Overview
- Conquer the Cold is an annual winter commuting initiative organized by the getDowntown Program run by the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority (AAATA). The 2025 challenge runs from January 20 to February 20, inviting individuals who work or live in the Ann Arbor area to participate by opting for alternative transportation methods such as biking, walking, carpooling, or using public transit during what is typically the coldest part of the year. Participants log their trips on win.getDowntown.org or the getDowntown app, automatically entering them into prize drawings based on their recorded journeys.
- The program helps reduce single-occupancy vehicle trips and aligns with the city's A2ZERO Carbon Neutrality Plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. It fosters awareness and behavior change, proving that sustainable commuting is possible even during harsh winter months.
- Winter commuting in Ann Arbor faces obstacles such as freezing temperatures, icy roads, and limited daylight. Participants in past Conquer the Cold challenges have overcome these issues by using tools like studded bike tires, thermal clothing, and reflective gear. The city can further support non-motorized commuters by maintaining bike paths, clearing sidewalks, and improving lighting. Programs like Conquer the Cold provide a framework to address these barriers.
- Walking and biking are highly sustainable because they produce zero emissions, require fewer resources than cars and other motorized options, and improve public health. Investments in bike lanes, pedestrian-friendly infrastructure, and educational programs help integrate these sustainable options into everyday life, proving their viability even in challenging weather conditions.
- Sustainable commuting through walking and biking plays a vital role in Ann Arbor’s A2ZERO Plan by helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, one of the city’s largest contributors to climate change. Programs like Conquer the Cold demonstrate practical, community-focused actions by shifting behavior toward active transportation and public transit.
- Leadership from programs like getDowntown, headed by figures such as Lilliane Webb, has been instrumental in driving sustainable transportation initiatives in Ann Arbor. Through events, resources, and outreach, the getDowntown Program not only supports winter commuting through Conquer the Cold but also builds a culture of sustainability.
Transcription
David Fair: This is 89 one WEMU, and we've seen plenty of cold days so far this winter. Sometimes, adverse weather conditions can lower the use of public and alternative transportation. I'm David Fair, and welcome to this week's Issues of the Environment. Alternative transportation--it's a key component of Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County's efforts to reach carbon neutrality goals. Part of the process is to get the public informed about what those alternative methods are, how best to use them, and to inspire the community to at least go out and try one or more of them. That's the aim of the annual Conquer the Cold challenge. This is a challenge put forth by the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority's getDowntown program. This year's challenge began on January 20th and will run through February 20th. Our guest this morning is Lilliane Webb. She is director of the getDowntown program. And thank you so much for making time for us today! I appreciate it!
Lilliane Webb: Thanks for having me!
David Fair: Well, we've had some particularly cold days already this winter. Has that impacted participation as we get to the halfway point of the challenge?
Lilliane Webb: It's hard to tell how much it may have deterred some people from taking their dream trips early on, but we've had really great participation in the first week. We had over 200 people logging their green commute trips. Some of those were telework trips, but we definitely had people who were biking and using the bus system and are really out there in the cold for those cold and snowy days.
David Fair: The Conquer the Cold challenge obviously promotes the use of alternative modes of transportation in hopes of reducing the number of single-passenger, personal vehicles on the roadways. Public transportation is one thing, Lilliane. Are there actually a lot of folks who are walking and biking in the bitter cold?
Lilliane Webb: Yeah, we see people who are willing to do all modes of transportation. Some people just love bicycling. They love the feeling of it. Some people find that walking gives them peace of mind. And so, as long as you have the right layers on, all of the transportation modes remain an option, and people are willing to opt into them even in the depths of winter.
David Fair: Is there a significant difference in the amount of people who use public transportation in warmer months, as compared to the colder months like January and February?
Lilliane Webb: I'm not able to speak directly to that. I notice that people inadvertently tell me that they're able to switch back and forth between walking and using the bus system. We know that folks used bike racks on the bus system too if it is too cold for them or if the weather changes where it's sunny at the beginning of the day, but it starts to snow. They can switch between different transportation modes pretty seamlessly on that front. That applies to both winter and summer as we experience those summer downpours and folks also switch to using the bus at that time too.
David Fair: Yeah, you can always guarantee at least one good storm during Ann Arbor Art Fair, right? Issues of the Environment and our conversation on the Conquer the Cold challenge and its greater aspirations continues on 89 one WEMU. We're talking with getDowntown director Lilliane Webb. How many years has the Conquer the Cold challenge been in place now?
Lilliane Webb: It's been a number of years. We had a pause during the....
David Fair: Pandemic.
Lilliane Webb: The peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, but we are back and running for the past couple of years. Users will notice a change in the platform we're using, which we're really excited about this year.
David Fair: In the years that you've put the challenge forth, you've seen the participation grow. For those who have not participated before or those who would still like to participate in the last few weeks of this year's challenge, how do they get signed up and what's that platform going to look like?
