The theme of the Commuter Challenge is  get more out of your commute.  That’s because when you try a sustainable commute, you get some many wonderful benefits such as more money, more time to read, and more exercise.

This Commuter Challenge success story demonstrates that theme beautifully.  It comes from Kathi over at i3.

i3 has been competing in the Commuter Challenge since it began.  In 2007, less than 1% of i3’s staff participated in the Challenge.  In 2008 staff participation jumped to nearly 40%!

A big reason for this jump was management buy-in.  Another reason for i3’s success during the Challenge was that several people began to carpool to work.

During the 2008 Commuter Challenge, Kathi and 4 other staff members formed a carpool together.  All of them live in Oakland County.

The carpool continues to this day.  While Kathi sometimes has to drive by herself (because of her family situation), she continues to carpool 2-3 times a week.

Kathi shares the benefits she’s seen from her carpool commute:

Besides saving gas and wear and tear on my car, it has been fun to get to know the others a bit better and of course, it is really nice to have the chauffeur service on the days someone else drives.

So in addition to saving a little money and getting some time to socialize, Kathi also gets to sit back and relax on days she doesn’t have to drive.

If this sounds nice to you, consider signing up for the Commuter Challenge.  We’ll give you the motivation (and resources) you need to start up your own sustainable commute.  Click here to sign up today!

Yesterday, the Ann Arbor News reported that there will soon be a new Park and Ride Lot created on the Northeast side of Ann Arbor at US-23 and Plymouth Rd.  According to the News, This lot would have “at least 245  parking spaces, a bus shelter, covered bike parking, and outlets to someday handle plug-in vehicles.”

This lot is expected to open in mid to late fall.

There is going to be bus service from this lot to downtown as well as to the University of Michigan.

In the News article, AATA Community Relations Director Mary Stasiak noted that the other Park and Ride Lot on that side of town (at Green and Baxter Rds) is often over-capacity.  And this is true even though it takes quite a while to get to downtown from that park and ride lot (about 30 mins).

I imagine that there will be a faster bus downtown from this new Park and Ride Lot, but I have not yet confirmed that with the AATA.

As the UM looks to purchase the Pfizer facility and as the Northeast Side of town continues to develop, I see this Park and Ride as a great way to encourage people to park their cars in one place and take the bus to their destination.

In casual conversations with the UM Parking and Transportation, I’ve also heard that there are a significant number of employees coming from that side of the County (from Brighton, Canton, Plymouth, etc) so this new Park and Ride Lot should serve them well.

In data that I have gathered about downtown commuters, I have also seen that many of these folks are coming from that side of the County and would appreciate a Park and Ride Lot with a fast bus connection to the downtown.

I’ll continue to provide updates about this Park and Ride Lot as I hear them.

I also continue to follow the AATA’s decision to create a new commuter bus service from Canton to Ann Arbor.  I don’t know the current status of this service, but will provide more updates as I hear them.