Fare-Free Michigan

Grand Rapids-people vote in tiny millage, save thousands by going #carfree

2012-01-09T21:53:00.001-06:00

Students board The Rapid's DASH to the Hill bus. The free route serves Grand Rapids' growing 'Medical Mile' and several colleges nearby.

Lindsey Smith / Michigan Radio

Grand Rapids-area bus system improvements begin today | Michigan Radio: "The Rapid busses start a new schedule Monday that will better serve riders late at night, on the weekends, and more frequently during the workday. The bus service is improving thanks to a millage voters passed back in May.

Grand Rapids resident Mike Ewer and his wife don’t have a car anymore. He says about a year and a half ago both of their cars broke down within a span of two months. “We just said ‘well, we get about okay on the bus so why are we spending money on cars, on maintenance, taxes, gas, insurance and all that stuff?’ So we said ‘let’s just ride the bus.”"

Anti-transit agenda chasing economic development out of Troy

2011-12-20T22:14:00.001-06:00

It seems like the present generation of conservative political leadership is against mass transit for no reason other than because most liberals are for it. Certainly it can't be because of the things that conservatives stand for in theory, such as a subsidy-free society, or championing the cause of business, that conservatives would favor car culture over mass transit. Here in Michigan, we have Troy mayor Janice Daniels, elected on a Tea Party platform, and determined to make a name for herself as an incendiary firebrand for whatever causes that implies. Naturally, when it came time for the Troy City Council to vote on a new transit center, it would be charitable to call the objections NIMBY—the rhetoric was bordering on that of social cleansing. For example:

Councilman Wade Fleming said he had "reluctantly" supported the transit center, but now he's unsure. "I'm trying to evaluate the merit of it," he said. Fleming said he worries the 24-hour center could lead to more crime. "It could be a place where people who don't have another place to go hang out," he said. "If that's the case, it's going to require more police."

Mass transit is a key part of future economic development in this area, and the actions of the local government are alienating, among others, major players in the local business community:

Magna International is so disappointed with Troy leaders that manager Frank Ervin stated in the letter he is recommending their company no longer consider the city of for future job creation.

h/t Eric B.

Bailed out banks ruthlessly attack Southgate homeowners

2011-12-09T09:22:00.000-06:00

Tea Party hacks are Oil industry agents

2011-12-06T03:13:00.000-06:00

Oakland County | New mayor, council members try to halt Troy transit facility | The Detroit News: "Troy— After a decade of planning, a transit center tying together train, bus, taxi and future light rail service in Troy appeared to be near fruition this fall.
The facility is supposed to open by October 2013, but a shakeup at City Hall has put construction in doubt. Mayor Janice Daniels, elected last month on a tea party platform, and several City Council members want Troy to halt the project, forfeiting $8.4 million in federal funds and ownership of the 3-acre site."

'via Blog this'

30 years of #transit projects shovel-ready. See the map.

2011-11-30T13:38:00.000-06:00

Mapped: How Federal Funding Fails to Match Demand for Transit in the U.S. | Streetsblog Capitol Hill: "Reconnecting America found strong demand for transit projects around the country but a dearth of federal support for such projects. “There is a huge backlog of federal funding through the New Starts program,” the organization says. If all of the transit projects in this map were funded through the federal New Starts Program at the current spending rate, it would take 73 years to fund them all."

'via Blog this'

Traffic avoiding traffic

2011-11-15T12:23:00.002-06:00

It seems the killer app for your Garmin nüvi is something they call "traffic avoidance." If this isn't a textbook example of tragedy of the commons, I don't know what is.

Guest commentary: Public transportation can be life-changer for region | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

2011-11-10T22:43:00.000-06:00

Buses wait for passengers at the Rosa Park Transit Center in Detroit last week, following a work stoppage by bus drivers over safety concerns. / WILLIAM ARCHIE/Detroit Free Press

Guest commentary: Public transportation can be life-changer for region | Detroit Free Press | freep.com: "Momentum is building toward creating a network of connected, convenient public transportation options throughout Michigan. Success will mean a huge and sustained injection of vitality to businesses, downtowns and hundreds of thousands of residents for whom alternatives to personal vehicle ownership are limited."

'via Blog this'

Without buses, rail will fail

2011-11-06T01:10:00.000-05:00

Jeff Gerritt: With buses turmoil and Detroit in crisis, Bing could learn from Coleman Young | Detroit Free Press | freep.com: "But rail and rapid transit buses won’t mean a thing if leaders can’t get basic bus service right. That's the top job now. You have to crawl before you can walk. "

'via Blog this'

March to The Spirit of Detroit to protest the transit cuts and inefficiency of Detroit public transportation.

2011-10-25T19:04:00.000-05:00

Join Occupy Detroit on Friday, October 28 @ 4PM for a march from Grand Circus Park to The Spirit of Detroit. More details at the Occupy Detroit website.

michigan municipal league

2011-10-19T18:59:00.000-05:00

Inside208 | Inside 208Inside208: "LaHood made the announcement in Detroit where he noted that investing in America's transit systems, rails, roads, ports, and airports will help to put people back to work and rebuild our nations' transportation system. "

'via Blog this'

Public #transit terrible in motor city -- hmmm.

2011-10-09T12:55:00.000-05:00

Jeff Gerritt: Waiting, waiting, waiting ... for a better bus system | Detroit Free Press | freep.com: "Riders at crowded Detroit bus stops boil with frustration and anger -- much of it aimed at Mayor Dave Bing. Sometimes waiting for hours, they miss work, classes, job interviews, medical appointments.

