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.

So I’m in D.C. this week for the Association for Commuter Transportation Conference.

I just attended a session on the relationship between land use and transportation demand management.

While a lot of the information in the presentation is probably old hat to many planners out there, it was new to me.

First thing discussed were the three D’s of Good Land Use:

1. Density (height of buildings, closeness of buildings, etc)
2. Diversity (of uses)
3. Design

Of those 3, it’s Density that is most contentious in our community.  A contingent of people in Ann Arbor (and in many places) equate density with what could be called the 3 C’s: Cars (or Congestion), Crime and Crud.

But here’s the thing, if you look at the relative impact of density it’s often the case that as density increases, private auto use decreases.  In other words, the closer that people are to where they want to go, the less people will drive.  And the more density we have, the better the potential for robust public transit.

This makes a lot of sense and why I would say I am an advocate for density.

But again, here’s the thing.  Density does not have to mean 50 story buildings or high crime or any of that stuff.  Density can create a walkable community where people don’t have to spend time in traffic, and look good and have buildings that are high, but not insane.  And I think for most people, that’s a good thing.

And yet, there are people in our community that do not trust developers and believe that if we allow our community to grow and allow density it will contribute to the deterioration of what we love about Ann Arbor.  I don;t blame them for being wary.  We’ve have some unfortunate developments proposed of late.

From my perspective, it’s obvious we have to understand that density is just a piece of the puzzle and diversity and design must also factor into the picture.  But I also can’t deny that if we had more density in our community that would mean less people would have to drive, which has great implications for the environment and for our quality of life.  And the work that I do to encourage people to try sustainable options instead of driving goes hand in hand with land use.  If there was someone at the front door of an office building on the day new workers filed it, there is a much greater likelihood that many of those workers will try other ways to get to work (especially if they get a free transit pass and don’t get their parking subsidized).   More density can certainly mean less cars if there is a conceited effort to incorporate transportation demand management into the development.  It’s worked in other communities.  It can work in our community.

While I don’t think cars are ever going to go away, I also don’t think that cars are always the best way for us to get around.  I want us to find ways to create a community where we can have more and better options and enough affordable housing so that people can live close to where they work.

And perhaps this is the most mystifying part of this debate.  Does anyone really just want to create high-rise buildings that will destroy our community?  I don’t think so.  Does anyone want to stamp out any effort to make our community for transit and walk/bike friendly?  Probably not.  While developers obviously want to make money on a project, they are not inherently evil and I would like to give them a chance to invigorate some parts of our community that are currently very suburban.

So let’s try to see density as just one way to get to a larger goal.  If we want to attract talent.  If we want to allow people to live close to where they work.  If we want to cut down on congestion and make environmental gains we must use the tools that will get us there.  Density might be one of them.  Design and Diversity are two others.  Transportation Demand Management plays a role.  As does public input.

Maybe we need to focus on creating (or enhancing) our community to make it more livable rather than get into the density vs. no-density debate.  Because I think we all want the same thing.  It’s just the words that can get in the way.

A kind reader sent me the follow graphic that shows you just how much CO2 is emitted depending on how you commute and/or the type of transportation you use:

Makes sense that walking and biking would be the least emitting, but it is interesting to see how much capacity matters with the other modes.  The more you can pack people into a bus or railcar, the more environmentally sound it is.  It’s also interesting to see that the Prius is a pretty good option and would be even better if you decided to carpool in a Prius.

It would be interesting do to the same sort of graphic for cost or time, which people also think about when commuting or using a mode of transportation.

If I were to do the quick and dirty cost calculation, here’s what I would have for downtown Ann Arbor:

Most Expensive to Least Expensive Ways  Get to Work in Downtown A2 (note, car cost calculations based on this calc and a 20 mile commute)

• Car/SUV solo driver driving downtown (Around $950/ month or more with gas, parking, wear and tear, etc.)
• Car/SUV carpool driving downtown (There is preferential parking downtown at half price so around $870/month)
• Car/SUV driving to an AATA Park and Ride Lot without a go!pass (around $840/month)
• Car/SUV driving to an AATA Park and Ride Lot with a go!pass (around $800/month for gas, wear and tear, etc)
• Moped/Motorcycle driving downtown (not sure the other costs, but the parking would be free, I think it would fit here)
• Taking the bus to work without a go!pass ($40/month)
• Biking to work (about $5/month or more if you get a yearly tune-up, need to get tires, etc.
• Taking the bus to work with a go!pass ($0/month) or Walking to work ($0/month or more if you want nice shoes)

