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.

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?

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.

MOVING MINDS: THE NEXT TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE is coming up fast -
 November 9 – 12 in Ann Arbor. Hotel blocks are filling up and the early-
bird rate ends October 22 (this Thursday) end of day.

For more information go to
 http://um-smart.org and click on the SMART summit link in the left margin.

Special Highlights Include:

•       The world (and the country) at your doorstep. Urban transportation thought leaders, practitioners, business leaders 
and policy makers from the U.S. and around the world

•       New Mobility Primer Salon – Mon. Nov 9, 6:30 pm – free & open to
 the public

•       New Mobility Entrepreneurs forum, also Monday night

•       Moving Minds public event – The psychology of our transportation 
choices and new visions for the next generation of transportation

•       Special working luncheon to connect SE Michigan transportation 
initiatives – Tues. Nov 10. (SMART’s Connect & Prosper Initiative
 celebrates its new supporting partner, the Mott Foundation).

•       Design in Motion Breakfast – forging the link between design, mobility
 & accessibility (at Angelo’s – delicious) – Wed. Nov. 11

•       Special working luncheon on New Mobility, resilience, and national 
security (Wed. Nov 11)

•       New Mobility Means Business – a panel focused on the emerging
 business opportunities of innovative transportation in an urbanizing world

•       Hands-on mapping session linking real estate and New Mobility – in 
partnership with the UM-ULI Real Estate Forum (see 
http://www.umuliforum.com/)

•       Policy & Research panel Wed Nov 11, setting the stage for a focused all-
afternoon collaborative research workshop geared to accelerating
 sustainable transportation implementation – Thurs. Nov. 12

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.

This Commuter Challenge Ambassador Post is from Ashley B. over at at re:group in downtown Ann Arbor:

It’s only 3 more days until the start of the commuter challenge! I can’t wait to get started. I only committed to 5 days, but I think there’s a good chance it will be more. My inspiration first started when I went out for a run into downtown and found myself at work before I knew it. I realized biking would be even easier and went home and researched bike racks. Then, I came across the commuter challenge on Twitter, and knew it was just the push I needed! I thought back to my environmental classes at U of M, and  the studies that showed how important it was to get out and be immersed in nature. I don’t do that enough! I get my best ideas when I’m out walking and quietly thinking. It will be a great time to get fresh air, exercise and a moment for introspection in a busy world!

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!