In the last four months, city bus service has crumbled into a crisis, stranding many of the nearly 30% of Detroit households that don't have vehicles. If this debacle had happened to anyone but Detroit's poor, politicians and pundits would scream for action."

'via Blog this'

Senior protesters get Metro Transit pickup point restored at Washington Square Co-op | MLive.com

2011-09-21T18:57:00.000-05:00

Senior protesters get Metro Transit pickup point restored at Washington Square Co-op | MLive.com: "KALAMAZOO — The head of Metro Transit will meet with residents of Washington Square Co-op on Thursday to discuss the resumption of bus service to the complex, starting in October."

'via Blog this'

$700 home to go with your $2500 car

2011-09-20T03:56:00.004-05:00

Every day, more or less, Shlok Vaidya posts a list of interesting links pertaining to resiliency (not quite the same thing as sustainability, but not unrelated) at the Global Guerrillas website. One of the items for September 19's bulleted list is:

$700 home to go with your $2500 car.

It turns out both the home and the car are products of Tata, a car company. Needless to say, it's not unheard of for houses in Detroit to go for less than $700, although it's doubtful anything in that price range is anywhere approaching being up to code, but such things exist. Now a $700 home situated somewhere where a car-free lifestyle is actually feasible, that would be cheap-living utopia...

In America, at least, there seems to be an Iron Law of Economics to the effect that walkability is inversely proportional to affordability...

AATA lays out aggressive agenda for next 12 months, including launch of airport shuttle service

2011-09-16T18:49:00.000-05:00

AATA lays out aggressive agenda for next 12 months, including launch of airport shuttle service: "The AATA's governing board approved a $30.4 million operating budget for the new fiscal year at its meeting Thursday night. With revenues at $29.4 million, the agency is dipping nearly $1 million into its reserves to fund the many projects outlined in its 2012 work plan.
AATA officials said the approved budget allows the agency to maintain and improve its core services, properly fund the 2012 work plan, and move the agency toward implementing its countywide transit master plan, which was approved by the board earlier this year.
"

'via Blog this'

Good Infrastructure Means Jobs, Jobs, Jobs | Economics of Place

2011-09-15T03:30:00.000-05:00

Moving economies, not just people

Good Infrastructure Means Jobs, Jobs, Jobs | Economics of Place: "Cities and large metropolitan areas cannot be competitive without strong public transit options."

Employee free transit passes a huge success

2011-09-10T01:54:00.000-05:00

getDowntown Blog » Blog Archive » go!pass bus pass ridership has another record-breaking month: "I am pleased to report that we have broken our August ridership record for the go!pass! For the month of August, 55,093 rides were taken using the go!pass, which is the highest ridership level ever reported for August since the go!pass program began in 2000.

On average, go!pass levels have increased by 20% this year over last year.

We currently have 511 downtown organizations participating in the go!pass program and have distributed more than 7,000 go!passes for this go!pass season.

More information about the go!pass is here: http://getdowntown.org/bus/gopass/index.html

"

'via Blog this'

What do you want for Michigan transportation?

2011-08-31T19:57:00.001-05:00

LINK to SITE: "Join Let’s Save Michigan and the Michigan Municipal League for Michigan’s Transportation Vision: A Twitter Talk at noon on September 13, 2011. We’ll explore solutions that have developed in other states, bold new ideas, and what changes Michigan must make. In this time of high energy costs and slow job growth, we don’t need transportation to be another impediment to economic growth. We need a transportation system that supports Michigan’s business and its people.

Follow @LetsSaveMich for live tweeting during the event on September 13, 2011.

Between now and September 12, tweet your questions to @LetsSaveMich using #MiTransVision and we’ll do our best to answer them."

'via Blog this'

Ann Arbor - "Now is no time to hang back"

2011-08-29T11:27:00.001-05:00

The Ann Arbor Chronicle | AATA Taps Berriz, Guenzel to Review Plan: "Transit has an important role to play in the economic development of the community, Krieg said. Now is no time to hang back.
...Krieg said he felt that opposition to investment in transit is generally based on a lack of information. There needs to be a strong voice for each transit project. So Wake Up, Washtenaw! proposes to continue support for Partners for Transit, a citizen group promoting the transit master plan. The group will also engage civic and business leaders in Washtenaw County and surrounding counties. He also suggested convening a roundtable discussion of transportation funding alternatives, that would involve business leaders, transit officials and the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI). He suggested that the discussion should include alternative legal and financial structures that could bring public transit closer to being self-sustaining. Krieg concluded by inviting people to email him at wakeupwashtenaw at gmail dot com."

'via Blog this'

Wake Up, Washtenaw!: Yes Folks, Some Government Spending Really Is "Investment"

2011-08-18T04:22:00.000-05:00

Wake Up, Washtenaw!: Yes Folks, Some Government Spending Really Is "Investment": These days, we hear politicians earning "points" by always using the word "wasteful" along with "government spending". Yes, some of it is wasteful. But I'd like to point out one example of government spending that's really an investment.

Editorial: A modern public transit system is within reach | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

2011-08-15T19:46:00.000-05:00

Editorial: A modern public transit system is within reach | Detroit Free Press | freep.com: "With nearly 30% of its residents without vehicles, Detroit cannot afford to take more money from its bus system, which has already reduced service by at least one-third over the last five years. Nor would the FTA, which is paying for more than half of the rail project's construction costs, permit the city to do so.