Lilliane Webb: We use a website, and we also have an app. The easiest way to get there is to go to getdowntown.org. And folks can simply sign up with an email address and a username. And then, they just let us know if they take one trip by public transportation, as simple as using Google Maps where you enter your start address and your ending address. You give us a little bit more information about did you use a bike to get there? Was it for commute trip purpose? And then, you click a button that says record, and we'll add your trip into the overall trip that other people have taken and give you some numbers on the impact of your emissions saved and other fun facts. So, it's pretty simple. Folks can participate whether they just have one trip where they're purposely using public transportation on a weekend or if they are trying to go for the remainder of the challenge using bikes or busses or whatever green transportation option works for them.
David Fair: At the end of each challenge, with all of the data that has been compiled, what do you do with that? And what kind of analysis does it go through to project forward?
Lilliane Webb: We share the information with our partners at the City of Ann Arbor, and they do use it to help show the impact of the vehicle miles traveled and vehicle miles reduced by using sustainable forms of transportation. One of the things that I always think is important is there is an option to record a telework trip. And sometimes, folks don't consider telework a form of sustainable transportation because, in fact, you are moving less. But when we look at the data behind the scenes, telework trips are often saving a lot of miles. There are people who are coming from further. So, it is interesting and useful to know people are walking shorter trips, people are biking and bussing about the same distance. But for people who are living further out, their options tend to be carpooling and teleworking, and those are what are in their toolkit in order to support green transportation.
David Fair: I'll be honest. It never occurred to me that you could consider teleworking as an alternative transportation mode. I think that's fascinating! It is an education every time I get to talk to somebody in the community--someone like you! What educational opportunities is the getDowntown program going to be providing through the course of the challenge and then on through the year?
Lilliane Webb: Ongoing, our website, getdowntown.org, is a great resource. We pull information from various partners and put it in one central location where if you're not sure what the best way for you to commute is or you have questions, you can browse our website by transportation mode. We started the Conquer the Cold Challenge with a kickoff event where we invited folks to come in person and hear from other people who do this regularly. One of the great parts about social events during Conquer the Cold is hearing the tips of what gear do people wear. We mentioned earlier what are people using to bike in below zero weather, hearing it directly from someone who is literally doing it that day and what they have on them and seeing it and feeling it and hearing the pros and cons from them is always helpful.
David Fair: Once again, our conversation with getDowntown director Lilliane Webb continues on 89 one WEMU's Issues of the Environment. Well, the Conquer the Cold challenge is one small part of the communitywide effort to reduce the carbon footprint in Ann Arbor and become carbon neutral by the year 2030. Washtenaw County has set its carbon neutrality goal for 2035. What role does the AAATA and the getDowntown program take responsibility for in helping achieve those goals?
Lilliane Webb: We are a great resource for the greater Ann Arbor area. TheRide covers as far west as routes out to the Meijer on Jackson Road and going east into neighborhoods in Ypsilanti. So, there's quite a significant part of the area that can opt into a form of shared transportation, and that just really reduces the emissions per person. We know that driving alone, we love it when people are carpooling if they're in a personal vehicle. The best thing you can do is fill up those seats of your car. And public transportation takes that to the next level where per gallon that we're using of fuel, we've got a lot of people moving back and forth and getting on and off of the bus. So, it is an important resource in our community for making those sustainable changes.
David Fair: Have you or are you now participating yourself in the Conquer the Cold Challenge?
Lilliane Webb: I am participating! One of the fun parts about the challenge is that anyone who is just using our website to log their trips is going to get counted into the overall numbers that folks can see each day. They get updated each morning. But you can also opt in to either a team or an individual, so if you don't want your exact name out there to the public or if you do. I believe my username is L-Dub on the leaderboards. So, if you look at the leaderboards, I am not in the lead.
David Fair: Work to do!
Lilliane Webb: I can't keep how many green trips I've made and keep me accountable. So, you can look for businesses that are participating. Folks have invited their roommates and have fun team names. So, you don't always know who the group is, but they know who they are. And they're having a good time competing against each other as a mini competition in the overall challenge.
David Fair: Well, once again, the Conquer the Cold Challenge runs through February 20th, and you can still sign up and participate, as Lilliane said, even if it's only one ride. And what's the web address?
Lilliane Webb: getDowntown.org. You'll see the Conquer the Cold information right there.
David Fair: Thank you so much for the conversation today, Lilliane! I appreciate it! And stay warm out there!
Lilliane Webb: Thank you so much!
David Fair: That is Lilliane Webb, director of TheRide's getDowntown program, which is in the middle of its annual Conquer the Cold Challenge. If you want to give it a try, find out more and get yourself signed up by going to getdowntown.org or you can go to wemu.org and follow the links we have for you there. Issues of the Environment is produced in partnership with the office of the Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner, and you hear it every Wednesday. I'm David Fair, and this is your community NPR station, 89 one WEMU FM, Ypsilanti. Celebrating 60 years of broadcasting from the campus of Eastern Michigan University!
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