Commuter Challenge – relive the glory days of your youth!

First they built the road
Then they built the town
That’s why we’re still driving around
And around and around and around…

There’s a song titled “Month of May” by the indie-rock band Arcade Fire. It is about May as a time for rebirth, beginning anew, and recalling a time in our youth when anything seemed possible. This is by no means a new sentiment, after all – April showers, bring May flowers… but it does provide a nice context to SEMCOG’s Commuter Challenge, which kicked off on May 1 and lasts through the end of the month.

SEMCOG staffers Iris Steinberg (center) and Devan Rostorfer commend a bicycle commuter at the annual Commuter Challenge kickoff.

The goal of the Commuter Challenge is to improve the region’s air quality by “challenging” us all to commute via a mode other than driving-alone: carpool, bus, vanpool, walk, bike, or work from home. The idea is that commuters will be reminded that different options are available in our region and try them out during the month, with the hope that a new habit may stick.

This is what made me think of the song “Month of May”, which reminds us of simpler times when getting to the places we needed to go often depended on relying on modes other than our own car. Sometimes it was our two feet, on a bike with or without a friend on the handlebars, a school bus, or hitching a ride with a parent, an older sibling, or a “good” friend who just turned the coveted age of 16. In other words – the Commuter Challenge is a time for us all, for one month at least, to relive these days when simply getting to a movie or soccer practice took a little creativity! The question is… can you leave behind the comfort of the drive-alone commute and revisit a transportation mode from your youth?

Last year, the Commuter Challenge accounted for a reduction of carbon dioxide emissions of more than 166,000 pounds, equivalent to the weight of 41 cars. This year, we plan to top that.

Gonna make a record in the month of May
In the month of May, in the month of May
Gonna make a record in the month of May

For my part, I will be commuting to and from the office via the 620 Charlevoix SMART bus. While I understand and appreciate the positive air quality impacts this choice to ride public transit, versus driving alone each day has, I view this more as an added bonus to the “real” reasons. See… I’m pretty cheap and appreciate that I can save well over $150 a month between parking, gas, and general wear and tear on my car. Additionally, the 60 minutes afforded me each day to read a book, catch up on email, or simply zone out listening to a podcast or music, as opposed to sitting behind the wheel on I-94, is pretty priceless.

It is my pleasure to let someone else do the driving on a rainy day.

While I understand that taking the bus may not be possible for some, I do encourage you to look into other alternatives to driving alone to work each day – even if it’s carpooling with a coworker or family member just for one day. SEMCOG’s MiRideshare website can even help you locate a colleague or neighbor who may be on a similar schedule to carpool, or allow you to see if joining or starting a vanpool is an option. Regardless of the method that best suites you, please check out SEMCOG’s Commuter Challenge website to register and also see how your employer is doing in reducing CO2 against others in the region on the Leader board! If that isn’t incentive enough… those that register have the opportunity to win weekly and prizes ranging from gift cards, to hotel stays, to movie passes!

If you do “take the challenge,” stay in touch and share your experiences using #commuterchallenge.