One third of people living in the United States do not have a driver license.
When Driving Is Not an Option shines a light on the frustrating, dangerous, and sometimes deadly situations involuntary nondrivers face every day and outlines steps to center the voices of nondrivers and make transportation more inclusive. Drawing from both her own experiences as a low-vision, non-driving mom and those of nondrivers across the country, Zivarts amplifies voices rarely heard or acknowledged by the people making decisions about transportation design and funding.
Recent Essays
- “It’s time to imagine a Safer, More Connected Rainier Avenue.” The Urbanist.
- How ‘Week Without Driving’ Is Having An Impact.”StreetsblogUSA.
- “School Dropoff Is Everything that Sucks About Car Culture.” Romper.
- “E-Bikes Mean Freedom for Low-Vision Bicyclists.” StreetsMN.
- “Washington State Should Allow Riders to Serve on Transit Boards.” The Urbanist.
- “I Tried to Hate-Ride a Waymo. Turns Out, I Loved It (And therein lies the problem with the autonomous vehicle revolution).” StreetsblogUSA
- “Why Should You Need a Driver’s License to Be a Hotel Receptionist?” Governing.
- “Don’t Forget About Nondrivers in Rural America.” Daily Yonder.
- “No One Left Behind: Nondrivers Are Facing the Housing Crisis Too.” Strong Towns.
- “What If Non-Drivers Helped Plan Our Transportation Systems?” Next City.
- “Steering Away from Car Dependency Is Not About Toughing It Out ” The Urbanist.
- “The climate crisis demands a move away from car dependency.” The Daily Climate.
- “You cannot prioritize all modes.” Planetzien.
About the author
A. Zivarts
Anna Zivarts is a visually impaired parent and author of When Driving Is Not an Option: Steering Away from Car Dependency (Island Press). Since its publication in May 2024, ZIvarts has led more than 100 presentations and discussions about the book across 22 states and four Canadian provinces. Zivarts is a leader of the nondriver movement, organizing disabled transit riders in Washington State through the Nondriver Alliance and supporting the growth of the Week Without Driving, which she launched in 2021. Previously, Zivarts spent fifteen years as a communications strategist for labor and political campaigns, working as a storyfinder for the LGBT & HIV/AIDS Project at the ACLU and co-founding the NYC-based communications and storytelling firm, Time of Day Media. Zivarts earned undergraduate and master’s degrees from Stanford University and sits on the boards of the League of American Bicyclists. the Pacific Northwest Transportation Consortium, and serves as a member of the Transportation Research Board’s Committee on Transportation and Public Health.
Anna Zivarts 