Mike is the type of person you might not typically think of as a sustainable commuter. He’s the President and COO of a growing company. He’s a dad. And he has a free parking spot in the back of his building.

But don’t let those details fool you. From my interview with Mike it’s clear that commuting sustainably fits perfectly into his life and has some unexpected benefits. Mike Felkey works at Intersect Digital, a small web development firm with some big clients. Intersect has worked with such companies as Subaru and Saatchi & Saatchi. The company’s headquarters is in downtown Ann Arbor (on First Street) and they also have a location in New York (who doesn’t, really). Depending on the amount of work available, Intersect employs anywhere from 17 to 60 employees. Currently, business is on the upswing.

The first clue into Mike’s interest in sustainable commuting comes when we talk about the company’s culture. Intersect is very supportive of telecommuting for its employees. Since many of the company’s employees live in places like Southfield and Novi and since many of them are working mothers, this benefit really helps cut down on a stressful commute. As far as Mike’s concerned, as long as employees get the work done, it doesn’t matter where they do it. We then chatted a bit about Daniel Pink’s new book, Drive, which describes how the businesses of the future are finding ways to motivate their employees through giving them freedom rather than imposing tons of rules. And according to Mike, this philosophy really pays off.

So what about the employees who do commute to work? Since Intersect offers the go!pass to employees, some of them happily take the bus. Other employees walk or ride their bikes. As far as Mike goes, he likes to walk, bike or take the bus to work. His commute isn’t super short either. If he chooses to walk, it can take him about 40 minutes.

So what’s Mike’s motivation for walking, biking or busing to work? He’s got a free space out back, and could probably get to work by car in less than 40 minutes. A big benefit Mike sees in leaving his car at home is that walking, biking and busing are all great for his health. He gets to build some exercise into his day, which might otherwise be a challenge to find the time for. Now that there are Zipcars downtown (a couple just a block from him office), Mike can bike, walk or bus to work even when he needs to go to a meeting out of town.

As we start to chat a little about Mike’s kids (his son goes to Tappan and his daughter goes to Burn’s Park Elementary), I find out another great benefit of Mike’s commute. Both of his kids have grown up watching Mike walk to work and now they want to walk to school. With all of the current news about childhood obesity, the example that Mike is setting for his kids is really inspiring.

When I asked Mike what he might like to see improved about transportation in our community, he lists fixing the lights so they are more in sync, improving the parking downtown, and adding more bike lanes to make cycling safer. We also talked a little but about the possibility of light rail, which is a topic he’s really interested in. Mike even said he’d contemplate giving up his car if there were light rail, especially since there are Zipcars available.

Mike’s biking, walking and busing ways are not unique among leaders in downtown Ann Arbor. Rich Sheridan, CEO of Menlo Innovations, frequently bikes to work. Grace Singleton, Managing Partner at Zingerman’s Deli, is also a bike commuter. Bonnie Valentine of the Whole Brain Group often takes the bus to work. Curtis Sullivan and Liz DellaRocco, owners of Vault of Midnight walk and carpool to work.

Any downtown commuter can join this great list of leaders. All you have to do is hop on a bus, grab your bike, or strap on your walking shoes. If you work downtown and would like some help figuring out which commuting option is best for you, getDowntown can help! Simply give us a call, check out our website or send us an email for personal commuting assistance.

FYI from the DDA:

Dear Friend,

The Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority (DDA) is undertaking a comprehensive public parking plan following a request from City Council. The DDA seeks to understand the parking needs, priorities and preferences of community members so it can shape this plan.

Would you please take five minutes to complete this survey? It will help the DDA planning team understand more about your parking patterns, values and priorities in order to inform the parking plan.

• Survey Link: http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22A8683SDVB
• Survey link for the visually impaired: www.surveymonkey.com/s/ParkingPlan2010

We appreciate the time you will spend completing this survey and would like to express our thanks with the chance to win a $25 gift certificate for 2 respondents drawn from this survey. Please continue to check your local news source and our website www.a2dda.org for project updates. This survey is open to all members of the public and we welcome a variety of input – please feel free to forward it along.