'We're not interested in building a rail system that's going to starve the bus system,' FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff told the Free Press on Monday. 'For transit to work in this city -- or any other -- you need both."

TheRide Sees Surge in Ridership: High gas prices, stepped up outreach efforts cited for increase | Facebook

2011-08-10T01:30:00.000-05:00

TheRide Sees Surge in Ridership: High gas prices, stepped up outreach efforts cited for increase | Facebook: "Overall ridership on TheRide fixed route services was up 3.1 percent in April, 8.7 percent in May
and 8.3 percent in June from the corresponding months a year earlier, an overall average increase
of 6.7 percent. Routes with notable increases include:

#17 Amtrak-Depot St. route: 50 percent increase
#2 Plymouth route:14 percent increase
#4 Washtenaw route: 11 percent increase
#8 Pauline route: 10 percent increase

Between April and June of this year, the A2 Express service to Chelsea and Canton surged an average
of 34 percent over the same period last year. TheRide’s Manager of Community Relations Mary Stasiak
attributes the growth to increased outreach efforts for the new express bus service.

“We’ve been emphasizing the A2 Express in our outreach campaign and how public transportation
benefits riders and helps the economy,” said Stasiak. “It’s great to see that message resonating,
because we all benefit.”

Stasiak also pointed out the benefit to the riders of the A2 Express, noting that a rider on the
Chelsea service who travels on a daily basis can save about $1,200 a year."

Let's Save Michigan - with transit options

2011-07-28T23:55:00.000-05:00

Mass transit is a drop in America's transportation bucket

2011-07-22T21:54:00.001-05:00

Objet :	Re : A message from Congressman Levin
De :	Lorraine Lee (u8ɔɥz@ʎɐɥoo.ɔɐ)
À :	rep.sanderlevin@mail.house.gov;
Cc :	u8ɔɥz@ʎɐɥoo.ɔɐ;
Cci :
Date :	Ven, 22 Jul 2011 22:47:22

I completely agree with you about the importance of strengthening our nation’s transportation systems. I was supportive of the appropriations bill for 2011 drafted by Congressman John Olver in the last Congress, which would have funded federal transportation programs at $500 billion over six years, and provided $3.9 billion above the President’s request for the Federal Highway Administration. These increased funds also would have allowed states to complete infrastructure projects while spurring the economy and creating tens of thousands of jobs. Further, this bill would increase public transportation funding by $508 million in order to help address the nearly $80 billion maintenance backlog that face our nation.

$508 million is just over a tenth of a percent of $500 billion; a literal drop in the bucket. I guess mass transit is the ugly stepsister in our transportation portfolio.

Let's Save Michigan

2011-07-14T10:59:00.000-05:00

The key to Michigan’s survival is redeveloping our cities so they will attract and retain today’s highly mobile, highly skilled workers. The people who can transform Michigan’s economy want to live in places where they can enjoy themselves—places with public transit, parks and recreation, good municipal services, and walkable downtowns filled with enticing restaurants, clubs, and stores. Why do so many talented professionals want to live in Chicago and New York and Minneapolis? It’s not for the weather. People are attracted to those places because of the lifestyles they allow and the opportunities they present.

Sprawl fat cats still powerful

2011-07-02T06:25:00.000-05:00

Detroits Sprawl King: Transit Expansion Plan Would Be a Job KillerThere seems to be a growing understandingin the Motor City that bikeability, walkability and improved transit service are imperative to remake the economy and reverse the city’s infamous urban decay. So much so that private investors have put forward much of the funding for the city’s new light rail line.

Fire Rick Snyder

2011-06-20T20:32:00.002-05:00

Wake Up, Washtenaw!: The basics of Highways and Rails

2011-05-22T12:27:00.000-05:00

Wake Up, Washtenaw!: The basics of Highways and Rails: "So it's time to go over some of the basics about the cost of rail travel. I put up a comment; here's a version for you, dear blog readers:

It's true that railroads cost taxpayer money, but so do roads and so do cars. Here are a few facts:

Even toll roads don't pay for themselves; the Illinois Tollway Authority is requesting money from the Illinois State Legislature.
Americans sent $254 billion to other countries for oil in 2009, much if it to unfriendly governments. If American 'patriots' woke up and realized how much they're subsidizing our enemies by hanging on to their SUVs, they might think investing a little of their tax dollars in rail passenger service was a really good deal."

Thousands rally to recall Snyder

2011-05-21T21:50:00.000-05:00

Eclectablog: "Several thousand people rally in front of Michigan's Capitol building. A great turnout and LOTS of Snyder recall petitions being signed."

Do not buy the anti-teacher hype

2011-05-08T19:54:00.000-05:00

The Rapid millage increase approved by 136 votes | MLive.com

2011-05-06T04:05:00.000-05:00

The Rapid millage increase approved by 136 votes | MLive.com: "Voters in the city of Grand Rapids and East Grand Rapids overpowered suburban voters to pass The Rapid transit millage property tax increase by what appears to be 136 votes.
...The transit millage will pay for extending service later into the evening on most routes, expanding some routes, decreasing wait times between buses, and operating the Silver Line high-speed bus line on Division Avenue."

