The Washtenaw Biking and Walking Coalition will be hosting a pedestrian forum to shine some light on how to make this area more walkable.
The forum is on Oct 14th at the DDA. Click here for more details and to RSVP.
Ever wonder if it makes more sense to walk to work or wait for the next bus? A post on Lifehacker points to a possible solution. Check out this chart to see if it makes more sense to wait for the bus or walk to your destination.
Since I walked to work today, I checked out the chart to see if it fit with my decision. I live about 1.9 miles from work and am a fast walker. Since the bus wasn’t going to come for about 30 mins (and because I like exercise) I walked to work today. It takes me about 30 mins. That’s slightly faster than a 20 min mile. According to the chart, it makes sense that I decided to walk.
It’s an interesting tool. Does it work for you?
At the AATA Board Meeting today, the AATA approved the use of American Reinvestment and Recovery Act funds to help subsidize bus service to Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township. This was in response to the fact that these municipalities were going to have to cut bus service due to lack of general fund dollars.
While this is great for next year since it means no bus service is going to be cut, it still means that these funding problems will continue on into the future until a more sustainable solution is found. That solution will probably lie in a countywide transit funding initiative. Stay tuned.
Want to see where your bus is in real time? Want to see where a particular stop is for your route? If you currently take Route 6 (Ellisworth and Briarwood) all of this can now be yours! AATA is partnering with Shepard Intelligent Systems to pilot a program similar to Magic Bus on Route 6. This is a pilot that could be expanded to other Routes.
Mark Maynard posted on a recent decision by an AATA Board Committee to use stimulus funds to help fund Ypsi service until the fall. This decision will need to be taken to the AATA Board at their meeting next week. If the resolution is approved, some of the proposed service cuts could be stopped until fall of 2010. But what then? Check out this post to see what some Ypsi City Council members are saying.
Just checked out this article on MSN featuring 10 Cities with great transit. The funny thing is, many of them are slightly larger than the size of Ann Arbor. Grand Rapids actually makes the list, which is a little shocking to me.
The question we all need to ask though, is how to get Ann Arbor on this list. My quick and dirty thoughts:
1. Express bus service from Ypsi-Ann Arbor and more express bus service connecting Wayne County to Washtenaw County.
2. Bus service that runs until at least 1am on the weekdays and until at least 10pm on the weekends.
3. Train service from Detroit to Ann Arbor.
4. Really good transit service (bus rapid transit, light rail or trolley) along Washtenaw, Packard, Huron, Plymouth Rd and State Street.
5. More Transit Oriented and Walkable neighborhoods, office and retail areas surrounding these corridors.
6. A service connecting all of the UM campuses that runs at all hours.
7. Much more affordable housing (especially downtown) so that people can live close to where they work.
8. Better pedestrian and bike access to major trip generators in this community (such as Briarwood Mall).
9. Commuter bus service from Dexter, Canton, Saline and Ypsi Township to Ann Arbor.
That’s where I would start.
The funny thing is, most of this stuff is in someone’s plan for this community. So I know there are others out there who feel the same way.
I recently spoke at the Workantile Exchange on how not to be a slave to your car. After my presentation, I asked the audience to help me come up with some hints and tips for others wh0 might want to break (or at least loosen) the chains between them and their cars.
Here are the hints and tips we came up with. Feel free to add your own in the comments section.
How Not to Be a Slave to Your Car
1. Get a decent commuter bike. Get fenders for your bike and chain guard so you can keep your pants clean.
2. Get all-weather gear. Prepare for the inevitable rain, snow and wind that are part of Michigan’s seasons.
3. Start biking when the weather is nice (like now). Then gradually ease into cooler months.
4. Check out bicycle commuting websites like Commute by Bike.
5. Be willing to spend $200 on a nice gortex jacket and $200 on pants. And $75 and booties, gloves etc. These are all worth it to have a pleasant cool weather bike ride. While the cost might seem like a lot, it doesn’t even compare with how much it costs for insurance for your car, gas, etc?
6. If things totally fall apart, you can put your bike on the bus. Here’s a step by step picture guide to show you how.
7. If you think you’ll get sweaty on your bike ride, get a membership to the YMCA. Then you can go to the YMCA and shower there.
