Smart Commute 2009
Ann Arbor — May 1 – 31
Ann Arbor Curb Your Car Month: In May, the getDowntown Program hosts Curb Your Car Month--a month long event to encourage downtown workers to walk, bike, bus, carpool/vanpool, etc. to work. Curb Your Car Month’s most exciting event is the month-long Commuter Challenge (www.getdowntown.org/programs/commuter/index.html), where organizations compete against one another to see who can log the most sustainable commutes.
getDowntown Program - Nancy Shore
(734) 214-0100 | nancy@annarborchamber.org | www.getdowntown.org
Flint — May 11 – 15
This May, “think outside the glove box.” Instead of driving a car, try people powered transportation: bicycling, walking, carpooling, or public transit. The Safe and Active Genesee for Everyone (SAGE) Collaborative is celebrating National Bike-to-Work Day with a full week of Smart Commute events.
Safe and Active Genesee for Everyone (SAGE) - Lauren Holaly
(810) 235-3396 | lholaly@crim.org | www.crim.org/smartCommute/index.htm
Holland - Zeeland — May 18 – 22
Green Commute Week will be launched with a community-wide educational forum and series of community events to include a commuter challenge, practical tips for bicycle commuters, and a leadership ride in the Holland-Zeeland area. Organized by the Macatawa Area Coordinating Council, and representatives from local businesses, health care professionals, and bike shops, Green Commute Week will highlight cost savings and health benefits of alternative transportation options.
Green Commute Program – Elisa Hoekwater
(616) 395-2688, ext. 109 | ehoekwater@the-macc.org
Jackson — May 15
Get fit. Be green. Save money. Join us in celebrating the joys of walking, biking, and riding the bus! Events include a Commuter Challenge, Falling Waters Trail ride, Smart Commuter breakfast stations, and a lunch party with prize drawings. This year the Smart Commute continues through the summer with monthly Smart Commute Days and an extended Commuter Challenge.
Fitness Council of Jackson - Scott TenBrink
(517) 990-9798 | scott@fitnesscouncil.org | www.fitnesscouncil.org
Lansing — April - June
Smart Commute ’08 helps people in the Capital Area discover the joys of walking, bicycling, riding the bus, carpooling, and telecommuting instead of driving. Smart Commute ’08 will include bicycle commuting classes, festivals, a company competition, monthly prize drawings for members of the Smart Commute Club, and more.
Mid-Michigan Environmental Action Council - Jessica Yorko
(517) 214-5684 | jessicayorko@
sustainablesolutions.biz | www.midmeac.org
Manistee — May 16 -22
Healthy Active Manistee (HAM it up!) is a program that encourages walking, biking, carpooling and using public
transportation in the Manistee area.
Manistee Nonmotorized Transportation Committee - Christa Johnson
christajohnsondc@gmail.com
Traverse City — June 1 - 5
Smart Commute Week is a program that encourages ‘smart’ transportation that includes: walking, biking, carpooling, using public transportation, or any other form of transportation that does not include driving alone. The event showcases, promotes and encourages alternative transportation options in Traverse City. Events include free commuter breakfasts, a commuter cup challenge, prizes and more.
TART Trails, Inc. - Missy Luyk missy@traversetrails.org | www.smartcommutetc.org
Bike Month: May
Bike-to-Work Week: May 11-15
Bike-to-Work Day: May 15
Americans have been commemorating National Bike Month in May for 53 years, thanks to advocacy groups like the League of American Bicyclists and the League of Michigan Bicyclists (LMB). Timed to coincide with the arrival of warmer weather, the event has inspired countless bike rides, safety inspections, commuter challenges, ribbon-cuttings, “share the road” promotions, and other varied celebrations of bicycling in communities across the nation.
The LMB is promoting Bike-to-Work Week from May 11-15. One of the most popular activities in Bike Month is encouraging people to bicycle to work and forsake their motor vehicles for just one day. Friday, May 15 is designated as National Bike-to-Work Day (this date is also part of National Transportation Week), although many communities pick other dates in the month for this particular event.
Hundreds of people in Ann Arbor, Flint, Holland, Jackson, Lansing, Manistee and Traverse City will bike, walk, carpool, take the bus to work, or telecommute during Smart Commute ‘09. Smart Commute is part of a national celebration of Bike-to-Work Week.
Smart Commuting Tips:
www.LMB.org/commute.htm
www.MIsmartcommute.org
For Bike-to-work resources:
www.bikeleague.org/programs/bikemonth/
The link between smart
commuting and quality of life:
Time: “Dave Duffield of the League of Michigan Bicyclists bikes a 17-mile round trip to his job. When he gets home, he can complete his wife’s ‘honey-do’ list without hankering for a cycling trip to rev up his heart rate.” (The Detroit News. Tuesday, September 21, 2004, “Cycling becomes Metro quality of life issue”)
Money: Half of America’s trips are under three miles — and we make an average of 10 to 12 trips per household per day. With rising gas prices, replacing single-occupant car trips with Smart Commute trips means money in the pocket!
Health: According to a 2004 Ingham County Health Department report, about 62% of Ingham County adults do not engage in moderate physical activity at least 3 times a week. About 58% of Ingham residents are overweight, and 20% are obese. Replacing car trips with Smart
Commute trips also means inches off your waistline and years on your life!
Economy and Environment: “The economic benefits of trail systems neighboring a community have been studied by the National Park Service [and] the Urban Land Institute. Both studies indicate that trails increase tourism and trail-related businesses to the area and reduce the number of single-occupant vehicle trips, improving air quality.”
Creating “Cool”: According to Robert Ficano, a Wayne County executive and advocate for an I-275 bike path, “Cycling is a quality-of-life issue. Young professionals want bike lanes, bike paths in cities where they seek work."