Energy barons want to convert public property to private use

2011-05-05T20:31:00.000-05:00

The connection between Michigan's EFM power grab, Rep. Fred Upton and Big Oil/Gas | Eclectablog: "There are others who have benefited, too, of course. There is one family in particular, the McClendons, who own four lots along Ridgeway Avenue. And there's a very close connection between the Uptons and the McClendon's: Fred Upton's cousin Katie is married to one of them, a man named Aubrey McClendon. Who is Aubrey McClendon? He is the owner of Chesapeake Energy, one of the largest natural gas companies in the U.S. and, in 2008, was the highest-paid CEO at all S&P 500 companies. His company is involved in hydraulic fracturing or 'fracking' for natural gas. McClendon is also a developer. While he himself does not live on Ridgeway Avenue, his family does. And those that live on Ridgeway Avenue benefited mightily from the Harbor Shores development."

What a modest transit tax increase will do for the Grand Rapids area | MLive.com

2011-04-29T03:19:00.000-05:00

Guest Column: What a modest transit tax increase will do for the Grand Rapids area | MLive.com: "The answer to The Rapid transit millage on May 3 is obviously “yes.” The proposal will expand services throughout the metro area and provide riders with more travel options, faster connections and ultimately more convenience. The funds will be spent only on transit operational expenses such as hiring drivers, fuel and maintenance. The funds will not be used to build facilities, purchase buses or hire more administrative staff."

Private auto is choking Michigan economy

2011-04-23T06:20:00.000-05:00

A proposal in Lansing would slice $20m from transit and give it to highways.

State Transit Cuts Would Harm Struggling Families | Our Voices: "Legislators in Lansing are looking at two proposals that would cut $20 million from vital public transportation funding. The proposals, from the House and Senate Transportation Subcommittees, if not amended in the full House and Senate Appropriations Committees, would reduce Governor Rick Snyder’s recommendations for transit spending by 8 to 10 percent."

Michigan is not broke, the money is just concentrated in the hands of the rich

2011-04-22T13:40:00.000-05:00

There is plenty of money in the U.S. and Michigan is no exception. Millions of dollars are wasted everyday in supporting the auto-and-sprawl system. People burn valuable energy in traffic and spend thousands maintaining an auto to get to work. How does the fossil-fuel-controlled government respond? Cutting public transit and converting public property to wealthy private hands. The crisis is a fake. Fight back.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=180701291976943
http://www.heartlandrevolution.com/Working-Class-Fighting-Advocate/march-in-benton-harbor.html

Oiligarchy can no longer allow democracy

2011-04-16T23:43:00.001-05:00

Blogging For Michigan:: UPDATED: And so it begins. Emergency Financial Mgr. fires entire government of Benton Harbor.: "As you probably know, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder recently signed legislation passed by the Republican-dominated House and Senate that gives State-appointed Emergency Financial Managers (EFMs) historically broad and sweeping powers. These new powers allow the EFM to cancel or modify contracts (including with unions) and even to fire the municipality's government."

USA not ready for rail

2011-04-01T03:11:00.000-05:00

Wake Up, Washtenaw!: Is the climate really right for trains?: "M. Bachant stressed the need for transportation to work together as a system - seamless connectivity between high speed trains, airports, regional expresses, and locals, buses, and taxis. This is most certainly true: public transportation must integrate seamlessly in order to compete with the automobile. In a car, you can go from the slickest, fastest freeway to an unpaved, rutted road, without getting out of your vehicle. Not so in a high-speed train. In order to come even close to the same level of convenience, public transportation must be very well planned and coordinated."

No money for public transit? Wonder why? It has been stolen.

2011-03-16T20:02:00.000-05:00

flickr

Woodward light rail should be down the middle.

2011-03-08T04:18:00.000-06:00

Transport Michigan

Benzie Bus Yes! | Vote Yes on May 3, 2011

2011-02-08T03:32:00.000-06:00

Benzie Bus Yes! | Vote Yes on May 3, 2011: "Please mark your calendar and be sure to vote in the Benzie Bus funding election on May 3, 2011. It’s important to vote and have your say!
BALLOT LANGUAGE & COST TO AVERAGE HOMEOWNER
Benzie County voters will consider the following proposal, summarized here (not the exact language):
Proposal: Do you approve 0.50 mills (a “half mill” just like in 2006 ) to renew and restore operating funds for the Benzie Bus system for five years?
(Note: The proposal would renew the current tax rate and restore the small tax increment rolled back by the Headlee Amendment since the initial election in 2006.)
If approved, this measure will raise about $541,000 in the first year & cost the owner of an average home* about $37.50/year or about a dime a day."

Grand Rapids sells land for Amtrak rail spur to The Rapid Transit Center | MLive.com

2011-01-30T15:09:00.000-06:00

Grand Rapids sells land for Amtrak rail spur to The Rapid Transit Center | MLive.com: "GRAND RAPIDS – City officials are clearing the path for a new railroad track that will bring the Pere Marquette Amtrak train to The Rapid Transit Center.
City commissioners this week approved the sale of city-owned land at 150 Logan Street SW to the ITP for $1,050. The land is needed to build the rail spur that will replace the current station used by Amtrak at Wealthy Street and Market Avenue SW."

Transit plans are key to improving region | freep.com | Detroit Free Press

2011-01-13T20:52:00.000-06:00

Transit plans are key to improving region | freep.com | Detroit Free Press: "Within Oakland County, we are working to implement a vision for a unified linear city along Woodward Avenue -- from 8 Mile up to Maple Road -- to include strategies to integrate Complete Streets, Transit Oriented Development, and future expansion of rapid transit investments beyond 8 Mile Road."

