Rebecca Lopez-Kriss, one of the organizers of the Women’s Exchange of Washtenaw and a participant in the Commuter Challenge, shares some excellent tips for living car-lite in Ann Arbor:

Driving Less Isn’t “All or Nothing”

After my car’s transmission died two years ago, my husband and I decided not to replace it. If our parents had one car in the early years of their marriages, then heck, we could do it too. After all, we live in walk-able/bike-able Ann Arbor, we have options to telecommute, and the stars were aligned to be a one-car family. After two years of sharing a car and making it work, we aren’t carbon-neutral, but we’ve come a long way. Here are just a few tips from experience that I hope you’ll find helpful when you take the “drive less” plunge.

1. Stop feeling stupid waiting for the bus. Growing up in South-east Michigan, I grew up thinking only weirdoes wait for the bus. (Seriously! Studies have shown that people will take a monorail, light rail, or a street car, but buses are “icky.”) Trust me, I have felt foolish leaving a business meeting at Weber’s, only to cross the street to grab the 9 to downtown. Get over it! The sooner you make the decision to make a difference in your commute, the sooner other business folks will stop feeling foolish waiting for the bus with you.

2. Stop feeling stupid asking for a ride. Carpooling is an immediate way to save gas and cut carbon emissions. Is your office downtown, and is your best friend, also downtown, heading over to the same Ann Arbor Area Chamber event out at the Polo Fields? Perhaps you won’t feel foolish asking for a ride if you send over the occasional Thank You note with a gas card in it, or offer to drive to next month’s meeting.

3. Invest in a wagon, cart, or saddlebags. If you are lucky enough to live close to a neighborhood grocery store or the Farmer’s Market, take advantage of the summer weather with a walk or bike over. But if you plan on buying a lot, visiting many stores, or frequently walking, you may consider buying a wagon to pull your purchases. This is especially handy if you want to bring a cooler along during the hot months, or you find yourself at Downtown Home and Garden with three flats of plants to carry home. And unless you have a strong back for a backpack, grocery bags can get very awkward on a bike. Saddlebags are the way to go.

4. Try some structure in your schedule. Since I share a car, I know that I will only have the car on specific days of the week. It isn’t the scheduling acrobatics that it sounds to schedule out-of-office appointments only on days that I have a car. Take a hard look at your work schedule. Can you coordinate with your partner to telecommute on specific days? Can you schedule appointments at locations within walking distance of your office? Do you have specific days that you don’t leave the office?

Even in large metropolises it is sometimes more convenient to have a car; driving less doesn’t have to be an all or nothing proposition. Try an alternate commute a few times a month, try things on for size and see what works. And when something comes up? I hope you aren’t too bashful to wait for the bus or to ask for a ride.