Join UWL’s Week Without Driving Sept. 29-Oct. 5

Join UWL's Week Without Driving Sept. 29-Oct. 5

Each day, most off-campus undergraduate students at UW-La Crosse depend on walking to reach campus. In the wider La Crosse community, more than 40% of residents do not drive - whether by choice, necessity, or circumstance.

In contrast, most UW-La Crosse employees commute alone by car. According to a spring 2024 campus transportation study, 82% of university staff, 62% of faculty and 78% of academic staff commute by personal vehicle.

To raise awareness about transportation equity and sustainability, UWL and the broader La Crosse community will once again participate in Week Without Driving, a national event running this year from Sept. 29 to Oct. 5. The initiative challenges participants to rethink their reliance on personal vehicles and explore what daily life is like for non-drivers in car-dependent communities across the country.

"Figuring out you can't complete a week without driving is just as significant as being able to do it," says Andrew Ericson, UWL's sustainability program manager. "Many non-drivers in La Crosse get by - but within a system that is not always easy, pleasant or equitable. This week is about exploring how we can create better access for everyone through walking, biking, rolling, and public transit."

Insights that lead to action

Over the years, feedback from UWL's Week Without Driving has helped shape real-world changes. During last year's Off-Campus Walk Audit, UWL students, faculty, staff, community members, and representatives from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) identified key safety and access concerns along the state highways bordering campus.

Combined with data from earlier commuting surveys, those findings informed proposed design changes now included in WisDOT's La Crosse Corridor Study-a major initiative to enhance safety, multimodal access, and transportation infrastructure in the area, explains Ericson.

One of the project leaders, Michael Richardson, '07, serves as WisDOT's project manager for both the WI 35 and US 14/61 improvements. For him, the work is personal.

"I lived on Pine Street just east of West Avenue when I attended UWL," Richardson says. "So being tasked to work with the community to improve bike and pedestrian accommodations has been a true pleasure."

Safer streets, better access

According to Richardson, WisDOT's updated plans include significant accessibility and safety upgrades:

• New bike facilities along much of the WIS 35 corridor
• Sidewalk curb ramps brought up to current ADA standards
• Improved transit stops with features like level loading zones and enhanced lighting

A major improvement near campus will close the median at Vine Street and install a flashing pedestrian beacon, while reopening the Pine Street median with a fully signalized intersection. This will create protected crossings at the three intersections most frequently used by UWL students along WIS 35.

How to participate in Week Without Driving

During the week, UWL faculty, staff and students are encouraged to go car-free - or at least reduce their car use - by walking, biking, rolling or riding public transit instead of driving. The goal isn't perfection but participation: try swapping just a few car trips for alternative transportation and reflect on the experience.

New this year, participants are invited to sign up and share their experiences online: Sign up for Week Without Driving or share your experience.

Week Without Driving - events schedule

Monday, Sept. 29

• Route Planning Concierge Service | 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. | Student Union tabling
• Practical Tips and Skills for Bike Commuting (Ride + Talk with Professor James Longhurst)
  Begins at 5 p.m. | Drift Cycle Station, Student Union

Tuesday, Sept. 30

• Route Planning Concierge Service | 12-1:30 p.m. | Student Union tabling
• "Free to Ride" Documentary & Panel Discussion | 5-6:30 p.m. | La Crosse Public Library

Wednesday, Oct. 1

• Panel: Getting Around La Crosse - Past, Present & Future | Noon-1 p.m. | Room 3310, Student Union With Gargi Chaudhuri, Margot Higgins, Sam Steingraeber, Jenna Dinkel (City of La Crosse), Jim Krueger (La Crosse MTU), and Cathy Van Maren (La Crosse Transit Advocates)

Thursday, Oct. 2

• Bike Ride with Local Leaders | 9 a.m.-noon | Meet at City Hall (north entry)
• PHAs Bus Ride to the Pearl | 6 p.m. | Meet at the bus stop north of Student Health Center

Sunday, Oct. 5

• Wrap-Up Event | 1-3 p.m. | The Root Note

Why it matters

Transportation choices at UWL have a measurable impact. The 2024 study also revealed that commuting during the 2023-24 academic year contributed an estimated 1,014 metric tons of carbon dioxide. Shifting even some of these trips to walking, biking, or public transit can significantly reduce our carbon footprint - and improve quality of life on and off campus.

About Week Without Driving

The UWL portion of Week Without Driving is put on by UWL Sustainability and other partners. This event is celebrated across the city of La Crosse. Week Without Driving is a national event organized by America Walks and Disability Rights Washington. Learn more about the national event.

For questions or to request disability accommodations, contact:
Andrew Ericson [email protected] or 608.785.8867