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    1. Management

    Ann Arbor's TheRide launches Conquer the Cold challenge to encourage alternative mobility use

    Jan. 10, 2024
    TheRide's Conquer the Cold program encourages walking, biking, using public transportation and carpooling instead of driving alone.
    Related To: Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority (TheRide) (AAATA)
    TheRide
    Conquer the Cold: Retro Edition logo.
    Conquer the Cold: Retro Edition logo.

    The Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority (TheRide) getDowntown Program has launched the Conquer the Cold: Retro Edition. Participants are challenged to track their environmental impact and earn opportunities to win prizes by getting around the Ann Arbor area without driving alone Jan. 15 through Feb. 15, 2024.

    For the Retro Edition, the program joins the communities of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti Mich., which have both reached bicentennial milestones, in acknowledging the past while looking towards the future. The two top prize sponsors, Bivouac Ann Arbor and H.E.H. Human Electric Hybrids, each have more than a decade of serving the community under their belt. 

    “Having helped Ann Arborites dress to enjoy outdoor activities for decades, Bivouac is excited to offer the top prize for the Conquer the Cold Challenge,” said AJ Davidson, Bivouac Ann Arbor president. “We are happy to support those learning how to get downtown without a car in the winter months.” 

    Conquer the Cold is one of several programs of TheRide that encourages walking, biking, using public transportation and carpooling instead of driving alone. To participate, community members log whenever they take trips using sustainable forms of transportation. At least one trip that starts or ends in the Ann Arbor area needs to be logged to be eligible for prizes.

    New this year are transportation badges commemorating yesteryear that can be earned for logging trips by walking, biking, bus and carpool, as well as teleworking. There are also several in-person and online events tied to the challenge, including information sessions and social gatherings.

    “There was a time in everyone’s life when, if we wanted to go anywhere, we walked, biked, took a bus, or rode with someone else. Whether that was 1974 or 2003, the adventures we had before getting driver’s licenses were some of the most fun and memorable,” said Lilliane Webb, getDowntown program director. “This challenge invites our community to start off the year getting back to that joy by finding days when we can each get away from the weighty responsibility of driving oneself.”