8. Learn the bus system. Then, if your car breaks down, or you break a leg and can’t drive, you can still get where you need to go. Need assistance? email info@getdowntown.org.
9. Don’t be afraid to ask someone for a ride. Sharing rides/carpooling can be fun and relaxing.
10. Look at other ways to get where you want to go (e.g. taking the Amtrak or Megabus to get to Chicago instead of driving.)
11. If you are walking, try and find pleasant alternatives. Don’t want on the nasty streets that are depressing and busy.
12. Get a Zipcar Membership. That way, you can see if you really do need a car as much as you think you do. And they’re good for running errands or going to meetings without paying to park downtown.
13. Read How to Live Well Without A Car.
Any other thoughts or suggestions? Put them in the comments section below.
FYI, I’ll be doing a presentation Friday at the Workantile Exchange (118 S. Main Street) from 11:30-1:00pm. I’ll be telling you how not to be a slave to your car.
A little teaser:
In an uncertain world, only 1 thing is certain: you need to be prepared for uncertainty!
Come to this talk and you’ll learn how to be prepared for when gas prices go up to $8.00. Or when your car breaks down. Or when a blizzard buries your Pruis in 10 feet of snow.
Should be fun.
According to AnnArbor.com, at last night’s Ypsilanti City Council Meeting, the City Council made the following decisions:
The council’s resolution passed Tuesday calls for:
A 21-month agreement with AATA from Oct. 1 through June 30, 2011.
Eliminating Packard Road’s Route Five into the city, but with a possible turnaround at Hewitt Road at Ypsilanti High School. Shortened schedules are planned for Routes 10 and 11, which service the northeast and southeast sections of the city and Ypsilanti Township, with the last bus running at 9:30 instead of 10:30 p.m.
Using $101,000 of AATA’s $6.1 million allotment in federal stimulus money to offset the city’s bus service budget shortfall for 2010.
Barring other actions from the AATA or otherwise, these changes could go into effect next spring. These decisions have been made in hopes that a proposal to fund a regional transportation system will be coming down the pike soon.
Since many people who work downtown live in Ypsilanti, these service changes will certainly have an impact on employees who work in Ann Arbor. Let’s hope a better way to fund transit into the future goes forward.
I just got an email from a new group called Advance Ypsilanti.
Please read on for information about a special meeting happening tonight regarding bus service to Ypsilanti:
Ypsilanti City Council Considers Major Cuts to AATA Bus Service
At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, September 8, the Ypsilanti City Council will be considering a variety of proposals for major cuts to bus service in the city. At the meeting, officials from the Ann Arbor Transit Authority (AATA) will present City officials with several options for cuts which, if adopted, could take effect as soon as Spring 2010. These include complete or partial elimination of routes serving large portions of the city, as well as cutting days or times when service is available citywide.
This special meeting is in response to the Ypsilanti City Council’s recently-passed budget for Fiscal Year 2010, which allocates only 56 percent of the total amount AATA says it needs to provide existing service levels next year. The public is invited to hear the presentation and share their opinions about the proposed changes.
Since the current contract with AATA expires at the end of September, City Council will need to decide by October 1 whether it wishes to adopt some or all of the service reductions — or — whether council members wish to amend this year’s budget to allocate the funding necessary to maintain existing service levels.
Advance Ypsilanti (AY PAC), an independent political action committee, strongly urges the City Council to maintain current service levels of public transportation being by the Ann Arbor Transit Authority (AATA). It is AY PAC’s belief that public transportation is a vital part of a healthy and vibrant community. Without maintaining AATA routes, the city of Ypsilanti will lose significant resources, community support and important services to both individuals and businesses.
AY PAC encourages all interested citizens to contact their city council representatives immediately to let them know how important it is to maintain public transit services at their current levels. All city council contact information is available at http://advanceypsilanti.com as well as more information and history regarding this important issue.
Ypsilanti City Council Special Meeting, 7:00 p.m. Tuesday September 8, 2009
Council Chambers, 1 South Huron St Ypsilanti MI 48197
This message was sent by Advance Ypsilanti PAC, an independent Political Action Committee working to help Ypsilanti get and keep the best city leadership possible. This includes holding all elected officials accountable to their statements and actions as well as supporting specific candidates and issues on the ballot. Contact johng@advanceypsilanti.com or beth_bashert@yahoo.com