Divorce Your Car!

2011-01-07T22:57:00.001-06:00

Divorce Your Car!: "My daily commute to campus is 5.6 miles and takes about 30 minutes using two buses. The timing is perfect: I have almost no wait in the transfer and I arrive on campus at exactly the time I need. SL statistics say the same commute would take about 15 minutes in a car, not including time to find a parking space. However, I usually spend that time on the bus checking my schedule, emails or Facebook on my phone, something I couldn’t do driving a car in city traffic. So really, those 15 extra minutes on the bus are actually 15 minutes I would have spent sitting at my desk anyway."

Part of massive autosprawl subsidy documented

2011-01-06T02:27:00.000-06:00

Transportation Riders United (TRU) - Archived Blog: "Highway advocates often claim that roads “pay for themselves,” with gasoline taxes and other charges to motorists covering – or nearly covering – the full cost of highway construction and maintenance. They are wrong."

Free Public Transit attracts business

2010-12-13T17:56:00.000-06:00

Real Estate News and Analysis: Downtowns Get a Fresh Lease - WSJ.com: "Like many cities, Detroit offered an incentive package, including giving Blue Cross employees free annual passes to a public-transit system that connects its downtown buildings. Another motivation: to have more people in one place as the insurer adjusts to the health-care overhaul."

The Rapid will ask voters for property tax increase next May or November | MLive.com

2010-12-09T19:29:00.000-06:00

Riders board a Rapid bus -- Cory Olsen

The Rapid will ask voters for property tax increase next May or November | MLive.com: "Voters in six Kent County cities will not be asked in a special February 2011 election to increase property taxes for expanded and high speed bus service. But they are likely to see the question on the ballot in the May or November elections."

Here is what you get for $26 a year - (less than one tank of gas)

Increase weekday bus frequency to 30 minutes on all routes from 5 a.m. To 7:15 p.m.
Run all routes until 11:15 p.m. weekdays
Extend weekday evening service to 12:15 a.m. on the seven most productive routes
Improve weekday peak frequency service to 15 minutes on the six next most productive routes
Add Bus Rapid Transit on Division Avenue
Extend Saturday evening service to 10 p.m. on all routes except Woodland Mall/Airport Route 17
Extend GVSU Campus route to Central Station on weekdays at current frequency
Increase weekday evening frequency to 30-minutes on six next most productive routes to 11:15 p.m.
Increase weekday evening frequency to 30-minutes on seven most productive routes to 12:15 a.m.

Ride The Rapid | www.ridetherapid.org

2010-12-09T02:50:00.001-06:00

Ride The Rapid | www.ridetherapid.org: "Easy. Convenient. Cheap. Reliable. Safe. Clean. Relaxing. Fun. The smart way to get around Grand Rapids and the suburbs.
Everything you need to become an expert at riding The Rapid is here. Route maps and schedules. Fare information.

You'll be ready to ride in no time—and join the growing numbers of people who are tired of fighting traffic, hunting and paying for parking, burning up gasoline and wasting time driving they could spend reading and relaxing.

Dump the pump. Ride the Rapid."

Divorce Your Car!: Transportation Transformation, Installment Two: Trains + Buses = Mobility

2010-11-24T19:15:00.000-06:00

Divorce Your Car!: Transportation Transformation, Installment Two: Trains + Buses = Mobility: "Using public transportation is proving to be many times less expensive than owning a car."

Streetsblog Capitol Hill � The Car Loan Loophole: How Auto Dealers Dodged Financial Reform

2010-11-07T16:03:00.000-06:00

Streetsblog Capitol Hill � The Car Loan Loophole: How Auto Dealers Dodged Financial Reform: "It isn’t just the financial reform bill that has left the real little guy, the car buyer, exposed to the avarice of auto dealers. Americans are at risk of ending up indentured to their car purchases because they can't escape from the car system itself. While the car is often presented as a vehicle of opportunity, getting people to work and new life chances, in reality it locks people into a costly lifestyle, creating more inequality in America than almost anything else besides access to quality education. While that’s a topic for another post, it is a key reason why transit and bikeable, walkable communities are so desperately needed -- to create a loophole car dealers can’t drive through."

Mind Boggling Forest-Gobbling Biomass Boondoggle � Climate Connections

2010-11-06T11:40:00.000-05:00

Mind Boggling Forest-Gobbling Biomass Boondoggle � Climate Connections: "To understand the magnitude of this assault, consider the recent developments in Ohio: The states’ Public Utilities Commission (aka “PUCO”) is on track to permit a whopping �2442 megawatts of electricity to be generated from burning wood as a substitute for, or in combination with coal. Estimates are that this will require around 26 million tons of wood per year. Just to supply this amount of wood for the first year of operation alone, would require harvesting 5 times the current annual growth of all public and private forests in the state. In fact the plan is to truck in woodchips from surrounding states as well – as far away as Florida."

Public transportation takes us places

2010-10-13T17:10:00.003-05:00

I was listening to WDTW today and heard a PSA from publictransportation.org advancing the slogan "public transportation takes us places." It's very refreshing to hear this message even here in the heart of car country.

Public Transit in Grand Rapids

2010-09-29T19:47:00.003-05:00

Divorce Your Car!

