It’s that time of year again.  The Ann Arbor Art Fairs will descend upon downtown Ann Arbor from Weds. July 16-Sat. July 19th.

Because the Art Fair’s close many downtown streets and parking prices increasing during this time, you might be looking for other commuting options during this time.

getDowntown has created a page on our website with info on Art Fair Commuting, from which streets will be closed, to what you need to know to get around.

Check it out here: www.getdowntown.org/resources/Commuting_during_Art_Fair.html

Perhaps you are thinking about busing, carpooling or vanpooling and need another financial incentive to get you motivated.  Perhaps you are an employer looking for ways to encourage your employees to use sustainable transportation to get to work.

Either way, you should definitely check out the Commuter Choice Tax Benefit.

A little about the benefit:

“The law allows employers to give their workers up to $115 each month for transit or vanpool commuting costs as a tax-free benefit. It also allows employers to give employees the option to use payroll deductions to avoid paying taxes on up to $115 a month in commuting costs. Alternatively, employers can share these costs with their workers by paying part of their monthly commuting costs and letting workers pay the balance using pre-tax dollars. Either way, both employers and their employees can save money by participating in this simple plan.”

Check it all out here: http://www.apta.com/research/info/online/paystoride.cfm

Hello all,

Looks like we will still be going ahead with the Green Fair, Bike Fest and Green Commute since the forecast is only calling for a 40% chance of rain.  So do the no rain dance and come on down!

It’s all happening between 6pm-9pm on Main Street and Liberty Street in Downtown Ann Arbor

On Sunday there was an editorial in the Ann Arbor News that discussed the challenges faced by our region (and nation) as we try encourage people to drive less and bike and bus more.

The editorial describes many of the issues I face over here at the getDowntown program.  We need individuals to look at changing their habits so that demand for sustainable transportation increases.  We need regional policies and solutions that demonstrate a commitment to public transit and non-motorized transportation.

As the organizer of Curb Your Car Month, I can tell you that I am seeing both happening right now.  People are changing their habits.  $4.00 gas is a strong motivator.  An article in the New York Times illustrates that people are driving less and using public transportation more as a result of high gas prices.

And it is happening here as well.  Even before Curb Your Car Month the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority had record ridership numbers.  Even before Curb Your Car Month, more people have purchased go!passes from getDowntown than they did in the last several years.

And now as Curb Your Car Month comes to a close, I can tell you that many people have tried something new, be it biking, busing or carpooling and are seeing the benefits.  And these benefits, I believe, will extend far beyond this month.

I have a lot more to say on this topic, but limited time.  Hopefully, I can write more later, and you can, too.  I also wrote about this topic for Concentrate.  You can check out what I said here.

However, I would like to respond to the end the the News editorial, which states:

“Do we need demand before investment? Or do we build more rail systems and bus services and bike lanes, believing that people will use them if available?”

We need both.  And both are happening.  I fully believe that infrastructure sends a clear message to people saying “this is important and it matters to us.”  When there are bike lanes in the street, that let’s people know that bicyclists belong in the street.  When we create new Commuter Bus services, that means we want people to consider using other forms of transportation instead of driving their cars.

And frankly, I think it is unfair to say that because not that many people are using the Ann Arbor Chelsea Commuter Bus now it is a failure.  Initially the Link didn’t have great ridership numbers, and now it is doing very well.

Another piece of the puzzle for many people is assistance using public transportation.  It’s not always easy to figure out which bus route or bike route to take.  I hope that getDowntown can help employees when they do want to change their behavior.  All they have to do is email me!

Finally, I am extremely optimistic about the future of public transportation in this region.  I see many political, community, and business leaders pushing for rail systems and better non-motorized transportation.   I think we are well positioned to move forward in our region.  Let’s keep it moving!

That’s what I have to say on this topic.  I’d love to hear what you have to say.  Please comment or write a Letter to the Editor by emailing letters@annarbornews.com.

When gas hits $4.00 a gallon, people start to change their behavior.

And yes, it can even happen in the Motor City, as this Detroit News article reports.

According to the article:

• SMART, Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation, which transports riders throughout Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties, saw a 10 percent increase in customers this April compared to last, from an average daily ridership of 40,000 to 44,000. That’s the highest average since the bus system started in 1967. Year-to-date, SMART ridership is up 6.5 percent over the same period last year.

• Detroit city buses transported 7.7 percent more riders from July 2007 through March 2008 than it did the same period a year ago. Average daily ridership went from 130,000 to 140,000.

• The number boarding Amtrak trains between Pontiac, Detroit and Chicago from October 2007 to April 2008 increased 5.2 percent over the same period a year ago, to 260,000 riders.

• The number of passengers nationwide taking the 2-year-old Megabus — which has a route from Detroit to Chicago — more than doubled from 2006 to 2007, to 650,000 riders last year. The service expects to exceed that this year.

FYI, the Megabus stops at State Street in Ann Arbor. More info here.

• Carpooling also is attracting converts. The RideShare carpool program sponsored by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments had 3,456 riders in its database last year. This year, it’s grown to 3,657.

FYI the AATA just created some awesome new carpool software. More info here.

I am working on getting some stats from the AATA. I’ll post them if and when I get them.

Last week the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority began running the A2 Chelsea Express

This is an awesome service, because they are using Coach Buses, with nice padded seats and the bus goes on the highway, so it doesn’t take that long.

This Commuter Bus service departs the Arctic Coliseum (501 Coliseum Dr.) in Chelsea at 6:14 and 7:11am and arrives in downtown Ann Arbor around 6:30 and 7:30am.  The service leaves downtown Ann Arbor at around 3:50 and 5:19pm and gets back to Chelsea at 4:15 and 5:44pm.  View the schedule here.

The service costs just $125 a month, which is cheaper than paying for gas for the same distance!

And the bus has a guaranteed ride home program, so if you need to get home or somewhere else in a emergency, AATA will pay to get you there.

Don’t believe it’s cheaper?  Take the MDOT Cost Calculator and see for yourself.   I plugged into the calculator that I:

• work full time (21 days a month)
• commute 32 miles roundtrip daily (the distance from Chelsea to A2)
• pay $3.49 a gallon for gas (which is cheap these days)
• my car gets 30 miles to the gallon
• and I am not paying for parking

With just those numbers, the calculator estimates my cost for driving at $367.14 a month!

So consider taking this bus so you can save money on gas and parking.

Learn more about the A2 Chelsea Bus by clicking here

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.

So Curb Your Car Month starts tomorrow. Yipee! It’s going to be really exciting.

I was asked by Concentrate (a new online magazine) to share some of my thoughts on Curb Your Car Month and public transit in general. How about that picture?
You can check out all of the blog posts here.

An article appeared in the Detroit News today detailing plans to bring Zipcars to downtown Ann Arbor.  getDowntown has been working hard (I think since November) to make this happen.  I am really excited about Zipcars because I really do see it as a way to ease people into the idea of biking, walking, and busing to work, because should they need a car, it’s there.

I look forward to presenting a funding proposal to the DDA tomorrow and seeing how it goes from there!

The Michigan Healthy Community Newsletter encourages UM staff to Take the Commuter Challenge.

Given that the UM has almost 4 times as many employees as downtown Ann Arbor, it’s great to see them helping make our community a cleaner, greener place to live.  And the prizes don’t hurt, either!