Remembering the Past

This post is building upon Max Levine's post about a car-free day or set of days in Eagle Rock, that may serve to promote biking and bike culture. As Max stated, this kind of event was piloted in NYC, but it has actually been implemented as part of state transportation policy in Bogota. In 2000, Bogota's voters passed a referendum for an annual "car free day," which occurs every February 1st. Given what Max wrote about Mumbai, perhaps the campus could publicize this kind of event as a global movement.

In addition, it would serve us well to remember the actions of advocates before us, and to work with the tremendous resources we have on campus and within the UEP department. In fact, several years ago, members of the faculty worked with community groups, stakeholders, and CalTrans in order to close off automobile access to a section of the Arroyo Seco freeway. This allowed bicyclists, pedestrians, picnicking families, and others, to reclaim the space.

This type of reclamation, and the way in which the leaders of this action worked with various stakeholders to accomplish what we may perceive to be unthinkable (shutting down a major freeway in Los Angeles), can teach us a lot about how to move forward with a car-free day. I agree with Max that this is not only a good idea, but also a feasible one. Perhaps, by starting to tap the resources we have within our own department, we can find new avenues, inspirations, and methods for bringing about the change we seek.