Traverse Area Recreation and Transportation (TART) Trails, Inc. has tabulated the results, crunched the numbers and have determined that the 2009 Smart Commute Week event June 1-5 was the most successful to date. Some of the impressive statistics are below:

·         1470 commuters attended the free breakfasts, a 48% increase from last year.

·         650 commuter cup team members participated on 64 different teams and together averaged 26% smart trips during the event.

·         Over 60,000 miles were commuted ‘smartly’ during the week and prevented over 50,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions.

·         1333 riders took BATA on Try Transit Day and NMRide.net saw a 15% boost in carpool database sign-ups in the months of May and June.

·         25 people attended a bike safety education training course!

“It’s very fitting that on the coattails of receiving a national recognition as a Bike Friendly Community that Traverse City would end up having record participation numbers for Smart Commute Week,” said event organizer Missy Luyk of TART Trails.

The League of American Bicyclists announced Traverse City as a bronze-level 2009 Bicycle Friendly Community in May. The Bicycle Friendly Community award recognizes Traverse City’s commitment to improving conditions for bicycling and its practice of making focused investment in bicycling programs and facilities. The award judges were particularly impressed with Traverse City’s trail system, cycling events, bike advocacy groups, the local bike club, the Boardman Lake Trail Bridge, miles of bike lanes on city streets, TART-in-Town bicycle routes, annual Smart Commute Week program coaching people to use a bicycle as alternative transportation in addition to recreation and exercise, the Safe Routes to School program and the community’s commitment to improving cycling facilities.

TART hopes that people will continue to ‘think smart’ all summer and incorporate smart commuting into their daily lives. “Many people are starting to think twice about getting in the car and the event definitely showcased the alternative transportation options that are available locally,” said Luyk. “We are looking forward to growing Smart Commute Week in the future and working with the City to increase our Bike Friendly Community status to silver, gold or platinum levels! We’re not done yet!” To learn more about the League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly Community program, visit www.bicyclefriendlyamerica.org or more about Smart Commute Week, visit www.smartcommutetc.org