Again, thank you for your time and thoughts.

Susan Pollay

Executive Director | Ann Arbor DDA
734-994-6697 | www.a2dda.org

What do we all need more of in our lives, yet is incredibly hard to find more of? Time and money. We’ve talked to a few people that have found that by taking the bus they’ve each saved time and money.

Saving Money

Sherry Miller from Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone PLC says that the bus saves her money and the ride is relaxing…

“I believe that utilizing the AATA transit system is a great way to save a ridiculous amount of money that it would cost me to park my car in a structure to work downtown.  Also, I find that riding the bus in to the station from the Park & Ride in the morning is relaxing and non-stressful.  I’d recommend it to anybody.  I love my go!pass!”

Renee Twining, an Administrative Assistant at the University of Michigan Hospital, says that by parking at the Miller Park & Ride and taking the bus each day she saves money.  To buy a pass at the Hospital’s parking lot would be “minimum $600/year to just get close to hospital and then you have to take a commuter bus” to make the final leg of the journey.

Saving Time

Chris DeVries of the University of Michigan CBDSM says that the combination of taking the bus and walking into his office is a great energizing activity each day…

“Since my commute is long (45 miles one way), I have been using the Park & Ride lots, AATA, and walking to get to work. Riding the bus allows me to read the newspaper or a book before and after work – taking my mind off work for a few minutes. The walking also gets my blood flowing in the morning, so I am ready to go when I get in the office.”

Renee Twining said that she gets to read and enjoy her coffee on the ride in.“I LOVE taking the bus!  Relaxing, and I always make it to work on time.”

According to Eileen Chaivre, an Administrative Support Specialist at the City of Ann Arbor, “By the time I walk to the Ann Ashley parking structure, get to my car and get out of the structure, I am passing Pioneer High at the same time or only a few minutes before the bus would be dropping me off”.

Think about your commute and how changing a few habits could result in time and money saved each day.  If you take Miller Road or Main Street into downtown each morning, why not park at a Park & Ride Lot and have the bus take you in? If you’re looking for more information on how to use the Park & Ride lots, or want to know what Lot would be best for you, give us a call at 734-214-0100 or visit http://getdowntown.org/bus/park_ride.html

The beginning of a New Year is a great time to say goodbye to old ways of doing things and hello to new ideas and approaches.  For many people, owning one or even two cars just doesn’t make sense anymore, especially living in such a pedestrian-friendly place as Ann Arbor.

So why not look at the advantages of a new concept—carsharing?  Carsharing allows you to have a car when you need one without having to pay the expense when you don’t.  The most popular carsharing business in the country is Zipcar.  Currently,  Zipcar has more than 20 cars in Ann Arbor, with 6 in downtown Ann Arbor and the rest on the University of Michigan campus.  In addition, Zipcar has cars in cities all over the country.

What do people use Zipcars for?  Zipcar members use cars for going shopping, attending meetings, popping over to events in other towns and much more.  One couple even used a Zipcar to drive to their honeymoon after getting married!

To use a Zipcar, you just become a member at zipcar.com/annarbor (if you are affiliated with the UM, go to zipcar.com/umich).  When you become a member, you’ll get a special credit-card sized zipcard in the mail.  Then, all you have to do is go on the Zipcar website, reserve a car when you want to use it, go to the car and tap your zipcard on the windshield.

When the doors open, hop inside, grab the keys (they are already in the car) and go about your business.  Need gas?  Every Zipcar has a gascard inside that you can use at any gas station to fill up the tank.  Hourly rates for Zipcars are as low as $8 an hour, and that includes the gas and 180 free miles!

Here are just a few reasons to become a member of Zipcar Ann Arbor

If you’re ready to try something new, visit zipcar.com/annarbor and sign up to be a Zipcar member today!

