Metro Detroit steps up for Commuter Challenge week

Thursday, May 7, 2009 | Source: metromode

Ever get stuck in rush-hour traffic on an overloaded highway, watching SUV after SUV creep by holding only the driver, and wonder WTF? The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments wants to help stop you from becoming that winner with its Commuter Challenge this month.

The challenge will help green Metro Detroiters commute and let them save more than a little green by getting people to try different modes of transportation. That means getting more people out of their cars and into buses, carpools, on bikes, or even on foot. Shaving just a few commutes can save motorists lots of money and let them do their little part to save the Earth.

"Most families spend more money on transportation than on food or clothing or just about anything else other than housing," says Megan Owens, executive director of Transportation Riders United, a mass transit advocate. "Cutting that cost can mean a lot of money."

Click here to see how much you can save by taking an alternative mode of transportation to work.

Commuters can participate by using an alternative form of transportation to go to and from work between May 11-22. Participants will be entered in a contest to win a number of prizes ranging from an overnight stay at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center and lunch for two at the 42 Degrees North Restaurant to a $50 fuel card. They will also receive a coupon for 10 percent off at Wheelhouse Detroit, located on the Detroit Riverwalk.

The challenge is part of the National Transportation Week. It's also ramping up interest as two of Metro Detroit's biggest mass transit projects get ready to come to fruition. The proposed Detroit-Ann Arbor commuter rail line and the Woodward streetcar line are both set to come online in the fall of 2010.

For information, click here or call (313) 324-3402.

Source: Megan Owens, executive director of Transportation Riders United and the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments
Writer: Jon Zemke