Since we are well into winter commute season, I thought I’d share some thoughts and ideas:

1. The wintertime is a great time to start riding the bus. Think about it: It’s snowing or icy. Your car is buried. It’s kind of dangerous to drive. But you still want to work. This is a great time to take the bus. Not only is a bus safe, it’s also warm and you don’t have to worry about a spin out on the highway.But don’t just take my word for it. Here’s a story from go!pass user Shannon Tubb:

“How I became an avid go!pass user: I moved from Columbus OH to Ann Arbor MI in August 2003. I had some experience with the bus system in Columbus and also had driven in the winter before. However, there came a day that my low-to-the-ground car got stuck in the snow twice in one day.

I had already noticed the bus stop across the street from where I lived and began taking the bus on a more regular basis. I think around that time I had heard about the go!pass program and encouraged the non-profit business that I work for to sign up for it. What a deal: $5 a person for an entire year of riding the bus for free plus discounts at local merchants!

Not only has it saved me a bundle of money (I no longer own a car) and it’s better for the environment, I am less stressed without the hassle of driving or parking. I have time to read on my way to work and don’t have to worrying about winter driving. I enjoy having a few bus friends and regular drivers who make the trips comfortable and friendly

I recommend to anyone who may be skeptical to just try a different form of commuting just a few times each: like riding the bus or biking or walking.”

2. Want to burn off those extra holiday calories? Find ways to walk and bike to work. As I reported in the last getDowntown enewsletter walking just one mile burns around 150 calories. Biking burns around 36 calories a mile. So even walking or biking to work one day during the winter can help you avoid weight gain. Too far away to walk? Why not park at the Pioneer Park and Ride Lot and walk to work from there? Or maybe get off the bus a few stops early and walk or bike the rest of the way. There are lots of ways to do it and they are all good.

3. When you bike, walk or bus you save time cleaning off your car, warming it up, etc. Enough said.

4. And when days get really bad, telecommuting is even smarter because you can get your work done without having to risk your life on the highway. The Chamber has a VPN, which is secure network I can connect to over a wireless connection and access all of my work files from home. It’s great!

5. Busing, biking, walking, carpooling, vanpooling and telecommuting are cheaper than parking downtown. That means you have more money for holiday presents. Or for donating to your favorite charity. According to the SmartTrips Commuter Savings Calculator, you could save around $.73 cents a mile if you choose to bike, walk, bus, etc. instead of driving to work alone. And that doesn’t even include the cost of parking downtown!

Add your reasons in the Comments Section

Just found another cool tool for those of you who like to live in walkable neighborhoods. It’s called Walk Score and you can put in your home address and it will show you how walkable your neighborhood is.

According to its website: “Walk Score calculates the walkability of an address by locating nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks, etc. ”

Ratings are from 0-100. My neighborhood (I live on the Far West Side over by Vets Park) scores a 78, which is “very walkable”.

The only thing it doesn’t really get at is how far your work is from your home, which you should definitely calculate into something like not owning a car. But it’s really cool.

Just saw this neat sight run by Clif Bar that shows you all of the stuff (grocery stores, bike shops, retail, etc.) within two miles of your house.  The idea is that if it is two miles away, you can bike to it and reduce your carbon footprint.

Here’s the site: 2-mile challenge

I tried it for my location at it seems to work pretty well, except that there are some shops listed that I know don’t exist.

I could see this being a good tool for someone new to a neighborhood and wants to see what kind of stuff is close by.

What do you think?

FYI:

U-M CONSTRUCTION TRAFFIC UPDATE

-       Parking in SC41 allowed only on west side of lot

-       Parking spaces reduced along Bonisteel Blvd Dec. 11-14

-       E. University closed daily Dec. 13-16

-       Parking lots near Crisler Arena reduced Dec. 14-16

-       Two lanes of Huron at North Quad reduced Dec. 17-19

-       Keech Street expected to close this month

For details of each item, see below.  For a map of the impacted areas, please visit http://www.aec.bf.umich.edu/closures.html

PARKING IN SC41 ONLY ON WEST SIDE

        Since the original announcement Nov. 15 that SC41 on Hoover Street would be open to Orange permits, the lot has been reconfigured to allow parking only on the west side of the lot.  No Parking Signs have been posted along the east side of the lot.  This is necessary in order to allow adequate drive lane access.  We apologize for the confusion during this transition.

PARKING REDUCED ALONG BONISTEEL THIS WEEK

        Parking spaces along the north side of Bonisteel Boulevard between the Duderstadt Center and the Phoenix Memorial Lab will be closed to parkers Tuesday evening (Dec. 11) to 5 p.m. Dec. 14.  This closure is necessary in order to remove materials from the building.

EAST UNIVERSITY CLOSED DEC. 13-16

        East University Avenue between South University Avenue and Willard Street is scheduled to be closed daily 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday through Sunday (Dec. 13-16).  This closure is necessary in order for a contractor to assemble a crane on a private development project across from the School of Education.  Detour signs will be posted.

 CRISLER LOTS CLOSED TO ACCOMMODATE WEEKEND COMMENCEMENT ACTIVITIES

        The parking lots around Crisler Arena (SC4, SC5, SC6 and SC7) will be closed to U-M business and personal vehicles 5 p.m. Friday (Dec. 14) to 6 p.m. Sunday (Dec. 16).  Crisler is the site of winter commencement activities this weekend and the parking areas are needed for graduates’ families and friends.  Weekend employees working in the nearby buildings are asked to park as close to their buildings as possible.

LANE CLOSURE ON HURON STREET NEXT WEEK

        The southern (eastbound) two lanes of Huron Street between South State Street and the Rackham Building are scheduled to be reduced 9 a.m. Dec. 17 through 3 p.m. Dec. 19.  One lane of traffic in each direction will be provided in the northern (westbound) two lanes.  This reduction is necessary in order to install new storm and sanitary sewer lines under the street.  Please find alternate routes during this time to reduce the congestion in the area.

KEECH STREET ANTICIPATED TO CLOSE THIS MONTH

        Keech Street between South Main and Greene streets is expected to be closed later this month to accommodate the Stadium Renovation and Expansion project.  This closure originally was announced to occur in November but further planning discussions delayed the implementation until December, though we don’t have a specific date.  The closure is expected to be in place until project completion in 2010.  Access to the two available parking lots (SC35/Buffalo Lot and SC2/behind ICLE) only will be available from Hoover Street.