Growing up in the Denver area, Stephen learned to navigate by transit early and carried that habit into adulthood, which became an asset when a medical diagnosis led him to cut back on driving. Cargo e-bikes made that shift practical for his whole household and a high level of resilience to mobility friction helped ease the transition. Stephen carries this experience into his work as a multimodal engineer for the City of Boulder. He talks about his journey, how his family has adapted, and how people in similar situations can transition to being a nondriver.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Stephen's journey from driver to non-driver

01:54 Stephen's early experiences with transit and driving

03:48 The diagnosis and its impact on Stephen's transportation choices

06:14 Transition to cargo e-bikes and living car-light

09:04 The role of transit rebates and infrastructure in Denver

11:48 Challenges and opportunities in urban biking and transit

16:03 Moving to Golden and changing transit access

19:49 Children's perspectives on biking and transit

22:45 Safety considerations for biking with kids

29:54 Hope and progress in urban transportation infrastructure

39:01 Reflections on being a non-driver and future outlook

Questions? email [email protected]

nondriver is a production of Nondrivers Alliance. More info: https://nondrivers.org

Hosted by Anna Zivarts and Devin Silvernail. This episode was produced by Devin Silvernail.

Pick up a copy of Anna's book When Driving is Not An Option: Steering Away from Car Dependency. https://annazivarts.com/