2010-09-28T19:27:00.000-05:00

"In the quest to find out what sustainability is, and how to achieve it, I have come to Sweden with an experiment in mind. As we left the U.S., both my wife Melanie and I divorced our cars."Click to keep reading on Divorce Your Car!:

Michigan sees one of hottest summers ever | detnews.com | The Detroit News

2010-09-20T18:02:00.000-05:00

Michigan sees one of hottest summers ever | detnews.com | The Detroit News: "In Michigan, eight sampling sites across the state posted the highest overnight temperatures since record-keeping began in the late 19th century. Fifteen sites produced average overnight temperatures ranking in the top five warmest on record."

Quality of life in the U.P. at stake

2010-09-10T07:36:00.003-05:00

MARQUETTE -- Public transit leaders are up in arms about the lack of state funding for public transportation in Michigan.

Members of the Michigan Public Transit Association met to get the word out, so legislators will take action.

They explained that while the number of people using public transportation in the state is at an all time high, the funding for it, is at an all time low. UpperMichiganSource

US per capita car ownership proportional to 590 million cars in China

2010-09-02T21:38:00.002-05:00

China has 19 million cars. If it had the same rate of car
ownership as the US it would have 590 million.
[ per http://online.wsj.com/article/NA_WSJ_PUB:SB120613138379155707.html ]

What we learned this week « Make Wealth History
makewealthhistory.org

Toronto: Let us not end up like Detroit.

2010-08-09T09:32:00.000-05:00

Joe Pantalone is fond of saying that if we cut the city's budget by too much we will end up like Detroit. While this is to some extent a valid argument, Pantalone is ignoring the unpleasant truth about Detroit: that it is partly in its current state because it was planned for cars. When a city plans for cars instead of people, it ends up with cars instead of people. Workers drive into the city from more and more distant suburbs until the businesses build business parks close to their workers, completely removing the city from the equation. What is there to keep people in the city at this point? All the street-level shopping has been replaced by decaying malls, the parks have been replaced by parking lots and the cultural activities have moved out to more accessible locations. This is what happens when a city plans for drivers instead of people and this is what George Smitherman seemingly fails to realize. Spacing

SMART millage renewal--vote Aug. 3 in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb counties

2010-07-29T14:07:00.002-05:00

Just got a sneak peek at the primary ballot for Macomb County. Here is the ballot language, verbatim:

If approved this proposal will renew the 0.59 mills levied by Macomb County in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 and allow continued support for public transportation through a contract with the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) or other public transportation authority, for the purpose of serving the elderly, handicapped and general public of Macomb County.

Shall the 0.59 mill, (59 cents per $1,000 of taxable value), increase on the limitation on the amount of taxes imposed on taxable property in Macomb County, which expired with the 2009 tax levy, be renewed for four (4) years, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013, inclusive, for public transportation through a contract with the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) or other public transportation authority, for the purpose of serving the elderly, handicapped and general public of Macomb County? It is estimated that the 0.59 mills would raise approximately $16.4 million when levied in 2010.

Of course I support the proposal, but something in the wording really burns me. In both paragraphs, to wit, "for the purpose of serving the elderly, handicapped and general public of Macomb County." I'm absolutely sick of the notion that mass transit is some kind of charitable service we run for the elderly and disabled. It is for the general public, and since it's accessible to the elderly and handicapped, it's a more general public than the motoring public. Also, the general public of Macomb County? What? It is for the general public of Macomb County, but it's also to make Macomb County more accessible for work, shopping, even tourism. And it's also about making Wayne and Oakland counties more accessible to the 'general public of Macomb County.'

The mainstream cultural norms of metro Detroit, especially in the suburbs, include a tendency to look down on apartment dwellers and bus riders as either deserving poor (elderly and disabled) or undeserving poor (LOSERS). Maybe that made a little bit of sense when the auto industry was a mass employer in the area, and there was a community spirit of supporting the industry that supported the community. More recently the 'Big Three' have made it perfectly clear that they intend their future to be dramatically less labor intensive, especially when it comes to American and other 'first world' labor. Only a handful of 'Big Three' jobs have been made available to the younger generations, and even then under a system that is frankly nepotistic. The auto industry is no longer a regional jobs engine and never again will be. At this point in our history, we as a community have nothing to lose by taking our transportation business elsewhere. Quite to the contrary. If anything our car-centric infrastructure and hypersuburban land-use patterns will make us obsolete at some point in the 21^st century. Already there is a suburban underclass emerging in America.

ANOTHER Oil Spill: 800,000 gallons in Kalamazoo River � It’s Getting Hot In Here

2010-07-27T18:15:00.000-05:00

ANOTHER Oil Spill: 800,000 gallons in Kalamazoo River � It’s Getting Hot In Here: "That’s right, another oil spill.� Monday, July 26th, over 800,000 gallons (25,000 barrels) of oil from an Enbridge pipeline spilled into a creek that flows into the Kalamazoo River.

It appears that the spill was detected and shut off much faster than the Salt Lake City Oil Spill in June, but spewed nearly twice as much greasy scum as the Chinese Oil Spill just over a week ago.� It pales in comparison to the disaster in the Gulf, but is more than enough contamination for Michigan.

Enbridge, I should mention, is proposing a new tar sands pipeline to bring Canadian tar to Asian refineries.� Because we need more pipelines and tankers… Thankfully the Enbridge pipeline is facing massive opposition.

So that makes 4 major oil spills in 4 months.� Let’s hope that we learn to break this pattern."

