LANSING - Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today announced that the state of Michigan is entering into an innovative, public-private partnership with Meijer that will allow commuters to use designated areas of Meijer parking lots for car pooling.  Under the pilot agreement signed today, there will be 50 spaces in parking lots of six Meijer stores across the state available to Michigan motorists who want to share a ride to save money. 

"This agreement with Meijer is exactly the kind of innovative partnership that helps everyone save money," Granholm said.  "This is a low-cost collaboration that offers Michigan families another way to stretch a dollar, and we are grateful for Meijer's willingness to help make this possible."

A total of 300 new parking spaces will be available at Meijer stores located in Cascade, Lowell, Brighton, Jackson, Chesterfield Township, and Auburn Hills.  The state will continue working with Meijer to review the program and consider expanding the program to include additional lots at other Meijer stores across the state. 

Granholm noted that it can be expensive and time-consuming to develop a new 50-space car-pool lot.  It often takes two to three years once a location is identified to acquire the property and design and construct a new lot at a cost of more than $200,000.  Granholm said this agreement will save the state those costs and also provide immediate spaces for commuters looking to save money by sharing the ride.

Michigan's 231 car-pool lots are used by 3,900 cars each weekday, saving an estimated 3.7 million gallons of fuel per year.  At $4 per gallon, that's a savings of $15 million.  Michigan's car-pool lots, including the new Meijer lots, will be displayed on the official Michigan state map in 2009.

In her efforts to help citizens save money in the face of a tight economy, Granholm encouraged citizens to visit the SaveMoney feature on the state Web site, which offers motorists information on how to find a car-pool lot in their area as well as other information on alternative forms of transportation to save money in light of rising gas prices.  Earlier this year, Granholm unveiled the new feature that combines information from throughout state government into one, easy-to-find location at www.michigan.gov/savemoneyto help Michigan citizens save money. 

"Meijer is pleased to provide another solution for our communities during this difficult economic time," said Hank Meijer, CEO of Meijer.  "Sharing this space reflects our commitment to help our neighbors as well as our customers save money and make our world just a little greener."

The spaces will include special markings and a traditional car-pool lot sign, indicating where motorists can park.

"Motorists are looking for ways to reduce their commuting costs in the face of unprecedented gas prices, and that has challenged the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) to think creatively on how to quickly expand opportunities for commuters to share the ride," said Kirk T. Steudle, MDOT director.  "This low-cost agreement with Meijer provides convenient locations near freeways in areas where demand for car-pool facilities is growing." 

For more information on car pooling and other money saving ideas, visit the state's SaveMoney site at www.michigan.gov/savemoney.  The site includes a variety of tips from how to stretch your gas dollar, to finding the best deal on gas in your neighborhood, to finding car pool and local public bus systems information.  A resource called "the cost to commute calculator" gives information on how much your commute costs and how much you can save by car pooling.

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