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Posted on Wed, Mar 9, 2011 : 10:36 a.m.

These Ann Arbor commuters aren't worried about high gas prices

By Nancy Shore

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Nancy Shore: getDowntown

“Honestly, I haven’t really noticed much of a difference in gas prices.”

Alaine Karoleff, a project manager at Inner Circle Media in downtown Ann Arbor hasn’t been fazed by the recent spike in gas prices. That’s because she’s part of a growing group of downtown Ann Arbor commuters that make the choice to walk, bike, bus or carpool instead of drive alone to work.

While Karoleff called her first couple of trips on the bus “a little daunting” she now calls it “one of the best things I’ve done for my wallet. It seems pretty effortless now!” Since her employer provides her with a go!pass, she doesn’t even have to pay for the bus trip to work.

Karoleff isn’t alone. Thousands of downtown Ann Arbor employees use their go!pass every month to ride the bus. Rides using a go!pass are at an all time high. Increasing gas prices just provide another incentive to try the bus, even for just one day a week.

For some downtown employees, biking to work offers tremendous savings over a car commute. “I save something like $700 a month just by not owning a car,” says Sandy Bledsoe III, a barista at Comet Coffee who bikes to work. Enrico Aquino, an employee at the City of Ann Arbor, only uses his car on weekends and bikes or buses to work during the week.

Kristen Schleick, architect and urban designer with Hobbs + Black Architects, has also found a great way to save on gas. Because of their short commutes to work, Kristen can take the bus while her husband takes their only car. “The absolute best way to lower commuting costs, of course, is to live close to where you work,” says Schleick.

On the flip side, even some downtown employees faced with 100-mile-a-day car commutes aren’t feeling the pinch at the pump. That’s because these employees carpool to work, which cuts down on gas costs and the stress of commuting alone.

Just ask Gordy Krueger, an IT project manager at HealthMedia. According to Krueger, the dramatic rise in gas prices over the past month has provided extra incentive to add individuals to his carpool, and he has seen more inquiries since the beginning of the year for people interested in joining hiscarpool. And reducing commuting costs isn’t the only reason Krueger carpools. “Seeing the amount of CO2 I am reducing by carpooling is awesome,” he says.

What advice do these creative commuters have for those of us looking to reduce the burden of increased gas prices? Kelly O’Doherty, an architect with Angelini and Associates, suggests running errands, such as shopping for groceries, during lunchtime or after the workday. That way, you don’t have to make a larger additional trip over the weekend.

Sandy Bledsoe offers these words of wisdom for people looking to try biking to work:

“A decent bike would pay for itself in no time, and you'll be amazed by how much cycling transforms your life, your health and your attitude. Would you believe that most motorists rate their commutes as stressful, but most cyclists rate their commutes as fun?”

If you do have to drive, carpooling may be an option. You can check out MIRideshare.org or just ask around at the office to find some carpool partners. In addition, Gordy Krueger suggests using your car’s cruise control. He estimates that by using cruise control, he saves a mile or two a gallon on his way to work, which can add up over time.

Finally, a great resource for anyone who works downtown is the getDowntown Program. We can help you find the commute that is best for you.

So while high gas prices may cause you to cringe, making the choice to try a green commute could have you shrugging your shoulders instead.

Comments

Monica Milla

Sun, Mar 13, 2011 : 5:49 a.m.

I bike to WCC and have only had to drive a few times this winter.

Carole

Thu, Mar 10, 2011 : 1:45 p.m.

No sense in worrying -- but what does irk me is that we are just lining the pockets of the big oil companies. There are many folks out there that can't afford the gas to get to work and driving is the only way they can get there. It is getting quite annoying that every time some thing arises in the middle east or even the oil spill in the gulf, immediately gas increase considerably. It is bad enough to see the fluctuating prices during the week -- usually Tuesday night they increase -- at least those that I drive past on my way to work.

sun runner

Wed, Mar 9, 2011 : 9:30 p.m.

While it does cost considerably more to fill my car's tank these days, I'm not excessively worried because my car has excellent fuel economy. I get an average of 47 MPG (I drive a diesel vehicle) and my daily commute is 38 miles round-trip. I can squeeze about 600 miles out of one tank, which means I don't have to fill up my car very often if I limit my traveling. I am being more choosy about going places farther away, deciding which events are really worth a long drive and the resultant use of fuel. I weathered this storm before in the summer of 2008 when fuel prices shot up dramatically and was thankful for my economic little car then as I am now.

spm

Wed, Mar 9, 2011 : 8:47 p.m.

I can't tell you how much gas is and haven't paid attention to the price in the 18 years I've lived in my OWS house. I originally wanted to live close to my work because parking was expensive, but nowadays I'm happy that I either bike or walk to work since it helps me keep my heart healthy. The downside is I've never had to call into work on snowy days saying I'm stuck in my driveway and can't come into work....bummer.

dotdash

Wed, Mar 9, 2011 : 7:04 p.m.

Good for all of you! In other places at other times, I've been carless and it's very freeing. It's key to be really close to a town center, with groceries store, library, bank, and post office all within easy reach. Also good neighbors with cars who will drive you to the hospital in dire moments. Zillow (or it is Trulia?) has a great feature whereby you can look at how "walkable" a house is, with a score of 0-100. We bought the 68, but I wish to this day that we had bought the 86.

Top Cat

Wed, Mar 9, 2011 : 6:38 p.m.

I walked to work once to try saving on gas when I lived in New Jersey. It turned out to be more expensive than driving as the walk took me right past a local Irish pub each evening. But better to pay tribute to Arthur Guinness than John D. Rockefeller.

Juliew

Wed, Mar 9, 2011 : 6:19 p.m.

My husband and I both walk to work. I couldn't even tell you how much gas is a gallon. I do think it is funny that when gas is cheap, people wonder why we live where we do. When gas is expensive, they say we are lucky to live so close to work. It isn't "luck"--we deliberately chose a house within walking distance of our jobs. Interestingly, it was also less expensive than houses we looked at that were farther away.

John Q

Wed, Mar 9, 2011 : 5:52 p.m.

What Tim said. How many people complain here about the high cost of real estate, taxes, etc. in the city but never factor in the costs of living outside the city that come with having to drive everywhere? Owning a car costs the average owner thousands of dollars per year (gas, car loan, insurance, maintenance). Being able to live in the city and only have one car (or none) can offset the costs associated with a city address.

tim

Wed, Mar 9, 2011 : 5:44 p.m.

There is a lot of people who found a better deals on housing outside of Ann Arbor ten years ago only to find that their good deal has vanished in the pockets of the oil industry.

Ben Connor Barrie

Wed, Mar 9, 2011 : 12:56 a.m.

Biking to work in the winter is not that bad really. I only skipped the first day of each of the two snow storms. Oil is finite. Long single occupancy motor vehicle commutes are going to be prohibitively expensive in the future. We can either waste resources continuing to subsidize this unsustainable way of life, or begin changing our lifestyles in preparation for the inevitable.