Miscellaneous rants concerning the greater Detroit area

2010-07-10T23:00:00.002-05:00

Blanket the area with bus routes

I feel a need to reiterate my view that the poor and lower middle class populations are the natural constituency for mass transit in the Detroit area. The urban yuppies, downshifters and high-density-living trendsetters, bless their hearts, are important and vital components of the constituency, of course, and their voices need to be heard. Nevertheless, much of the Detroit area still romanticizes the postwar era, and ecological concerns being the driver of mass transit can still be framed as a call for some kind of altruism or voluntary austerity. The voices proclaiming transit as a screaming need also need to be heard.

It's reached the point where truly usable mass transit needs to be implemented immediately. Any rail-based system is a major up-front investment, and face it, the national and state polity is still such that 'infrastructure' is a fancy word for 'roads and bridges.' We need major restructuring of the infrastructure (roads and streets) and equipment (buses) that are already present. I don't personally give a damn whether DDOT and SMART can be combined into one system. As long as they continue to honor each other's transfers, their failure to do so is an inconvenience, not a deal breaker. Also, I'm willing to put my generally suspicious attitude toward privatization on the back burner if private sector bus service can actually get people within walking distance of where they have to go, especially if they have to go to work. I think a plurality of carriers can be accommodated by the road infrastructure if certain conventions and standards can be agreed on throughout the 'industry':

A bus stop is a bus stop, and a bus will stop at a bus stop if someone has stopped there to wait for a bus.

A bus route known by a certain name or number is the same bus route no matter who services it.

If you overlay the routes and schedules of all the carriers, you should have fewer gaps in service provision than under the status quo.

So I'm inclined to say, if we must do privatization, let's do it with the intent of maximizing competition (this means minimizing any hoops to be jumped through for a 'license'), and not privatization for the sake of privatization, especially whole-farm transfer of assets to a private entity, which I still think is just union busting by another name.

Some thoughts on bus routes

Except for 'inner city' Detroit, and some 19th century small towns that have been absorbed into greater Detroit as de-facto suburbs (Farmington, Plymouth, Center Line, Royal Oak, etc.), the whole area is under a grid of 'section line roads,' imposed by the Northwest Ordinance back in the day. In the local dialect these are of course called 'mile roads.' It seems simple enough. The name of the route is the name of the street. Instead of the Imperial Express covering most of Seven Mile road on the west side, then taking a turn on the Lodge nonstop to downtown, why not have a Seven Mile Bus that covers the length of Seven Mile all the way from the original St. John's Hospital on the east to Whitmore Lake on the west? Actually there is a Seven Mile bus, but it only goes as far west as the Detroit city limit. With a few kludges to patch in pre-war neighborhoods and natural interruptions of the mile-road grid such as rivers, such a system should be able to pick up or drop off a passenger within 0.707 miles of any location in the metro area. The Detroit system pretty consistently tracks the grid, but SMART's coverage map (pdf) has coverage gaps as much as eight miles wide, in suburbs as not-so-far-flung as Livonia (ALL of Livonia, whose residents excluded SMART service by defeating a SMART millage), Harrison Township, and more than half the land area of Sterling Heights and Troy.

A Detroit subway?

I half jest. Detroit, even Detroit proper, is sprawled out enough to make subways an impractical mode of transportation, but if LA can do it… Anyway, since most of Detroit's freeway miles are below-grade, I was thinking out loud the other day, what if they lay tracks, slap a roof over it and call it a subway? A web search on the search terms 'Detroit' and 'subway' of course yielded lists of locations of the ubiquitous Subway sub shop chain in Detroit, but there was a needle in the haystack, courtesy of one Matt, posting to Google SketchUp: Feast your eyes on this. Also, this. My own thought was that if the freeways become subway lines, maybe the freeway intersections become subway stations with a dual function as a locale for parking structures to accommodate the 'park-and-ride' concept. There's a lot of acreage in those fields of clover they call 'clover leafs.' Seems Matt would use the space for bus parking, which also sounds fine to me. Many current proposals by leading urban planners in Detroit call for 'transit villages,' starting with the already-operational Rosa Parks Transit Center. Given the total perfusion of the area by car culture, I think large-scale parking is an inevitably necessary feature for such a facility.

Miscellany

I wish to call attention to Muskegon Critic's blog article on the Complete Streets initiative passed by the Michigan House. In it said Critic criticizes Muskegon, MI for being found wanting relative to some cities of comparable size in Iowa, in the area of walkability. This article also clued me in on experimentation by ultra-big-box retail chain Meijer with a downsized store concept in Niles, Illinois. I'm sure many of the lifestyle transit riders would like us all to shop at health food stores or better yet farmers' markets, but for many of us, there's major-chain supermarket food, and there's overpriced 'boutique' food, or worse, overpriced substandard 'urban supermarkets.' If the supermarket concept can adapt to pedestrians or bus riders, I've got no complaint. Happily the farmers' markets have been getting noticeable less 'few and far between,' although I find their hours of operation to be a rather narrow window of opportunity.

2010 primary election

The SMART bus system, as always, is at the mercy of the voters:

SMART is seeking a millage renewal that will appear on the August third primary ballot. Voters in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb County will consider the 59 mill renewal, which translates into $59 per $100,000 of property value a year.

So, unless you're some kind of anarchist (and in this case even if you are), be sure to vote.

Divorce Your Car!: Free Public Transit

2010-07-04T13:03:00.001-05:00

Divorce Your Car!: Free Public Transit

Among ideas for recovery -- from the Gulf spill, from oil addiction, from our economic doldrums – more investment in transit is near the top of the list. Now here’s another suggestion to layer in: make this free transit – with no fare charged at the point of use.

