Public Transit Plan Approved!
In the holiday spirit of community and cooperation, executives from Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties, as well as Detroit Mayor Ken Cockrell, came together to unanimously approve a regional transit plan for greater Detroit. The transit plan, developed and supported by the Regional Transportation Coordinating Council, was approved on Monday afternoon by Mayor Cockrell, Wayne County Executive Bob Ficano, Oakland County Executive Brooks Patterson, and Macomb County Commission Chairman Bill Crouchman. The plan was first introduced at public meetings in September and October, and details a smorgasbord of solutions for improving metro Detroit's inadequate public transportation system. These solutions include:
- “Arterial Rapid Transit” bus routes throughout the city, using hybrid buses
- New “Bus Rapid Transit” lines
- A Woodward light rail line
- Commuter rail lines between Detroit and Ann Arbor, Metro Airport, Pontiac, Monroe, and Port Huron
- Improvements to existing bus routes, including new routes, increased frequency, and bus stop enhancements.
The plan proposes that by 2035, the amount of service provided by community transit should be increased by 50%.
This is not unreasonable; in fact it may be necessary to keeping metro Detroit on its feet. Findings of the Transportation Funding Task Force (a coalition of interest groups, lawmakers, and the general public, created in 2007 by the Michigan Legislature) indicate that Michigan needs to at least double its current investment in transportation in order to continue to collect federal matching funds for transportation, and to support the tens of thousands of jobs created by the transportation industry. At the current rate of investment, 2008 is the last year Michigan will have the necessary state/local matching funds to claim all federal transportation funding available to our state. If our state government does in fact choose to invest wisely and faithfully in transportation, Michigan has the potential to collect millions of dollars in Federal funds and create thousands of new jobs. Other cities that have taken advantage of federal funds to strengthen their public transit systems, such as Dallas, have seen huge spikes in property development and retail sales at businesses near transportation lines. Sounds like something Detroit could benefit from.
So it makes perfect sense that city officials approved the transit plan, and it would make perfect sense, both for the economy and infrastructure of metro Detroit, to implement every single element of the plan. But it's not going to happen until Michigan's Legislature establishes state and local funding mechanisms for the project. So if you dream of a lively downtown Detroit, an easier commute, lower carbon emissions from cars stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, a healthier economy in southeastern Michigan, or simple never having to get on I-275 at rush hour again, click here to send your Representative a letter urging them to take action for public transit in Michigan!
For more information, visit Transportation Riders United (TRU)'s wonderful website.
