From Elizabeth Tidd, Bike Commuter Extraordinaire:

Just wanted to let you know that I’m leading a ride on the Border to Border Trail on Saturday at 11:30am in case you would like to pass it on to the GetDowntown community.  It’s listed in the online Ann Arbor Observer at http://arborweb.com/eventindex.ra.html.  Its just 11 miles each way and is mostly on an off-road paved path as you may know.  I like to lead these rides, so people will feel more comfortable taking this trail from Ann Arbor to Ypsi and its fun to go to Sidetracks for lunch!  Maybe you’d like to join me?!

Elizabeth O. Tidd

There is a nice article today in the Ann Arbor News about all of the great new services for commuters to the downtown.

We touched on these services at last night’s Commuter Choices Reception. About 40 people attended this reception and we talked about all of the great commuting choices people have to the downtown as well as some new services coming to the area.

Here are some of the great resources we discussed:

Walk

• Want to walk downtown? Check out this great Walk Map produced by the DDA.
  • You can also get a paper copy at downtown parking structures and at the Chamber of Commerce Office at 115 W. Huron 3rd Floor.
  • This map is a great resource not only for it’s info on parking lots, bus stops, and the LINK route, but also because it has info on places to eat and shop in the downtown.
• Want to know how far you have to walk? Check out the Gmaps pedometer.
  • This nifty little program lets you see how long (in miles) in takes you to get from one place to another. Simply plug in an address, zoom in click “start recording” and double click on a starting point. Then keep clicking on points in the direction you want to travel until you reach your destination. Gmaps does the rest.
  • For those of you who run to work (or run home) you can also use MapMyRun, an online social networking site for runners.

Bike

• Get you Bike Maps here. We’ve got Bike Maps over here at the Chamber that show you preferred cycling routes.
• There are tons of other resources for cyclists on our website for cyclists. Check them out here.
• Ever wanted to put your bike on the bus. We can show you how.

Bus

• 5,400 strong and growing. That’s the number of go!passes we’ve sold so far to 388 downtown businesses.
• And not only do go!passes allow you to ride all AATA buses for free and park at Park and Ride Lots for free, they also come with DISCOUNTS TO DOWNTOWN BUSINESSES!
• The AATA is staring up a new Commuter Bus from Chelsea to Ann Arbor on May 15
• getDowntown is working with AATA and the DDA to provide a NightRide van service to downtown employees at work after 11:00pm.
  • This van would arrive at Fourth and Liberty every 45 minutes from 11:15am-1:30am and drop you off at your house (if you live on the West Side of Ann Arbor) or at the Pioneer Park and Ride Lot.
  • The service will be free for awhile to encourage people to use it and tell us what they think.
  • More info to come!

Carpool/Vanpool/Share a Ride

• getDowntown and the DDA are now offering preferential parking for carpools of 3 or more or vanpools in downtown parking structures. These spaces will be $125 each (divided among 3 people that’s about $42 each) and are guaranteed to be there for you. Want one? Email me and I’ll give you more details. I hope to get this up on the website soon.
• getDowntown and the DDA are working on getting Zipcars into the downtown. And things are moving forward. I just need to write a proposal to the DDA and they need to approve it. If the DDA approves the proposal, we should have 3 Zipcars in the downtown area by around June.
• The AATA is going to be introducing some new online ridesharing software in May. This software will allow people to go right on a website and find people to carpool or vanpool with instantly. Look for it soon!

And last, but not least, Curb Your Car Month! Stop reading this right now and sign up for the Commuter Challenge and Check out all of the great events.

Whew!