Attention Current Zipcar Members:

Help us think up more Old Way/New Way concepts.  We’ll be tweeting Old Way/New Way ideas (and putting them on our getDowntown Facebook page) throughout the month of January.   Share your ideas by tweeting, commenting on our page and posting to our blog.

A New York Times Blog recently posted that public transit ridership declined by 3.8% during the first nine months of 2009.  Not surprising given the lower gas prices and unemployment stats for 2009.   The Ann Arbor Transportation Authority experienced similar declines during that time.   Also of note is that transit ridership in San Francisco actually increased during this time.

One thing the blog post doesn’t consider is the change in automobile use during this time.  Were people also driving less because they didn’t have the money to go shopping etc?  Or maybe people were driving more because gas is cheap.  I am sure this stat is out there somewhere.

It would also be interesting to consider who stopped taking the bus.  Did people who always take the bus simply take the bus less?  Or did people who could choose between driving or busing choose to drive?  It’s not as if all transit riders are the same.  It would be very interesting to delve into this data as well.

For a somewhat basic breakdown of this concept, in the APTA report, it appears that ridership on Commuter Rail and Buses declined about 5% while ridership on Heavy Rail and Light Rail declined to a lesser degree (about 3% and 1% respectively) .  Trolley ridership actually increased by .6%   It would be interesting to see why the declines are different.  Any thoughts?

So I guess the take home lesson in all of this (which we’ve known here at the getDowntown Program for a while now) is that cost matters when it comes to transportation choices.  Most people will be more likely to change their commuting behavior when it starts to hit their pocketbook.  People are also more likely to change their commuting behavior when they live closer to where they work (within 4 miles or so).

As we enter a New Year and continue to have debates surrounding healthcare and global warming, how does transportation (and commuting in particular) fit into this picture?  What would our world look like if more people in Ann Arbor (and the US) used sustainable transportation?  What problems would this solve (or create)?

When it comes to encouraging people to bike, bus, walk or carpool, no one sets a better example than your boss.  That’s why the getDowntown Program is taking a moment to highlight some downtown business managers who demonstrate a commitment to using sustainable transportation and encourage their employees to do the same.  These interviews provide insight into why these leaders use sustainable transportation, how it benefits their employees and much more.

Our first interview is with Bonnie Valentine, Business Lead, the Whole Brain Group.  The Whole Brain Group is a small women-owned business that provides custom web-based software for a variety of clients from academic institutions to hospitals.  The Whole Brain Group is based in downtown Ann Arbor.

Now, on with the interview . . .

Leading by Example: Bonnie Valentine, Business Lead, the Whole Brain Group.

getDowntown (gDt): Do you try to walk, bike, bus, carpool etc to work?
Bonnie Valentine (BV): My primary methods of transportation are a combination of walking and  the bus.  However, once I reach my downtown office I’ll carpool with  co-workers to meetings or events outside of downtown limits.

gDt: Why is  sustainable commuting important to you?
BV: My reasons for walking and using the bus to commute are many.  Most important to me is reducing my carbon footprint and setting an example to others that an automobile isn’t necessarily the answer for
transportation.

gDt:  What do you do to encourage others at your workplace to try biking, busing, walking, etc?
BV: Continue talking about my personal experiences from meeting other’s  during my commute.  Remind them of my dollar savings from reducing the  need of a second family car, insurance, gas, less parking tickets and  monthly parking expense.  Lead by example in working from home -  telecommuting – a couple days of week.

gDt:  Have all of the different transportation options there are to get to downtown benefited your employees and/or your business?  If so, how so?  If not, why not?
BV: The bus has assisted our employees getting to and from the Ann Arbor Office  on 5th Avenue/Washington.  In the past we had an employee that  commuted from Chelsea using the Chelsea Express Bus.  Many employees
telecommute – one employee from New York – and we use conference  phone, online tools (documents, chat, presentation) not only with employees, but clients on our national roster saving cost on air transportation.

