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.

[A post from Citizen Blogger Sarah S.]

I recently purchased new tubes for my 14-year-old bike. The technician hoisted my purple, sticker-covered mount onto a brace and set about dismantling the tires, sanding the rims and oiling the brakes. I wandered around the shop, pricing air pumps and wheel racks, trying on helmets, mentally rearranging my budget to facilitate a tricked-out ride.

When my bike was finished, I rode it exactly thirty yards back to my apartment.

I am not at all hardcore. I bike for the same reason I drive: to get somewhere. I curse up hills and shake my fist at buses in the bike lane. I don’t fly down hills at 200 mph and I always obey traffic lights when I ride in the road. When I lived on the South side, the commute to work took about forty minutes and was four miles away. Now that I live on the West side, it is three miles to work and still takes forty minutes—without the added bonus of downhill all the way home. Ann Arbor may not look much like Rome, but it feels different at ground level; the topography often dips and pitches along the same road, especially around the hospital grounds. It doesn’t take much alternating between screeching brakes and grunting inclines to realize they should have pluralized “Hill” street.

And still I do it. I am one of those crazy bikers making drivers slow on the right, making them hit their brakes when they exit a parking structure, practically daring them to run me off the road. Because when I walk into work and take off my oversized (soon-to-be-replaced) helmet, my brain is awake like I had an espresso shooter. I can wait until noon before I need a cup of coffee. When I dismount on the ride home, it’s 5:00 and my daily workout is already over. I have the whole night to explore the height and breadth of my laziness; after all, how athletic can I be if I only bike to avoid the gym?

Top Three Reasons to Bust Out Your Bike:

1. It’s sustainable. Yeah, that might have gone without saying, but it’s a pure form of transport. Much like pedaling the Flintstone car, you’re getting where you’re going under your own physical power (the same is true of running, or even walking, but this one will get you there in half the time). Plus, all the carbon emissions you’re saving stay out of the air—and the gas money stays in your wallet.

2. You will look so totally hot. Depending on the distance you live from work, you could easily drop a few pounds biking in. You’ll burn far more calories than sitting on the bus, and your legs will tone at the first sight of an incline.

3. Art Fair. When the Deuce plays host to that wonderful and overwhelming living entity that is The Street Art Fair, your buses will be rerouted, your car will sit idling in the sun for hours, and out-of-towners flooding the sidewalks will make it impossible for you to navigate home. The only reasonable alternative is a two-wheeled one; bike lanes are clear even when traffic is stopped, and skirting the fair means no danger of getting waylaid by cars and pedestrians alike. Added bonus: normally, when you’re stuck in traffic, you have no choice but to sit and wait—on a bike, your only impediment is your own body. Trust me, you’ll be early.

getDowntown is hosting a netconference on May 27th, from 2-4pm here at the Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce (115 W. Huron, 3rd Floor).  The title for the netconference is  Strategic Marketing: The Truth About Gender and Generational Commuting Trends – and Its Consequences.

More information about the netconference is here.

If you are interested in watching this netconference with us, please contact getDowntown so we know to expect you.

This is the 3rd in our series of Commuting Guides to Ann Arbor.  This post will be saved as a page on the getDowntown blog.  To view the most updated version of this page, go here.

Did you know that in 2008 Ann Arbor was ranked the 3rd best City for Walking by the American Podiatric Association and Prevention Magazine?  One of the reasons is because so many employees walk to work!  If you are trying to walk to work to or in Ann Arbor, here’s an overview of your options:

Where to Walk?

If you are new to the area or new to walking to work you might want to know the best ways to walk to work.  Here are a couple of ways to answer that question:

Maps

• Downtown Walking Map: The Downtown Development Authority has a walking map that shows a person’s eye view of Ann Arbor.  The map has AATA bus stops, important downtown locations, and other information on it.  The Walk Map is available at any parking structure, at the DDA Offices (150 South Fifth Ave, Ann Arbor) at the Convention and Visitors Bureau (120 W. Huron in downtown Ann Arbor) and at the Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce (115 W. Huron, 3rd Floor, on the corner of Main and Huron downtown).

Online resources:

• Google Walking Directions: Most places you can walk are also good for biking.  Why not use Google walking directions to plan a bike route?  Just go to maps.google.com
• Walk Score: How walkable is your community?  Find out on Walk Score.
• Gmaps Pedometer: This program lets you map out a walking route and shows you the distance as well as the calories you burn!
• Washtenaw Biking and Walking Coalition email group: There are many walkers on the WBWC email group.  If you want some advice on the best route to take, why not join the group and ask for some help?
• Contact us: As always, if you need some extra help, you can always email getDowntown and we can try to point you in the right direction.

Walking in the Winter

• Winter Gear Shopping Guide 2008: on the getDowntown blog.
• Who to contact in Ann Arbor to get snow or ice removed from a residential sidewalk.

Walking Advocacy Organizations

• Washtenaw Biking and Walking Coalition (WBWC): Local advocacy group for cyclists in Washtenaw County.
• Alliance for Biking and Walking: This national organization Provides advocacy and resources to promote walking and biking.
  

Recreational Walking Groups

• Washtenaw Wanderers Volksporting Club: This group leads all sorts of fun walking events throughout the year.

Walking to Work Hints and Tips

Here are some basic hints and tips to keep in mind when walking to work:

• Be prepared for the weather: Whether the weather will be rainy or snowy, hot or cold, be prepared!  All it takes is a glance at the Weather Forecast to know if you’ll need an umbrella or sunglasses, etc.   This will make your walk a lot more pleasant
• Plan your route in advance: Check out on of the resources above or ask a co-worker or friend for route suggestions.  If you have a good idea where you are going, it will be harder for you to get lost!
• Learn the AATA bus system: Even if you never plan on using it, it’s probably a good idea to know how to use the AATA buses if you walk to work.  That way, if you are ever feeling sick or just want to get home faster, you can take the bus.
• Get a Zipcar Membership: If you sometimes need a car and you work downtown, consider a Zipcar.  Zipcars allow you to check out a car by the hour for when you need it.  That way, you can keep your car at home.
• Invest in an MP3 Player or iPod: Listening to your favorite music, the radio, or a podcast is a great way to get even more out of your walk.

Other Walking to Work Resources

• Walking-related blog posts on the getDowntown Blog.
• Walker Tracker: A Community Site for Pedometer Fans to log and track their steps.
• Words of Wisdom from People who Walk to Work from the getDowntown Blog.
  
• #walking and #walk on Twitter.
  

This post is from Commuter Challenge Ambassador Andrew.  Andrew works at Survey Sciences Group in downtown Ann Arbor:

After our organization joined the Commuter Challenger last May I learned more about the value of a sustainable commute. I took the bus and rode my motorcycle to work; not only throughout May but for a lot of the summer. I didn’t fully commit to taking the bus until my parking pass was no longer subsidized.

I could foresee parking costs adding up and with the addition of the Go!Pass from my employer, I’ve been taking the bus to work for over 4 months straight and saving $150 a month in just parking, not including gas! Since the bus stop’s close to our building the commute is not much longer than parking in the structure. And with the recent nice weather, I’ve also been riding my motorcycle around town as well! I look forward to our organization being at the top of the Commuter Challenge again as almost everyone uses a sustainable commute!