Check out these Walking events during Curb Your Car Month:
All Month: Walker Tracker Walking Contest
Every Weds. Walk to Work Wednesdays
May 7: Main Street Walk, 12-1pm, Meet at the County Courthouse (and Main and Huron) with Grace Shackman
May 14: Kerrytown Walk, 12-1pm, Meet at the Kerrytown Sweetwaters, with Ray Detter
May 14: Fifth and Division Improvement Plan Public Hearing, 7pm, Council Chambers, 100 N. Fifth Ave, 2nd Floor
All Month: Become a Walk Ambassador for the Curb Your Car Month Commuter Challenge
Walking to work is a great way to get fit, save money, and protect the environment. Walking allows you to arrive at work feeling refreshed and unwind slowly on the way home. A 2005 survey of downtown employees in Ann Arbor, found that about 15% of downtown employees currently walk to work, which is higher than the national average. Discover what your co-workers already have, and try walking to work today!
Get Fit
Did you know that Michigan is the 6th fattest state in the country and that approximately 55% of Michigan’s adults are considered overweight? Walking to work and when you do errands is a great way to get your recommended daily exercise and it reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes and other nasty diseases.
Save Money
A downtown parking permit is $1250 year. Gas is over $2 a gallon. A parking ticket for an expired parking meter is $10. The cost of gym membership starts is $40 at the Ann Arbor YMCA. Walking to work is free & you might even be able to cash in that gym membership!
Protect the Environment
If the average American biked or walked to work or shopping once every two weeks instead of driving, we could prevent the pollution of close to one billion gallons of gasoline from entering the atmosphere every year. Currently, there is great potential for increasing the number of walking trips in the United States and Ann Arbor, as the 2001 National Household Travel Survey found that only 8.6 percent of all trips are made on foot. This statistic contrasts starkly with the fact that 25 percent of trips in the United States are a quarter mile or less. Easy distances to walk!
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