The Challenge is a friendly commuting competition between downtown Ann Arbor businesses and orgs.

The Challenge is a great chance to try all of the great commuting options to downtown Ann Arbor.

The Challenge is free and you could win lots of great prizes!

Check out all of the action here: 2010 Commuter Challenge

• Plans in the works for a new Saline to Ann Arbor Bike Path: If you live in Saline and would bike to work if it didn’t feel so dangerous, you may be in luck.  There are plans to build a pedestrian and bike path that would span Textile and Lohr roads from Saline to Ann Arbor, “nearly” connecting the two cities.  Read more here.
• Bicyclists and Drivers sharing the road: In many parts of Ann Arbor, bikes and cars share the road together.  As the weather warms up, expect to see a lot more cyclists out there.  Semper Cop Rich Kinsey lays out some rules of the road that both parties should follow.  Read more here.

Suggestions for bike routes to add?  Email us info@getdowntown.org

I did see what it might say for my normal bike commute, and it was pretty good.  I come from the West Side and normally bike on Washington, which is the first suggested route it gave me.  However, what Google doesn’t know is that there are some non-motorized paths I take that make the trip a little nicer for me.  Still, it’s really cool that these directions are now available.

AATA Update: Route 18: Miller – University

Road closure along Miller Ave. requires Route 18 to be on detour beginning 3/10/2010. The bus stop located on the northside of Milller Ave., immediately west of Ashley will not be served until roads are opened to through traffic.

AATA Update: Route 12A Miller-Liberty

Road closure along Miller Ave. requires Route 12A to be on detour beginning 3/10/2010. The bus stop located on the northside of Milller Ave., immediately west of Ashley will not be served until roads are opened to through traffic.

If you are a downtown employee, you might be considering dusting off your bike, filling up the tires and getting some exercise on your way to work.

If you like to bike to work, or are considering it for the first time, here are some resources from getDowntown (and others) that can help you on your way:

• Guide to Bike Commuting in Ann Arbor: For a comprehensive overview of biking to work in downtown Ann Arbor, check out our Guide to Bike Commuting in Ann Arbor.
• Have a question about bike commuting to downtown? Ask getDowntown your Commuting Question.
• Bike info at getDowntown.org: Info on Bike Safety, Advocacy organizations and Bike Shops can be found on our website at getdowntown.org/bike.
• Need a Bike Map? Contact getDowntown and we can get one to you.  It’s $2 if you are not downtown, free if you work downtown.
• Request Bike Parking: The DDA has a new Bike Parking Request Form that let’s you tell them where you’d like to see more bike parking.

And Don’t Forget! Follow us on Twitter and become a Fan on Facebook to stay up to date!

We’d like to change the tagline to something new.  And we’d like your help.

Help us pick a new tagline by voting for your favorite here: getDowntown tagline vote

Route 15 Construction News

Road work will begin on W. Stadium Blvd. today at noon.

Route 15 buses will be detoured using the following routing:

Regular route to intersection of Pauline/Stadium – east on Pauline – resume regular route on Seventh

The detour is effective 3/2/10 at 12pm until further notice.

Route 12A and 18 Construction News

Beginning 3/4/10, Miller Rd. will be closed to westbound traffic between First and Chapin.

As a result, westbound routes 12A and 18 will be detoured using the following routing:

Regular route to intersection of Miller/First – south on First – west on Huron – north on Seventh – resume regular route on Miller:

Detour will be effective 3/4/10 until further notice.

Information for nearest stops in service will be posted at affected stops.

A recent blog post from Suite101.com gives some good suggestions of ways to both get things done and have some fun while on the bus.  Here’s a rundown of the suggestions.  Feel free to add your own ideas in the comments section:

Ideas for getting things done and having fun while busing to work

• Entertain yourself: Listen to music, watch a movie, play a game on your portable device
• Exercise your brain: Do a crossword puzzle, sudoku, or learn a new craft like knitting
• Get some work done: Work on your laptop, write up to do lists, spend some time planning things you have to do
• Be social: Chat with other passengers
• Be creative: Write, draw, think
• Be lazy: Take a nap

Any other suggestions/ideas?

Dear Friends,

As you know, City Council requested that the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority (DDA) develop a public parking plan. We have begun a series of outreach methods to inform this plan, and as part of this, we will be holding several focus group meetings to hear from community representatives.

All are welcome to attend. We have scheduled two meetings at different times, in an effort to meet a variety of schedules.

When: Monday, March 8th

4:30pm – 6:00pm
7:00pm-8:30pm

Where: DDA Board Room, 150 S. Fifth Ave Suite 301, Ann Arbor MI, 48104

At these sessions, I will give a brief overview of our assignment and what we’ve done so far. Most of the meeting will be designed to hear your thoughts, ideas, concerns, and recommendations.

To give us a sense of how many we can expect, please RSVP by clicking this link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ParkingPlanRSVP. We greatly appreciate you taking the time.

Many thanks,

Susan Pollay

Executive Director | Ann Arbor DDA

(734) 994-6697