A nice story this week that perhaps takes some inspiration from the annual Park(ING) day.
The mayor of Ithaca, NY, Svante Myrick, has given up his car to join the estimated 15 percent of the city’s residents who walk to work. According to the Grist List, the mayor is entitled to a reserved parking spot downtown for his exclusive use. So instead of letting it stand empty, he turned it into a park.
Myrick hasn’t given up driving entirely; he belongs to the local Ithaca Carshare and still says he loves driving. But he’s also working to enhance his city’s transportation options. On his campaign website, he wrote, ‘The answer to too many cars is not necessarily more parking spaces … We can change traffic patterns and parking behaviours by providing alternative methods of transportation which are more affordable, reliable and convenient.’
Not bad for a 25 year old, and the youngest-ever Mayor of Ithaca.