Real mobility means having convenient and affordable options
By Staff Contributor Thom Harr, Member & Donor Manager, BikePGH
Freedom ≠ car dependency
I sometimes chuckle at the irony of seeing a car covered in messaging that celebrates the concept of freedom. We’re often told that freedom means the ability to move without restraint, but somehow that identity has become tangled up (and lost) in a two-ton metal box. The “open road” narrative is powerful, but it often overlooks the real costs many of us experience: insurance premiums, fluctuating gas prices, and the high fees we pay to park.
For many in Pittsburgh, driving doesn’t feel liberating. It feels like a chore. Too often, our trips consist of sitting in traffic or declining plans because it simply takes too long to get across town… (see also: “If I have to cross a bridge or go through a tunnel, I’m not going.”)
Looking through the Mobility Justice lens, freedom means opportunity. When we know that about a quarter of Pittsburgh households do not have access to a personal vehicle, freedom comes from being able to access daily needs safely and conveniently, without a car. And further, everyone deserves the right to move freely, safely, and with dignity in their communities – no matter who we are, where we come from, and the things we do or do not own.
The costs associated with owning a car is one of the largest household expenses, so it’s no surprise that about a fifth of Pittsburgh households go without. When other options such as biking, walking and transit are difficult, inconvenient, or unsafe, transportation and its associated costs become a major burden that can limit opportunities that other families a neighborhood away may have.
What if we looked at freedom realistically?
When driving feels mandatory, choosing another way to get around can feel like an act of rebellion.
Opting to walk, bike, or take transit helps many of us reclaim what car dependency takes away. There’s freedom in better health when we move our bodies and experience our neighborhoods at street level. There’s freedom from financial burden when we reduce the steady costs of car ownership. And there’s freedom in our time– the simple, even radical, ability to read, think, or connect with others while using public transit.
True mobility isn’t about the car I own. It’s about the ability to leave it behind.
Freedom grows when we prioritize people over parking. It grows when we invest in reliable transit and remove barriers to safe walking and biking. And it grows each time someone chooses a car-free trip, advocates for better pedestrian infrastructure, and supports a transportation system that works for everyone.
Real freedom is the freedom to choose how we move.
➤ Love this stuff? Be there for our Secret Merch Drop May 14th
This Bike to Work Day we’ll have our FIRST-EVER secret merch drop, and the designs may very well be very relevant to the contents of this blog post.
We won’t be pre-revealing any of these limited edition designs, so you’ll have to see them in person. First come, first-served for our 2026 *secret merch* suite at Bike to Work Day on Thursday, May 14, 2026!
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