gDt: What would be the single best thing that downtown Ann Arbor could do to make it easier for people to get downtown by biking, walking, busing, etc.?
BV: It would be great if the downtown A2 would create a partnership with a  local gym facility for biking commuters requiring a shower and  clothing change.  Possibly a discount or flash your pass to gain
access to showers and lockers at YMCA, UM, or other gyms.  My co-workers and I have biked in the past.  Our main hang up for not  continuing via bike transportation is due to our offices not having  showers.  It is hard to sit across from a client after an aerobic work- out.

gDt: What do you hear from your employees about what they would like to see related to commuting to work in downtown Ann Arbor?
BV: The Zipcar fleet was a nice addition, but the main issue continues to be parking downtown.  We can walk to a meeting location faster than signing up for Zipcar and then finding and paying for parking for
shuttling between client meetings.

gDt: What is the best thing about having your business downtown?
BV: The best thing about having a downtown office is the close proximity  to clients and networking events.  In addition, our office is the central meeting point for all employees.  We have employees from Yspilanti, Ann Arbor, and Dexter.

gDt: What would you like to see happen downtown in the next 10 years?
In the next ten years, I’d like to see a mass transit plan implemented with connections from downtown to access outside the City Limits of  Ann Arbor.  Including transportation hooks to move people across the townships of Ann Arbor into the current bus routes of downtown Ann Arbor.  Increase bus access moving across town on the edges of city limits via bus services without going downtown through the bus depot i.e. North Campus Plymouth Road to Arborland.

Possibly, have the AATA and AAPS work together to provide adequate transportation services to middle and high school (not elementary school) students access to school via public transportation methods.  Finally, I’d like delivery
vehicles which idle in the downtown streets and alleys be electric or a form of non-petro fuel to further reduce pollution and carbon.

gDt: What is one thing the getDowntown Program could do to help your employees with getting to work by busing, biking, walking etc?
BV: The getDowntown May Commuter Challenge is a great motivator to get employees using different methods of transportation.  Usually habits are formed after the 30 days that create lasting effects.  Maybe add
another Commuter Challenge against another town similar in size.

gDt: Any advice or words of wisdom for new businesses moving into downtown Ann Arbor?
BV: Words of advice for new businesses moving into downtown A2 are to consider incentives for employees to commute.  New employees generally look to receive compensation for having to pay for their parking downtown.  The employer can offer an incentive to employees who commute to by providing them a stipend for curbing their car.   Employers can offer telecommuting on certain days of the week.

Starting today there is now some on-street bike parking in three different locations in downtown Ann Arbor.  This is temporary parking that will be around during the warmer months.  Each on-street bike parking rack holds about a dozen bikes.  The racks are located in front of the People’s Food Co-Op on Fourth Ave, Arbor Brewing Company on Washington, and Bivouac on State Street.

Here are some pictures of the one at the People’s Food Co-op.  It already has some bikes in it!

This post comes from Commuter Challenge Ambassador Jonathan from Inner Circle Media.

After the Bike-to-Work Day festivities this morning, I got talking to a friend of mine about biking in general. He sent me this YouTube clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcSD5MsQuVo

How excellent would it be to have one several of these in downtown A2? Much more space efficient than our current lockers, I’d think.

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.

Recently there has been a lot of talk about the economy.  Even the folks at the Chamber are thinking of ways to reduce expenses and cut costs.  One idea that was proposed by the Chamber was to look at how to save money on parking.  The Chamber currently pays for parking for its employees, which results in expenses of about $16,000 a year.

Since getDowntown is affiliated with the Chamber, the Chamber asked me to help them think of some commuting options for employees that would help reduce some parking expenses.

While the Chamber is lucky to have me in the same building, the assistance I provided to them is something I am happy to do for any downtown business or organization looking to cut some expenses.

