Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In

The season of Lent is coming up, and here's an idea we like a lot.

false

The Catholic and Protestant Churches of Austria are encouraging their followers to give up, or reduce, car usage for Lent. Mikael Colville-Andersen at Network blog Copenhagenize has the story:

Our friend Paul in Vienna sent us a link to an intiative by the Catholic and Protestant churches of Austria. Car Fasting - or Autofasten, in German. A brilliant initiative to encourage people to go on a car fast and seek alternatives.

Here's what I lamely translated from their website:

Car Fasting is ...

- An initiative to encourage a change of independent mobility between Ash Wednesday (13 Feb) to Holy Saturday (30 March).- Suggesting choosing available alternatives like rail, bus, bicycle, foot, car-pooling in order to discover something new and to experiment.- Contributing to new experiences and to public health.- An opportunity to shape a better future -- together.- An initiative of the environmental officers of the Catholic and Protestant churches in Austria.

The church offered a list of suggestions to its followers for how to comply with the fast, including walking children to school, forming a carpool and urging political leaders to improve public transport. Sounds like a pretty healthy initiative.

Elsewhere on the Network today: Greater City Providence demonstrates the wrong way to plow snow, namely by removing an obstacle for cars and placing it on the sidewalks. This Big City looks at Seattle's streetcar renaissance. And Streets.mn shares a Valentine love note in honor of the pedestrian commute.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday Video: Ride The Best Bike Tunnel In the World

Take a break from U.S. transportation news in one of Norway's most iconic biking hot spots.

March 21, 2025

Friday’s Headlines Fill ‘Er Up

As electric vehicles cut into gas tax revenue, it looks like raising gas taxes is a more viable option politically than taxing miles driven.

March 21, 2025

Talking Headways Podcast: The Public Works Director for Democrats

U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen on the Trump administration's recent guidance for stripping sustainable projects of funding, and why he thinks active transportation advocates should focus on safety.

March 20, 2025

Trump, Republicans Make D.C. Ground Zero in Their War on Cities

The Trump administration is bullying D.C. — and other cities (looking at you, New York) could soon fall in the crosshairs, advocates say.

March 20, 2025
See all posts