Macomb County Joins Neighbors in Driving Regional Mass Transit
Macomb County commissioners recently joined commissioners in Oakland, Wayne, Washtenaw, and St. Clair counties, as well as members of the Detroit City Council, to form Regional Partners Advocating Transit Here.
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Mass transit has been a long time coming to the home of the Motor City, but if Macomb County commissioners and their regional counterparts have their way, such transportation will be developed sooner rather than later in southeast Michigan.
Macomb County commissioners joined fellow commissioners in Oakland, Wayne, Washtenaw and St. Clair counties, as well as members of the Detroit City Council Sept. 30 to form Regional Partners Advocating Transit Here.
R-PATH will serve as an advocacy group for the creation of a Regional
Transit Authority in Metro Detroit.
“Establishing a regional transit system will be a gamechanger for the social and economic development of our region,” said Macomb County Commissioner David Flynn, in a prepared statement. “It’s time for the leadership of southeast Michigan to create a Regional Transit Authority that will allow our community to capture federal dollars.”
The commissioners announced their plans for R-PATH at the 2011 Southeast Michigan Regional Summit recently held in Clinton Township.
“This was the perfect opportunity to bring together key regional players with the intention of forging a common goal and laying the groundwork to reshape transit in our area,” said Macomb County Board Chair Kathy D. Vosburg, in a prepared statement.
The group took their inspiration from the success of mass transit in Denver, CO. The city of Denver reports a $4 return for communities on every $1 invested in mass transit.
Whereas Denver ranks 13th on a 2009 U.S. Census Bureau report of Public Transportation Usage for the 50 Largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Michigan fails to make the list at all.
“We are fortunate enough to have the expertise of well seasoned transit officials from Denver to draw from as we set out toward the creation of an RTA for our region,” said Macomb County Commissioner Bob Smith, in a prepared statement. “They bring with them a wealth of knowledge and good advice.”
To date, nearly all of the major elected bodies in southeast Michigan have recently passed or are expected to pass resolutions in support of a Regional Transit Authority, according to the nonprofit organization, Transportation Riders United.
Tom Morrison
7:49 am on Monday, October 3, 2011
Marina, as a former "Miler" I have been following what has happened in the area. I see 2 disturbing articles that portray the Twp. As collateral damage for their money making. One - the Clinton River Watershed!, Your kidding right? The township turmed a blind eye to L.D.I.The Clinton River chemical shed was nowhere to be found. Have you ever visited that Site? I have, We played in the area known as Devil's Canyon and rode our dirt bikes there.The recently the EPA was quoted as saying, "It will never be contained" Never is a long time Marina. Great for you all for standing up against th Trans Auth., but I look in the corner and there is a clean coal ad! Ever see a W.V. mountain Blown to bits? Why not go ask the handful of us 23 milers what we think about Danny at the Dump, L.D.I., American Asbestos-right across the street from LDI. Marina this is Drinkable Water Week! Clean coal? next they will be doing Gas Fracking right next to Yates. Have you ever seen a LAKE on fire? I did at LDI, we had to evacuate, American Asbestos was finally closed after indisputable truth of the Cancer. I only know of a handful of us who lived there still going at 55 yrs. old.s. Do you drink bottled water? Largest water problem besides Global warming, (yes, it's real), Gas fracking, and water mining. They do not want your water to mine! Do us all a favor and buy a cute BPA free water bottle, w/ filter.Ask the treatment plant about the Chemicals in The Clinton. They also NEVER come out! Check it out
Tom Morrison
8:33 am on Monday, October 3, 2011
http://www.weitzlux.com/environmentallawsuit/michigan/liquiddisposal,inc._146032.html#report Here is the LDI link.
Tom Morrison
8:33 am on Monday, October 3, 2011
Liquid Disposal, Inc.
This site is not a Federal Facility.
Site Responsibility:
This site is being addressed through federal, state, and potentially responsible parties' actions.
NPL Listing History:
Proposed Date: 12/30/82
Final Date: 09/08/83
Threats and Contaminants
Soil and groundwater are contaminated with VOCs, PCBs, PAHs, and numerous heavy metals, including barium, cadmium, and lead.
Bob Paulson
(312) 886-0272
Rick Wilson
9:52 am on Monday, October 3, 2011
Hallelujah! Is southeast Michigan finally joining the rapid transit movement that so many other, most vibrant, urban centers have been enjoying the benefits of for two decades? It's a wonder this area is so depressed: slow to move policies and lethargic politicians + racial polarity kills our region.
Rose Bogaert
1:07 pm on Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Wow! Another boondoggle for taxpayers to subsidize. Just who do they think will ride this thing? Maybe they feel they need to go forward because they have wasted so much money studying it. The governor's legecy is not my concern.
David Gifford
5:16 pm on Tuesday, October 4, 2011
You cannot create something there is not an overwhelming demand for. Mass transit was brought to the country when people wanted faster transportation than horses. There were electric trains from Detroit to Rochester to Romeo and to Flint. Passenger rails were all over but quickly declined after WWII. Currently the only downfall to cars is the price of gas and congested roads but it is not bad enough to raise demand from the masses. If they want to build rails down our roads, it will only make things more congested. Until the price of driving a car exceeds what people are willing to pay, mass transit in Metro Detroit won't be profitable. Heck, even the People Mover in Detroit can barely stay operating. Don't get me wrong, I would take commuter rail all over the Metro area if they had it. As much as I enjoy riding down the train trails, I still wish there were trains running down them. I just don't see that happening any time soon and I especially don't think the government should be running it.
Jenny Whalen
9:29 am on Thursday, October 6, 2011
Hey folks, you might be interested in an article which recently appeared on Dearborn Patch regarding this very issue! Check it out here: http://patch.com/A-mBFD
LORI
10:54 am on Sunday, December 18, 2011
I am all for Mass Transit. The bus systems in place now are a joke. Especially for those that don't have cars, have a disability and use wheelchairs to be a functioning member of society. Sitting and waiting for a bus on busy road, (all bussess must have chair lifts that opperate) and a bus picks up "walkers" and tells the person in the wheelchair that the lift doesn't work is a SHAM! Give me mass transit. I have a car, but I would use mass transit if it were reliable and available, I know it would be accessable, because of the American With Disabilities act. The bus system had to comply with lifts, but the drivers won't take the time. Not all of them, but a majority of them.