Commuter challenge participation jumps in all directions

Wednesday, June 17, 2009 | Source: Concentrate

The numbers for Ann Arbor's Commuter Challenge continue to go up as more and more people double down on getting to downtown in something other than a car.

The Commuter Challenge is a month-long initiative that encourages people who work in downtown to get to and from their jobs through alternative means of transportation during May. Last month was the third year for the challenge and there wasn't a statistic that didn't go up.

The number of participating organizations reached 140 this year, up from 117 last year and 66 the year before. A little more than 1,800 people clocked in 20,391 commutes that covered 296,103 miles and eliminated 253,433 pounds of CO2. Last year 1,482 participants logged in 15,407 commutes for 247,413 miles. The first year only 231 people took part, traveling 112,813 miles in 9,407 commutes.

"A lot of this is finding the right person at that organization and getting them excited about it," says Nancy Shore, director of getDowntown, which organized the Commuter Challenge.

She adds that getDowntown used traditional marketing methods, along with things like social networking to find more of the right people and get them excited about riding bikes, buses and shoe leather to and from work.

Source: Nancy Shore, director of getDowntown
Writer: Jon Zemke