This just in:

From 1990 to 2009, the number of trips taken on foot more than doubled from 18 billion to 42.5 billion. Similarly, the number of bike trips increased from 1.7 billion to 4 billion. (from Ray LaHood’s Blog)

That’s according to a recent Federal Highway Administration Study. And in other good news, at the same time as walking and biking trips has increased, the number of pedestrians and cyclists killed is decreasing.

While all of this is great news, it’s clear we still have a ways to go to make it both practical and safe for people to bike and walk to their destinations.  But these numbers are encouraging!

After a long winter of boots and windshield scraping, it’s finally time to do more walking, busing and biking… and what a great way to kick it off with the Commuter Challenge!

I try to use sustainable commuting throughout the year but now that spring is here, one can really enjoy the outdoors on their way to work. Whether going for a walk while listening to my headphones, riding my bike or relaxing on the bus as the breeze flows through my hair – I feel great knowing that I am not only enjoying my surroundings and getting exercise but also helping the environment and utilizing our city transit system. And I don’t have to worry about parking or gas money!

The Commuter Challenge is a great way to let everyone know that there is no minimum requirement for going green… everyone can do it and there are many benefits to doing so! So get out there and celebrate summer, sustainable commuting and the Commuter Challenge!

The following post was submitted by Commuter Challenge Ambassador Christine T.

Green Commute Day

Monday, May 3rd, 2010
Ann Arbor, MI

Wear Green to Support Green Commuting

On Monday, May 3rd, kick off the Commuter Challenge in style and show your support for Green Commuting by wearing green.  For a super-easy way to support Green Commuting, pick up a Green “I participate in the Challenge” button from the getDowntown Offices (518 E. Washington, across from the First United Methodist Church).

Win Prizes During Green Commute Day

Submit a photo of yourself and/or your friends, neighbors or co-workers on Green Commute Day to info@getdowntown.org by 5pm on Monday, May 3rd and you could win a prize.

We will post all of the eligible photos on Tuesday, May 4th on the getDowntown Facebook Page as well as AnnArbor.Com and have you vote for your favorite.

Eligible Photos have the names of the people pictured in the photo.   The people in the photo must be wearing green.  Photos must be submitted to info@getdowntown.org by 5pm on May 3rd.

Winners get the following prizes:

First Place: A $5 Coffee gift cards from the downtown coffee shop of your choice, a free Commuting Ambassador T-shirt and an eco-friendly getDowntown Pen for everyone pictured in the photo.

Second Place: A getDowntown Chico bag, a free Commuting Ambassador T-shirt and an eco-friendly getDowntown Pen for everyone pictured in the photo.

Third Place: A free Commuting Ambassador T-shirt and an eco-friendly getDowntown Pen for everyone pictured in the photo.

I’m very excited that our anniversary reception is happening tonight at the Michigan Theater Screening Room from 4:30-6:30pm.  We’ll have refreshments from Sava’s State Street Cafe and lots of good conversation.

About 65 people have RSVPed including Mayor John Hieftje, Rich Sheridan from Menlo Innovations, several City Council Members, and lots more!

Susan Pollay, Executive Director of the DDA will provide an overview of our past and Nancy Shore, getDowntown Program Director, will give us a peak into the future.  After that, Employee Services Coordinator Moira Branigan will present businesses with special appreciation awards for being part of the getDowntown Program and purchasing go!passes for the past 10 years.

Should be a blast!  Hope to have pictures up soon.

Recently, A2Politico posted a blog post after I met with Ms. Lesko (the blog’s author).

Today, ArborBlahg presents a different take on the subject.

Check out the posts here and here.

Some great new services for downtown employees and employers from getDowntown:

If you’re a little hesitant about busing, biking or carpooling to work downtown, you’re not alone. The world of sustainable transportation can be a little daunting.

That’s where we come in.  The getDowntown Program has experience with every commuting option you could think of (except maybe a pogo stick).

To make your life easier, we’ve created this handy Commuting Question form. All you have to do is type in your commuting question and we’ll send you a personal response.  Please note, this service is only available for employees/employers  in downtown Ann Arbor.

Click here to send us a Commuting Question.

Don’t have a question now?  Our Commuting Question form is on our website whenever you need it: getdowntown.org/resources/commutingquestion.html

Attention Downtown Employees, Managers, Admin Assistants, and HR Directors:

Wish you had a packet of commuting information for your employees?  Wish you could get all of your commuting materials delivered to your door? Wish granted!

You can now request materials from the getDowntown Program for all commuting options to downtown Ann Arbor.  From AATA Ride Guides to bike maps to new employee orientation guides, we have it all.

And every order comes with a free getDowntown pen!

Please note: this service is only available to downtown Ann Arbor employers/employees

Click here to request commuting materials from getDowntown.

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)?

Bonnie Valentine loves the getDowntown Program!

I’ve decided to share my passion for public transportation in hopes of encouraging you to curb your car. It was through the getDowntown Program that I’ve reduced our household to only one vehicle by using public transportation. The benefits are too many to list. Therefore, I’ve narrowed it down to my top ten list.

For those of you who know me I love to create my own lyrics to popular tunes, but this proved to be extremely difficult for me to communicate my lyrics via the Blog posting. However, if you get the opportunity to sit next to me on the bus I’d gladly hum a few bars. Without further ado, drum roll please:

My co-worker and I were walking down Washington Street by Fouth Ave when we noticed this little guy attached to a bike rack:

Apparently it’s a velomobile.  According to the Blue Velo website: “Velomobiles are human powered vehicles. Hand-crafted using light weight materials such as carbon fibre and aluminium they provide an innovative and environmentally friendly alternative for commuting, touring, or personal recreation.”

Looks like this person opted for the Quest Model.  Wonder whose it is?

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!