I wanted to update you on the Arborland issue in terms of what I have discovered.  I called the owners of Arborland (AmCap) in both Denver and in Connecticut. Connecticut is where the main corporate office is located.

I got through to someone from Connecticut who told me that the President of AmCap is out sick, but sent me to his voicemail.

The person I spoke with in Conn told me that both the Denver and Conn offices have been instructed to say “No Comment” when it comes to the Arborland issue and that they have indeed been getting a lot of calls and emails. The time is running out for us to try to address this issue. So I am asking you to try to make one last push.

Can you call the AmCap corporate office either today or tomorrow and ask to speak to the president? And if he is unavailable, simply leave a voicemail. Tell him what your concerns are and what the impact might be of moving the AATA bus stop. If you know of someone at your organization with even more clout, let them make the call.

Perhaps we might not be able to win this one, but I would hate to think we didn’t try! Call the AmCap Connecticut Headquarters at (203) 327-2001. Pass this along to whomever.

In case you haven’t heard, there are two different Ann Arbor Commuter Rail proposals in the works.  Both the WALLY (Washtenaw Livingston Line) and the Ann Arbor-Detroit Line are slated to begin in the fall of 2010.

The AATA is helping to coordinate the WALLY project and has been leading meetings of interested folks for a while.  The last meeting was held on June 22nd.

While it looks like the rail cars and other details are going smoothly, there is still the issue of funding for the WALLY.  MDOT did not receive Stimulus funds for the project, and is now trying for something called TIGER funds (info on TIGER funds in the comment section).

If you want to read more about WALLY and view the presentation from June 22nd click here.

For those of you who commute to work by foot or bike on Washington Street, things are about to get a little safer.  The City has decided to put a pedestrian refuge island at Seventh and Washington, which will make it easier to cross this sometimes busy street.  The work should be completed by September 2009.

I know that several citizens have spoken out about this so I want to make sure everyone knows that you can have an impact on this community by voicing your concerns to your City Council rep.

For more information on this pedestrian island, click here.

Another post from Patti S. who’s telling us about her Almost Carfree Summer . . .

Whenever I ride my bike, I feel like I should have a sign on my back that says: Caution: Slow Rider! Or maybe a little happy face that says, “Thanks for not running into me!”. Whatever, I am a slow bike rider. I have ridden fairly steadily for two years now and while my stamina has increased, my speed has not (that I can tell). I inherited asthma from some grandparents, so my lungs don’t work as well as normal people’s do. Thus, I can’t do anything outside on days that are too humid or too cold. I cannot run (tried it once, had an asthma attack, almost went to ER) and most sports are not possible for me.

While I have had success in the bike riding department, hills just about kill me. Particularly, I loathe the Eisenhower hill over I-94. It is less than a mile from my house and I must ride it if I wish to go to my credit union or State Street or other places in that direction. To my credit though, I was in first gear and had to stop twice the first time I rode it. Now, I can make it up the hill and usually in fourth or fifth gear. So we are making progress, that hill and I.

I always keep hills in mind when I plan my trips. I do what I can to avoid the worst ones and suffer through the rest. Despite my distaste for hills, I think I’ve been doing pretty well in my “almost car free summer”. Let’s recap. I’ve biked to the farmers’ market every Saturday, I carpooled with a friend on two downtown trips, rode my bike to Hillers to do some light grocery shopping, rode my bike to Krogers later on to finish up shopping and I have ridden my bike for almost every event except for a late night Top of the Park, a trip downtown with my husband (he looked less than thrilled when I mentioned biking or buses, so we drove), two canning trips, and last week’s trip to see the Ann Arbor Civic Band. (I had my dog with me for that last one, and all I need is to tie him to the bike and have him see a squirrel…you’d see an Ann Arbor Chronicle Stopped. Watched. item that said “woman stuck in tree, dog eating squirrel, guts everywhere”.

So, so far so good. As the days get hotter and muggier, I will have to keep my health in mind when I plan my trips. Thanks for reading…and see you on the roads!

Thought you might like to see how go!passes are doing right about now:

go!pass Program Participation

If you like Zipcars and are excited that they’re in downtown Ann Arbor, why not become a fan of Zipcar Ann Arbor on Facebook?  If you become a fan, you’ll be able to receive updates on what’s going on with Zipcars in Ann Arbor (including special promotions, if we’re going to be adding any new cars, etc.)

So if you’re on Facebook, search for Zipcar Ann Arbor or just click here.

This post is from guest blogger Al McWilliams.

Other than having just figured out that I was supposed to keep writing in this blog even after the commuter challenge started (sorry, I thought I was just the opening act), today I had a great idea!

I’m watching them put in the new fancy solar-powered parking meter stations around downtown and I thought, “Wow! This is so great, and renewable! However, it does seem a little complicated and expensive, not to mention having big, bored-teen-tempting solar panels… there might be a better way…”

Then, like in a dream, it came to me! What if there was a way to have parking meters that functioned mechanically!? You’d just pull up to them, drop in some sort of weighted currency, and turn a crank!! Get on in engineers! The future is now!

I don’t often get angry but I have to say that I am angry right now.  I am angry that the owner’s of Arborland have decided to push the AATA out of their shopping area after being nice enough to put a bus stop there.  I am angry on a number of different levels and I wish there was more that I and other citizens could do to address this problem before it happens.

