Curb Your Car Month

Do you want more money?  More time?  More exercise?  More fun?

Get more out of your commute. 

Participate in Curb Your Car Month!

Every 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.  In 2007, 1,700 employees participated in Curb Your Car Month events.  Curb Your Car Month's most exciting event is the month-long Commuter Challenge, where organizations compete against one another to see who can log the most sustainable commutes.

Curb Your Car Month 2008 events

(Click here to see events calendar)

All Month: Commuter Challenge

Organizations are invited to compete with similar-sized organizations to see who can log the most sustainable commutes.  Employees will earn a point for every sustainable commute they log on the getDowntown Commuter Challenge website and will be able to turn in those points at the end of the month for prizes such as coffee gift cards, gift certificates to downtown businesses, UM gear and more!  Organizations with the most employees logging sustainable commutes will also win prizes such as a free tea tasting from Arbor Teas, a Pizza Party from Cottage Inn, and recognition at an Awards Ceremony in June.

Read more about the Commuter Challenge by clicking here!

All Month: Walker Tracker Walking Competition

How many steps does your neighbor walk to work? Find out when you join up with Ann Arbor's Walker Tracker. Measure footsteps to footsteps, track your progress, create walking groups and compete. Ann Arbor's Walker Tracker community is a great way to keep walking to work throughout the year.  Join the Ann Arbor Community and learn more by clicking here.

May 1, All Day: Free Transit Day!:

Ride all AATA buses for free on the first day of Curb Your Car Month.

May 7, 12-1pm, Meet in front of the County Courthouse (101 E. Huron St., on the corner of Main and Huron Streets): Downtown Main Street Walk

Enjoy wonderful, walkable Main Street with local historian Grace Shackman. 

May 7, 7:00pm, DDA Offices (150 S. Fifth, Suite 301): Same Roads, Same Rules Forum

Sponsored by the Washtenaw Biking and Walking Coalition

Join representatives from the Ann Arbor Police Department, the Washtenaw Biking and Walking Coalition, the getDowntown Program, and others to discuss common issues related to bikes and cars using the roads together. Discussion topics may include what role various groups in the community can play in helping cars and bikes share the road, what should happen with the "Same Roads, Same Rules" Campaign and more.

May 8, 7:00-8:30pm, Ann Arbor Library Multipurpose Room:  Car-lite, Car-less, a Panel Discussion on How we Commute to Work

Join local commuting celebrities Ed Vielmetti, Scott Munzel (a local Attorney), Tamara Real (Arts Alliance) and Alaine Karoleff (Inner Circle Media) as they talk about their commutes: what methods they use, challenges and surprises they encounter, and most of all, how using a sustainable mode of transportation helps them "get more" out of their commute.  Time will be left over for the folks in the audience to share their stories.

May 9, 6:00pm, Meet At Liberty Plaza: RAT with Cheese

A special Ride Around Town (RAT) event.  Ride Around Town is a monthly ride through the streets of downtown Ann Arbor.  This event will end with some nice cheese and bread at Zingerman's Next Door!  More info on the RAT here.

May 12, 5:30-6:30 and 6:30-7:30, Conor O'Neills Celtic Room: Speedpooling Event

Find a carpooling or vanpooling partner the fun and easy way!  Downtown employees will have the chance to meet others interested in sharing a ride and check out the AATA's new ridesharing software.  There will be refreshments, a “car pool” (kiddie pool filled with floating cars where people can pick a car to win a prize), and a short presentation on all of the benefits you get when you carpool or vanpool to the downtown. Check it out! At our Speedpooling event you could win a Daihatsu Copen Remote Controlled Car (valued at $300) compliments of TinyRC!

May 14, 12:00-1:00pm, Meet at Kerrytown Sweetwaters: The Supply Side of Town: Kerrytown Walk by Ray Detter

Only blocks from the County Courthouse, the area that today surrounds Kerrytown and the Farmers Market was once a center for transportation, power, and manufacturing located within a residential neighborhood rich in ethnic diversity. Let local Citizens Advisory Council member Ray Detter lead you on a walk around this fascinating side of town.

May 14, 7:00pm, City Council Chambers, 100 N. Fifth Avenue, Second Floor: Public Hearing for Fifth and Division Improvement Plan

If you support sustainable transportation, please don’t miss your chance to give your feedback!  The Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority (DDA) has spent several years studying ways to accommodate traffic demands along Fifth Avenue and Division Street while also addressing community needs for sustainable transportation. 

The DDA has developed a comprehensive improvement plan for the two corridors. The plan calls for adding bike lanes and parking on Fifth Ave. and Division Street in order to enhance conditions for pedestrians and cyclists while also offering parking spaces for cars.   There are also other proposed enhancements.

The DDA is interested in hearing public feedback about the proposed Fifth and Division improvements plan as a first step before bringing a recommendation before Ann Arbor City Council to move ahead with this project. 

May 15: Inaugural run of the new Commuter Bus service from Chelsea to Ann Arbor

AATA will kick off its new commuter bus service from Chelsea to Ann Arbor on May 15th. Coffee from Bearclaw Coffee Company will await riders as they step on to the Indian Trails bus that will take them from Chelsea to downtown Ann Arbor.

May 16, 8:00am-9:00am, City Hall with rides departing to City Hall from local bike shops and other locations : Bike to Work Day and Rally

Mayor Hieftje and local bike shops will lead rides to City Hall where bike commuters will meet for food and prizes. At this event, we will be giving away commuter bikes donated by local shops!  To be entered into the drawing to win a commuter bike, you must submit at essay to getDowntown telling us how you get more out of your commute by biking to work.  You can submit an essay by clicking here.  A winner will be selected at random from all eligible entries to win one of the commuter bikes donated by local bike shops. 

May 20, 12:00-2:00pm, Ann Arbor Federal Building: How many balloons can fit in a MichiVan?

Come to the Federal Building and try to guess how many balloons are in the MichiVan!  One lucky person will win an ipod shuffle! You will also have the chance to sign up for a carpool or vanpool using AATA's new online software.

May 22: Evening Employee Transit Service Begins

The AATA and getDowntown will start providing an Evening Employee Transit Service for downtown employees. The service will run after 11pm so that employees have a ride home after the buses stop running. Other service details are to be determined. Stay tuned for details!

Other Events

We will also have Carpool/Vanpool Tuesdays, Walk to Work Wednesdays, Transit Thursdays and Bike to Work Day Fridays where you can get a chance to try these commutes with other downtown employees and win prizes during the Commuter Challenge.

Become a Walk, Bike or Bus Ambassador

Already walking the walk? May is the time to share your enthusiasm & get your friends, neighbors, & colleagues pumped up too!  Sign up to be a Walk, Bike or Bus Ambassador during Curb Your Car Month by clicking here! 

Questions or ideas about Curb Your Car Month?  Please contact us.