Curbing your car makes more sense than ever

Why not try alternative transportation?

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

If you see more people walking, bicycling and riding the bus this month, it might be because spring has pushed us out from our cold weather warrens.

Or it might be because we're heeding the advice of the Curb Your Car campaign.

An expansion of the Bike To Work Week, the effort aims to raise awareness about alternative modes of transportation. Are there other ways you can commute, other than driving your car? If you live too far from work and can't walk, bike or take a bus, are there people who can carpool with you?

Those are the kinds of questions that organizers hope you'll keep top of mind during May - and, hopefully, well beyond this month.

It was a good idea to expand the campaign both in length and breadth. And with gas prices pinching our pockets like a drunk uncle, there's even more motivation to look for alternatives.

Ann Arbor's getDowntown program, part of the Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce, focuses year-round on encouraging more people to use their cars less, or to use them more efficiently. That group is the driving force, so to speak, behind Curb Your Car and the month of events linked to it. Those events include:

A "Commuter Challenge'' among local businesses, a competition to get employees to log "alternative transportation'' miles during the month.

Bike maintenance workshops.

Forums at the Ann Arbor District Library about ride-sharing, traffic engineering, the local bus system and more.

A couple of lunchtime walks with Amy Kuras of the city of Ann Arbor's Department of Parks and Recreation.

Organized bike rides from Ann Arbor to Dexter and back on Monday, May 15, and from Ann Arbor to Ypsilanti on Saturday, May 20 - the date of Ypsilanti Pride, a citywide volunteer cleanup and beautification effort.

It's difficult to measure the result of this attempt to change commuting behavior. One clear metric would be when gimmicks like Curb Your Car are no longer needed.

That day hasn't arrived. Until it does, lace up your walking shoes, pump up your bike tires, grab a bus schedule, make room for another passenger in your back seat - even if it's just for this month.