LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Car-Free Sebastopol
Editor: Every September 22, people around the world gather in
the streets and neighborhoods to celebrate World Car-Free Day and
to remind the world — and ourselves — that we don’t have to drive
everywhere all of the time. Yes, with a bit of planning and time
management, most of us could cut our driving back and use that time
for other activities. In honor of World Car-Free Day, here are some
upcoming Car-Free activities:
World Car-Free Day — please consider walking around town or
taking our local bus. Bus 24 runs around Sebastopol nine times
every weekday starting at 9:07 a.m. at Burbank Heights and
returning there at 3:52 p.m. On Saturdays it runs a similar
schedule but stops earlier at 2:22 p.m. Perhaps you will see our
mayor, Sarah Gurney, who takes bus 24 regularly and even holds bus
office hours a few times a month by appointment. For more info on
bus 24, please visit www.sctransit.com  and enter 24 in
the “Select a Route” pull down box on the left.
The Fall Sebastopol Car-Free Celebration is on Sunday, Oct. 3 at
the Farmers Market. A collaboration of LITE Initiatives, Transition
Town Sebastopol and the Farmer’s Market, we plan to get 1,000
people downtown without their autos. Like the very successful May
event, a parade is in development and the HubBub Club Street
Marching Band has been asked to take part. Would you like to take
part? For more information, please contact me at li**@so***.net or at Community Bikes,
579-5811.
Wednesday, Oct. 6 is International Walk and Roll To School Day.
Students and parents are asked to walk, bike, skate or scoot to
school that day. For information about what is happening at a
particular school, please contact the principal.
Park Side, Pine Crest, Brook Haven and the Independent Charter
School are all taking part in the Sebastopol Unified School
District Safe Routes to School Program. Funded by a 3-year federal
Safe Route To School grant to the city, the program is managed by
the wonderful folks at the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition. Program
Director Tina Panza is responsible for the elementary schools and
Program Manager Sarah Hadler is working with Brookhaven. For more
information, visit sonomasaferoutes.org, and then
call 545-0153.
For more info on World Car-Free Day, please visit the website
home of the World Car Free Network and the wiki listing all of the
2010 events: www.worldcarfree.net and editthis.info/wcd.
Thanks. I look forward to hearing your ideas and suggestions on
how to drive less in Sebastopol.
Portia Sinnott
Sebastopol