NORTHAMPTON, Mass. – She has been called the “Walking Quaker,” an 86-year-old pacifist pedestrian who embodies this college town’s grass-roots activism and liberal politics.
Now, Frances Crowe and a group of like-minded activists are trying to revive a one-time popular mode of transportation in the hope it might help prevent an oil shortage: hitchhiking.
“When I came to Northampton in 1951, I had a station wagon and picked up all kinds of hitchhikers,” she said. Six years later, Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road” was published, and thousands of Americans sought to emulate the writer’s cross-country adventures.
Hitchhiking is not as common anymore, and the dangers are well-known.
“But with the price of oil going up, people might want to think about changing their habits,” Crowe said.
Crowe’s group, Communi-GO, is hoping to set up a safe system for college students, poor people and anyone else who may not have a car or the desire to drive through western Massachusetts, the home of Smith College.
The program is still in the planning stages, and organizers figure they will need 300 people to sign up. But this is how it would work:
Participants would be issued placards identifying them as Communi-GO members. Instead of holding out a thumb, a hitchhiker would wave the sign. A driver belonging to Communi-GO would pull over, displaying a placard as proof of membership.
To enroll, people would have to submit their names and addresses and fill out a form stating they have no history of violent crimes. People who want to be drivers would have to give proof of insurance, registration and a valid license.
Those convicted of drunken driving would be allowed to take part as passengers, but not as drivers.
Riders and drivers would be on the honor system when it comes to reporting their criminal histories.
But Northampton Police Chief Russell Sienkiewicz said having everyone’s name in a database will at least give police some basic information in case of foul play.
“It’s not airtight security, but what is these days?” he said. “They’re trying to form a system that is better than just picking up strangers, and from a public safety point I don’t see any problems. I think it’s a great idea for cutting down the number of motor vehicles on the road and for conserving energy.”
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