On May 1, the Ann Arbor Bicycle Touring Society (AABTS) and the Washtenaw Biking and Walking Coalition (WBWC) organized a Worst (and Best) streets of Ann Arbor ride .  The following is a report from Frank Schwende (WBWC Board Member) and Craig Stephan (Board Member of AABTS).  Frank and Craig organized this ride after meeting with city representatives to discuss the condition of city streets from the viewpoint of bicycle safety:

Who Was There and What We Experienced
Ann Arbor Mayor John Hieftje, Ann Arbor City Transportation Manager Eli Cooper, and Fifth Ward Ann Arbor City Council member Carsten Hohnke were among the ride participants.

Our crew of about ten riders covered about 15 miles around the city, not just downtown streets. Along the way we talked about the deficiencies of lane striping and signals not able to detect bicycles.  Eli was eager to explain that the city has obtained federal money to install new signs and stripe more bike lanes, both aimed at improving bicycle safety in town.  We paused at Bandemer Park where we discussed the proposed rail underpass and the prospects for routing a bike path underneath the existing rail trestle (similar to the bike path at Barton Dam).  Unless Argo Dam is completely removed and the water level drops 3 feet this option isn’t viable.

The Worst Streets
We saw a lot of rough road and sidepath surfaces, and the general feeling of the group was that it was wrong to feel that one needed a mountain bike to ride in the city. The worst roads, I think we all agreed, were Miller and Barton Drive.  In fact, the linear pot-holes on Barton Drive were extremely hazardous to bicycles – we’ve never seen anything like them anywhere else!  And if we are going to seriously encourage our youth to ride bicycles to school, then the available roads and paths, especially adjacent to the schools, ought to be superb, not the mess that surrounds Pioneer High School.

The Best Streets
Best stretch that we traveled was Packard Road, especially the relatively new surface south of Stadium and north of Jewitt, a 4-to-3 lane conversion. Wouldn’t it be great if the entire length of Packard could be improved like this?

Fuller Intermodal Transit Station
Eli Cooper had our group stop at Maiden Lane and Fuller, just below the U. of M. medical center. There is a plan being developed now to build an intermodal transit station in this area on city owned property.  East-west commuter rail and high speed rail would stop here and connect with buses, and there would be shower and locker facilities for commuting cyclists, as well as a bicycle repair shop.  The buses would include shuttle service to the north-south rail service.  An enclosed walkway would connect with the hospital, which is the region’s largest employer right now with expectations of continued growth.

Take Action
Times are tough just now for SE Michigan as the nation turns away from complete domination of transportation by cars and looks to alternative forms of transit.  Those who know and understand the advantages of bicycles need to work with government at local, state and national levels to insure that bikes will be included in the mix of future transportation choices.  Rides like this, with the participation of our mayor, his staff and other elected officials demonstrate that although we have a long way to go in Ann Arbor, we are working together to improve all modes of transportation.

Voice Your Concerns/Comments on the Best and Worst Streets of Ann Arbor:

• Contact your City Council Member or the Mayor of Ann Arbor
• Contact Eli Cooper, City of Ann Arbor Transportation Program Manager
• Get involved with the Wastenaw Biking and Walking Coalition

This Commuter Challenge Ambassador Blog Post comes from Riin over at the UM:

I admit it.  I’m a bit of a zealot.  I haven’t driven a car since 2002, so the Commuter Challenge isn’t really a challenge for me.  Instead it’s a chance for me to keep on doing what I normally do, and get points for it, and to tell people why they should be doing this great thing!

I love my commute!  How many people can say that?  I have a two part commute.  First I take the bus downtown, about a 25 minute ride, and then I walk the rest of the way, about a 15 minute walk.  I could take the bus all the way to work, but I like walking.  In the evening I just walk downtown and catch the bus home.

