Week Without Driving

DART is pleased to join the Greater Madison Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and various community organizations in supporting the Week Without Driving challenge (September 29 to October 5, 2025), in particular by assisting in promoting it in Dane County’s second-largest city, Sun Prairie.

Organized by America Walks and Disability Rights Washington, the Week Without Driving invites those who take driving for granted to experience, for one week, what the third of the population that can’t drive experiences all year long. Can you conduct your daily life as usual and get to work, to school, to the doctor, or to the store without getting behind the wheel of a car? How would your daily routine have to change if you didn’t have access to a car, or were physically unable to drive one? That’s what the Week Without Driving challenge is all about.

Participants in the challenge can get around however they want during the challenge week except by driving themselves in a motor vehicle. They can ask family, friends, neighbors and coworkers for rides; ride the bus, take a taxi, or use a ride-hailing service; ride a bike; walk; or use whatever combination of these gets them where they need to go. As they do, they should consider what it would mean to have to rely on these methods of travel all the time: what it would cost in money, time, or convenience and what burdens it might impose on themselves or others. If they find they absolutely must drive for a given trip, participants should at least reflect on what it would mean in that instance if driving simply was not an option.

 Interested? Here’s what to do next:

• Visit the Week Without Driving website to learn more about the challenge.

• Sign up for the challenge.

• If you are a member of a local Sun Prairie or Dane County civic or community group, invite your fellow members to sign up for the challenge.

• Contact your local elected officials and encourage them to take the challenge:

• Contact your Sun Prairie City Council member

• Contact your Dane County Board Supervisor

• If you like, use some of these talking points when you do so.

• Access these local resources for getting around our region without driving:

• Madison Metro Transit

• Greater Madison RoundTrip

• Dane Co Human Services Transportation.

• Share your experiences with the challenge on the social media platform(s) of your choice.

• Take the Week Without Driving survey.