This is not the first time that the AATA has been told to leave a shopping area.  The same thing happen with Maple Village last year after Plum Market moved in.  The AATA used to have a Park and Ride Lot there and now it is gone because (so I heard) the owners wanted to make sure there is ample parking for Plum Market and other potential tenants.

Both of these decisions I believe are counter to what Ann Arbor would like to do as a whole to become more pedestrian, transit, and bicycling friendly.

I wrote an email to the Arborland Owners expressing my concerns and I hope you do, too.

There is also some good discussion going on on Arbor Update about this issue that you might want to check out.

So here is my general argument about the bigger picture of why I am concerned about moving the AATA out of Arborland:

1. The move is counter to Ann Arbor’s interest in Transit Oriented Development (TOD). There are several initiatives underway, including the Ann Arbor Transportation Plan Update, the Washtenaw Avenue Project, and rezoning of Commerical and Employment centers in Ann Arbor that all are attempting to make it easier for people to get in and around Ann Arbor using all different types of transportation.  The decision by Arborland to move the AATA out of their shopping area doesn’t reflect the interests of many in Ann Arbor to create a place where we don’t always have to rely on our cars to get around.  This seems to be a point of tension (between City ideals and Business Interests) that will need to be resolved.

2. As our population ages, Ann Arbor will need to become more accommodating to transit, not less: Ann Arbor, like the rest of our country is getting older.  And as people get older, they will need to be able to get to places, such as shopping destinations and doctor’s appointments without a car.  For safety’s sake, we need to make sure people can get to major shopping destinations without a car.

3.  Younger people want access to lots of transportation choices: Yes, younger folks are still driving cars, but they are also more interested in taking the bus and walking or biking to their destination.  This is defintely true of UM students, who I am sure shop at Arborland and take the bus to do it.  Moving the stop out of Arborland is going to make this a lot less pleasant.

4. Can’t we just all get along? I guess at the end of the day I don’t understand why the folks at Arborland are less interested in figuring out another solution that will accomodate everyone.  This move is something I wish we could have more time to discuss and talk about.

5. An issue of access: I also beleive that people of all abilities and ages and incomes should have access to the same shopping options.  It concerns me that it will be much more dangerous for those with disabilities, those without cars, those who are elderly, etc. to get to Arborland.

The silver lining: I know that the AATA is working on creating a new bus stop across from Arborland that will serve much the same purpose.  I just wish there was more room for discussion.

What you can do: If you are concerned about this move and/or the potential issues I’ve discussed above, please contact Arborland, call the stores and Arborland and let them know how you feel.

For those of you looking for ways to continue the momentum from the getDowntown Commuter Challenge, here are some ideas.  I’ll hopefully be able to provide some more thoughts in the coming weeks:

Your Commuter Challenge is just beginning!

Keep in Touch with getDowntown

• Click here to sign up for our mailing list. We send out a monthly enewsletter and occasionally updates and other info.
• In you are on Facebook, become a Fan of the getDowntown Program.
• If you are on Twitter, follow getDowntown

Websites to Know:

• getDowntown: getdowntown.org; blog.getdowntown.org; we’re also on Twitter and Facebook
• Advocacy Groups: wbwc.org; bike.ypsi.org; detroittransit.org; t4america.org; peoplepoweredmovement.org; lmb.org; bikeleague.org
• AATA: theride.org
• Zipcar: zipcar.com/annarbor or zipcar.com/umich
• Google Transit: google.com/transit
• UM Parking and Transportation: pts.umich.edu
• Ann Arbor DDA:Ann Arbor DDA: a2dda.org
• City of Ann Arbor: a2gov.org/bike and tinyurl.com/a2transportation

Speak Out:

• AATA Board: theride.org/board.asp
• DDA Board: Meets the 1^st Weds. of every month at 12pm at the DDA Offices (150 South Fifth Ave, Ann Arbor)
• Ann Arbor City Council Meetings: a2gov.org/government/citycouncil/Pages/Home.aspx
• UM Board of Regents: regents.umich.edu/meetings
• Talk up sustainable transportation at your work, at home, and in your community! Let people know why you bike, bus, walk, carpool, telecommute, moped/motorcycle, etc. Make it visible!

Write Out:

• Become a blogger for getDowntown: email us at info@getdowntown.org.  If you already have login information, write blog posts to let others know why you think sustainable transportation is important.
• Write a letter to your City Council Member, the Mayor or the UM Board of Regents (see links above).

Advocate:

• Become an Ambassador for the getDowntown Program: email us at info@getdowntown.org and we can add you to a mailing list and send you updates on what is going on with sustainable transportation in this community.
• Join the Washtenaw Biking and Walking Coalition (wbwc.org) and/or Bike Ypsi (bike.ypsi.org).
• Tell getDowntown what you, your work and your community needs so we can advocate for you.

And Remember (Sustainable Transportation Talking Points):

• Share your story.  That’s powerful.  Why do you use sustainable transportation?
• Carbon Emissions from Cars impact Climate Change
• There are wonderful Health and Fitness benefits of sustainable transportation
• There are some great Cost Savings when you drive alone less
• Economic Development and Talent Attraction: Investing in sustainable transportation encourages economic development and attracts talent.  More info on this point here.
• Independence and Freedom: When you know all of your commuting options you have more independence and freedom because you are not a slave to your car.
• Less single auto traffic means less congestion, more people and more fun!

Got any of your own thoughts?  Please share a comment.