out how to get to music appointments, school appointments, doctors, appointments. Definitely a challenge.”

Even on day one, the experience has helped leaders rethink their own ways of traveling around.

“I will admit as someone who owns a car, I often ride out of convenience especially when I need to haul grocery, meeting that are far away from each other in a short period of time and so it’s really caused to rethink my schedule,” 4th District Supervisor Natalie Arroyo said.

“And how I can benefit from being more physically active while also getting from place to place that a little more climate friendly. It’s a great chance to think about all the people in the community that don’t use a car for transportation and how their getting around and ways we can make that more possible for them.”