So here’s what I did.  I sent an email around asking employees if they had any particular thoughts or concerns about commuting to work.  Based on their feedback,  I put together a document that outlined some of the different options available to employees.  I emailed this to all of the employees and also made it available on the public folders that all Chamber Members can see.

Since many Chamber employees live outside of the City, I focused my recommendations on options such as Park and Ride Lots and carpooling.  I also provided some suggestions on how the Chamber could reduce parking costs without completely cutting the entire parking benefit.

At the end of the day, my recommendation was for the Chamber to continue to provide at least some parking subsidy for employees, but to also encourage employees to look at some of their others options and to use them when feasible.  Even if the Chamber just decides to pay for half of the parking cost for employees, that would result in an $8,000 savings.

I am pasting my recommendations below for you to use.  Feel free to contact me at nancy@getdowntown.org if you’d like some more help or resources.

General Commuting Choices Recommendations

1. Park and Ride Lots: See website for Park and Ride Lot locations. Park and Ride Lots are free to park at and would be a good option for employees who do not have to go anywhere during the day.
   1. Park and Ride Lots and Time: Often it takes just as much time to park at the Park and Ride Lot and take the bus downtown than it does to come downtown, find a parking space, and walk to work. This is especially true with routes like the 609, which have a stops right downtown.
   2. Casual Park and Ride Lots: There are also many places you can park and grab the bus to work that are served by AATA buses. Common places include the Meijer on Ann Arbor-Saline Road (Route 16), Arborland (Route 4) and Veteran’s Park (609).
2. Carpooling: The best place to find a carpool partner is mirideshare.org. This site is provided by the AATA. You can do it all yourself and see your matches. I know people who have found a carpool partner using this site.
   1. Carpooling and parking downtown: Another option would be to have two or more employees meet at a location outside of downtown and hop in one car together and park in one spot together. The DDA offers preferential guaranteed first floor parking for downtown workers who carpool. There is currently a space available at Ann/Ashley as well as other downtown parking structures. This space is $125 a month, which would be split between two people.
3. Transportation Stipend/Parking Payment: Instead completely cutting the parking payment for employees, your organization could offer to pay a portion of the parking cost. There are several ways to do this. All of these strategies would work well with someone who can use some of the other transit options some of the time, but needs to be able to park downtown on certain days.
   1. Transportation Stipend, option 1: Other businesses have offered a transportation stipend to employees of $50 a month instead of paying for parking. This money can either be used for an employee to find parking on his or her own, or if the employee does not park downtown, this would be additional money for the employee. Thus an employee who can use Park and Ride or carpool on some days can Park downtown or use Zipcar on other days.
   2. Transportation Stipend, option 2: In order to reduce costs further the transportation stipend could be created so that it can only over parking costs. So only employees who park would be eligible to receive this stipend.
   3. Transportation Stipend, option 3: Your organizationcould offer to pay for half of the cost of a parking pass for employees, and the employees would pay the rest. This would allow your organization to save money while also continuing to provide a benefit to employees.
4. Zipcars: Staring March 17, Zipcars will be available for employees to use during the day. Zipcar will be offering a business account that will allow your organization to sign up and employees to get a membership at just $35 a year for each employee. This would be done with a Company Credit Card. Then employees could use Zipcars at $8/hour when they needed it and could pay for that themselves. Zipcars are a good option for employees who need to have a car occasionally, but not all of the time. More info on Zipcars at www.zipcar.com/umich (we will soon have an Ann Arbor site).
5. Other places to park and then walk to work:
   1. Temporary Lot at William and Liberty costs $2 a day.
   2. Neighborhood Parking: This is something you will need to find on your own
   3. Park early on-street: You might also want to try to come downtown earlier than usual and look for a non-metered on-street parking space and then walk to work.

Taking the bus to work: Employees that live in Ann Arbor can take the bus to work, at least on an occasional basis. Using a go!pass means that these trips are free. I can talk to employees individually about their choices related to this option.

**I can provide more information on any of these options**