It’s perfect.  The walk gives me time to clear my head and get some exercise, and see things up close.  I can look at gardens and watch animals and look at all the great public art around town.  (One day I’ll take photos of all my favorite Ann Arbor public art to put on my blog, but so far I’ve been procrastinating…)

I love the bus for a lot of reasons, but the best thing about it for me is that it gives me time to knit.  There’s never enough time to do everything I want.  (I really could use a 48 hour day!)  I wish I had a lot more time to knit.  But twice a day AATA is kind enough to give me 25 minutes to knit.  The gift of time!  It is sweet!  And I relish it!

Ok, not everyone’s a knitter.  But a lot of people read on the bus, or study or do other things.  The point is, it’s free time! When you’re driving a car, all you can do is drive.  That’s all you should be doing anyway.  Yes, we’ve all seen people talking on the phone/eating/putting on mascara while driving, but that’s not safe.  Driving is not free time, and drivers who treat it as such are more likely to crash into something.

But you know what?  If you’re in another car and some idiot driver crashes into you, you’re likely to be hurt.  If you’re in a bus and an idiot driver crashes into the bus?  Ha.  Idiot driver’s going to get hurt, but you’re not.  So safety is another advantage of the bus.

And frankly I just didn’t enjoy driving.  I found it to be very stressful, always having to deal with other drivers cutting me off, not letting me merge, tailgating, and of course dealing with bad weather, poor visibility, bad road conditions, having to take time to put gas in the car and get oil changes, and the expense of the gas and the maintenance and the insurance and the registration and the constant repairs, always at least $300 (sure, the car was paid for, but I was still spending how much?).  It is so much easier (and cheaper!) to just take the bus.  Now I just leave the driving to the professionals and I have no stress.  If there’s a mechanical problem, another bus comes and we just get on that one.  Someone else takes care of all of the details, all of the problems.  Because really, all I want out of my transportation is something to get me from Point A to Point B.  I don’t want to deal with all of the stuff required to make it happen.

What first motivated me to stop driving years ago was when one day it just occurred to me while I was driving that I was contributing to air pollution.  It wasn’t just a vague, nebulous “cars” that were causing air pollution.  If I was driving a car, I was polluting.  Me.  Personally.  I was contributing to rising asthma and cancer rates.  Once I realized that, I just couldn’t keep driving.  The cognitive dissonance was getting too loud.  So I stopped driving.

I really enjoy life so much more without the car though.  I didn’t “give up” my car.  I found a better way to live.

One of my Commuter Challenge Captains asked a couple of good questions regarding the Commuter Challenge.  I tried to answer the questions as best I could.  Perhaps you are having the same questions, or might want to offer your two cents:

I have two burning questions for your from some of the staff.  Many employees work 10 hour days, 4 day work week.  Is there any credit that is given for this scenario for the saved day of commuting?

My response: For the employees that work 10 hour days, we don’t really have a way this year to credit them for working 40 hours in 4 days instead of 5.  Next year we might be able to add a “compressed workweek”
option to account for this.

Also, some of the engineers that work on Emissions made this comment regarding motorcycle and moped credit for the challenge.  How should I respond to this?

***Are we sending the wrong signal here?

I understand the GHG benefit of riding a moped or motorcycle is significant, but I believe the emission levels of other pollutants (like hydrocarbons, including air toxics, and PM) from these bikes is actually higher per mile than most cars.

In terms of a combined environmental and health impacts point of view, I’d say moped and motorcycles are definitely a mixed bag.

My response: I know the motorcycle/moped thing is controversial.  It also depends on the type of vehicle.  I know some people have electric scooters, which don’t have any emissions.  This might be something I put up on the blog as something to discuss.

The Federal Transit Adminstration recently released a report on Public Transportation’s Role in Climate Change.

This document has the following info:

• Transportation accounts for 28% of Greenhouse Gas Emissions.  60% of these emissions comes from cars, pick-ups, and SUVs.
• Car transportation alone accounts for 47% of the carbon footprint for a typical American family.
• The most environmentally-friendly motorized transportation options are heavy rail and vanpools at average occupancy.
• 40 passenger buses produce the smallest amount of Greenhouse Gas emissions over their full life cycle, as compared to cars, pickups, trains, SUVs and smaller buses.
• The average car produces a little under 1 pound of CO2 per passenger mile.

Read all about it here.