Last week I attended a seminar put on by Marie Donigan of A Coalition for Transit, an organization devoted to finally bringing a reliable, high-quality regional public transit system to Southeast Michigan. This November, along with the Presidential, Congressional and other races (including, of course, my own campaign for Oakland County Commissioner), there will also be a ballot initiative to authorize a regional public transportation system which would bring together Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw counties. As the Detroit News reported in February:
The Regional Transit Authority — a state-created board with representatives from Macomb, Oakland, Wayne and Washtenaw counties — is working to finalize a master plan by spring. Consultants are strategizing with businessman Roger Penske and other community and philanthropic leaders to fund a detailed public education effort that will evolve into a separate, all-out political campaign heading into the November election.
RTA officials haven’t yet made public how much the four-county millage will cost, but it would fund the authority as well as rapid transit on three major routes, a fare card system and an airport shuttle service. The tax would raise an estimated $130 million a year for the life of what could be a 20-year millage.
Supporters of the millage say public education will be key to convincing the public, given the defeat of a statewide ballot proposal for road improvements in 2015.
As noted on the ACT website, a quality, efficient rapid transit system would help solve the following problems and more:
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Connecting People to Jobs: Employees and employers alike need frequent, reliable regional transit. Research shows that 78 percent of jobs in Southeast Michigan cannot be reached within 90 minutes by regional public transit.1 And modern regional transit can provide a convenient alternative for commuters that would otherwise be sitting in traffic.
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Boosting Economic Development: High-quality regional transit spurs economic development and growth. Research shows that for every one dollar invested in regional transit, the region sees four dollars in economic benefit. Moreover, home values performed 42 percent better on average if they are located near regional transit with high frequency service.
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Independence for Seniors: Seniors rely on reliable, connected and frequent regional transit for independence. Research shows 83 percent of older Americans say public transit offers easy access to everyday life.1 According to the AARP, over 20 percent of older adults age 65+ do not drive and a lack of adequate access to reliable regional transit severely limits their independence.
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Independence for People with Disabilities: People with disabilities need reliable and frequent regional transit to travel freely in the region. According to the CDC, adults with disabilities are twice as likely as adults without disabilities to lack adequate access to regional transit, preventing them from getting to work on time, shopping or causing them to miss health appointments.
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Attracting and Retaining Talent: Young people want to live in regions with reliable regional transit. A recent Crain’s Detroit Business survey found that 73 percent of millennials listed regional transit as their number one wish for Southeast Michigan.1 Cities like Chicago that invest in regional transit are already seeing the benefits of attracting and retaining talent.
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Improving Quality of Life: Modern regional transit will provide convenient new options for people throughout the region to travel not only to work – but to sporting events, entertainment, restaurants, nightlife, arts and cultural institutions, and more.
I look forward to learning more about the actual plan itself; the official details are expected to be released at the end of May. Last month the Detroit Free Press gave some additional details, along with some concept renderings of what some of the stations and lines would likely look like:
More than 70 bus rapid transit stops on three corridors — Woodward, Gratiot and Michigan avenues. A transit connection to Detroit Metro Airport. Commuter rail connecting Detroit and Ann Arbor, with eight round trips per day.
All are part of the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan's vision for a massive regional transportation system; a vision that is coming into focus seven months before voters in four counties are expected to weigh a millage to pay for it. Initial cost estimates provided by the RTA say the three-route bus rapid transit, or BRT, lines would each cost about $20 million per year to operate and $4 million to $9 million per mile to build, depending on the final design. The rail line, which would use existing infrastructure but require some upgrades, would cost $8 million to $12 million per year to operate.
...Bus rapid transit, which is at the heart of the RTA's rapid transit plans, can be designed as a bus line with attributes similar to light rail, offering a sense of permanence and speedier travel than standard buses. BRT lines can feature dedicated lanes so buses do not mix with traffic, permanent stations and traffic signal preference for buses.
Obviously the devil is in the details, but I like what I'm hearing so far, and am in full support of the idea in general. In addition to all of the other benefits listed above, the long-term environmental improvements via reduced gasoline use and reduced wear & tear on the roads should be substantial.
As it happens, I’m running for Oakland County Commissioner here in Mitt Romney’s (heavily Republican) hometown...which also happens to include a portion of the Woodward Avenue corridor. The county commissions will play a key role in helping implement the RTA program if it’s approved (or in continuing to push for it to be approved in the future if it isn’t). Any assistance you could provide would be greatly appreciated!