When I heard about the October Week without Driving in mid-July, I thought, “Why not?” At the time, I had one significant event that week, but figured, “Okay, so that day I will drive, but the rest I will take the bus, work from home, ride my bike. Easy peasy.”

In July and August, I took the bus a handful of times — getting ready for October, but also because it was so easy to do. I have not gotten the knack of arriving just minutes before the bus, so I wait for at least half the time it would take me to drive myself. Gotta get better at that.

Prior to my move to Arcata in 2019, I spent my entire post-college work life living three miles away from my place of work. I would ride my bike, sometimes with my dog Nevada in tow, when I worked at the Humboldt Senior Resource Center. I walked from Myrtletown to the Area 1 Agency on Aging office (formerly) on 7th Street, but it was a trek. The bus route was too circuitous from Myrtletown to downtown, though, so driving was my main go-to.

When I lived in Botswana, I was three miles from work — from one end of a long skinny village to the other — and the only choice was walking or hitching. I lost twenty-five pounds during my time there but regained it all back within a year of Humboldt driving.

My current commute is now close to seven miles. I am privileged to have a car that I use in my Rotary volunteer work, my side business as a Senior Move Manager, and for my work at A1AA. It takes me 10 minutes to make the 7-mile drive from just off the Plaza in Arcata to J Street in Eureka. Sometimes I drive straight to work and back and realize I didn’t need my car. I see folks getting on the bus at the corner near my home and think, jeez, why aren’t I doing that? Especially on days when the car will just sit in the office parking lot.

Living in Arcata, I have a rule that I walk everywhere within walking distance from my house, which I figure to be the well-worn 3-mile radius. Except when I need to carry more stuff than rational, non-circus performing people would.

Fast forward to Sunday, September 28, 2025. The schedule filled up. Way up. I have three side gig clients — two next Sunday, one on Monday. Tuesday, I have a late meeting in Eureka. Oh wait! Tuesday I can take a bus and get home! WIN.

Our agency fundraiser is on Wednesday, and I must bring a bunch of stuff to it. (Young and Lovely, Arcata Playhouse 5:30 p.m., tickets at the door, cake decorating contest and auction. Fundraiser for our Volunteer Driver Program, which coincidentally takes people who cannot or do not drive to medical appointments. Come dance!)

Thursday I am delivering heavy materials to CUNA. Hmm … buses to Valley East … Check! Friday, an old friend is in town and wants me to visit her in McKinleyville. Oh wait. A bus!!!

On Saturday, my Rotary Club has a fundraiser at Baywood Golf Club. (Free charity fundraiser social from 4 to 6 p.m. — for Food for People. Appetizers, a silent auction, and a limited number of tickets for a 7-night trip stay at the Marriott Kauai Beach Resort in Lihue, plus up to $1000 towards travel). I volunteered for the silent auction which means delivering massive amounts of stuff to the event.

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This Week without Driving has shown me how dependent I am on my car and how insanely busy one can accidentally get. It also shows me that with planning, I can ride the bus on three days I didn’t think I could!

Things I regularly do in a good week.

1. Walk to anything within a 2 to 3-mile radius. This includes light grocery shopping. I plan accordingly and only buy what I can carry.
2. Walk to places in Eureka within a 1 mile radius of my work, which covers the bank, post office, and old town.
3. Batch driving. I never go anywhere for one thing. I rarely drive to Eureka on the weekend unless I can run errands as well, but I try to do errands during the week.
4. Work from home two days a week.
5. Zoom meetings save time and driving. Thoughtful in-person gatherings are great.
6. Take the bus to Eureka when I do not need my car.
7. Ride that trail! Riding to Eureka, knowing I can put the bike on a bus on the return trip is great. Not sure about walking it, but next summer I will walk home a couple of times after work. Because I know I can, and those twenty-five pounds need to know who’s boss.

It is hard to be without dependable transportation in Humboldt County, and many are. Our work at A1AA shows the negative health and social impacts on people who can no longer drive. Even those who want to take the bus may not be able to get to a bus stop safely, or it may be too far away from their home or destination. I know older adults who do not want to ask for a ride from friends or family. They either drive when they should not or end up not meeting their needs.

Every time I can leave my car behind, it is a win. Whether the benefit is fresh air, exercise, interactions with neighbors as I walk around town, using a more efficient form of transportation, like buses, my bicycle or my own two legs, it serves to keep me connected to others and to the world around me. We are not designed, physically or emotionally, to be lone drivers in cars. So, next time you have a trip planned that needs to be in a car, do you know someone who might need a ride? Do you really need the car? Those of us 60 plus get great rates on the bus, and if you are just commuting to a regular 8 or 9 to 5 job, it’s worth checking out.

Maggie Kraft is executive director of the Area 1 Agency on Aging.