Traverse City, Try Transit !

2010-06-07T10:40:00.000-05:00

TRAVERSE CITY—This year’s “Try Transit Day” events on Wednesday, June 9 encourage people from far-flung locations like Northport, Empire, Frankfort, Fife Lake and Kalkaska to participate in Smart Commute Week.

Bus riders, as well as carpoolers, bikers and walkers can enjoy a free breakfast or even a yoga lesson when they arrive in downtown Traverse City that morning. The free breakfasts, catered by the Warehouse Lounge, will be served to Smart Commuters when they arrive at the downtown BATA Transit Center, on Hall Street, between 7 and 9 a.m. The nearby Yen Yoga studio will offer quick, free morning sessions.

Residents of Kalkaska County may hop on a regularly scheduled bus with the Kalkaska Public Transit Authority, which carries riders to Traverse City every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

While they travel to work that morning, bus riders are likely to bump into transit agency officials, community leaders, or celebrities who are riding, too, to promote the region’s bus service. Upon arriving at the transit center, they’ll have a chance to mingle with other commuters and transit agency staff, according to a Bay Area Transit Authority press release. Read more... Morningstar Publishing

Free public transportation service expands in Chelsea

2010-06-04T11:09:00.000-05:00

A new enhanced collaboration between the Western Washtenaw Area Value Express and the United Methodist Retirement Communities has led to a free community shuttle transportation service for all Chelsea residents.

Starting June 14, the free shuttle will operate Monday through Saturday, for four hours each day, and offer three “shopping loops” with a total of 11 stops that will allow residents to shop, visit the post office, enjoy the farmer’s market and many other opportunities and activities throughout Chelsea. Read More in Chelsea Standard

Attention Farmington Hills residents

2010-05-01T00:23:00.002-05:00

Be sure to vote in your August primary, to prevent yet another SMART opt-out. The Oakland County Commission voted against a county-wide SMART millage. Your city council has voted to allow you to vote on a SMART millage this August.

Everybody wins with public transit

2010-04-15T12:20:00.001-05:00

...If Michigan built a better public transit system, this would allow people to affordably travel in the state at farther distances, increasing travel, tourism money and also helping to bring the people of the state closer together. It would also mean less commuter traffic, so people would not only have more time, but the highways would be less clogged at rush hour, speeding up traffic, which to be honest will still be large even if diminished from mass transit.... Chris Hoitash on Eastern Echo

Carjacked

2010-03-21T21:23:00.002-05:00

...After a chapter summing up conditions that make us the “United States of Automobiles,” home to more vehicles than licensed drivers, Carjacked examines our automotive illusions. Chapter Two, “Dream Car,” looks at movies and marketing, branding and beliefs, and how they shape an automobile mythology that largely obscures the costs and problems that come with basing transportation so heavily on cars. The book then goes on to take an in-depth look at the realities of car culture:
• how aggressively cars are marketed and sold, with $18 billion per year spent by automakers on ads mostly for TV, “ making it impossible to channel surf without landing on an ad for a car, SUV, or truck.”
• manipulation of consumers in the process of the car purchase itself: “Dealer tactics that are not simply unethical but baldly illegal are unfortunately not rare.”
• how the dollar price we pay is actually much more than we realize: by 2003, car transport “swallowed one in five dollars spent” by American households.
• how cars contribute to social and economic inequality: “The automobile has largely cemented and accentuated class and race divisions in America.”
• the factors that encourage us to drive more and more: at just 16 percent of car trips, “commuting isn’t the main culprit. …. The numbers of other types of trips have exploded.”
• how cars sicken us and our environment: cancer risks increase “within 150 to 500 yards of major roads, although some studies find these cancer corridors can be as wide as a mile on either side.”
• how – and how much – automobiles kill and maim: “The advent of SUVs has made America less safe. But even if all of our SUVs magically disappeared, cars would still be the deadliest factor in most of our environments.”... Kate Alvord on FireDogLake

Fare-Free Michigan

Grand Rapids-people vote in tiny millage, save thousands by going #carfree

Anti-transit agenda chasing economic development out of Troy

Bailed out banks ruthlessly attack Southgate homeowners

Tea Party hacks are Oil industry agents

30 years of #transit projects shovel-ready. See the map.

Traffic avoiding traffic

Guest commentary: Public transportation can be life-changer for region | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

Without buses, rail will fail

March to The Spirit of Detroit to protest the transit cuts and inefficiency of Detroit public transportation.

Join Occupy Detroit on Friday, October 28 @ 4PM for a march from Grand Circus Park to The Spirit of Detroit. More details at the Occupy Detroit website.

michigan municipal league

Public #transit terrible in motor city -- hmmm.

Senior protesters get Metro Transit pickup point restored at Washington Square Co-op | MLive.com

$700 home to go with your $2500 car

AATA lays out aggressive agenda for next 12 months, including launch of airport shuttle service

Good Infrastructure Means Jobs, Jobs, Jobs | Economics of Place

Employee free transit passes a huge success

What do you want for Michigan transportation?

Ann Arbor - "Now is no time to hang back"

Wake Up, Washtenaw!: Yes Folks, Some Government Spending Really Is "Investment"

Editorial: A modern public transit system is within reach | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

TheRide Sees Surge in Ridership: High gas prices, stepped up outreach efforts cited for increase | Facebook

Let's Save Michigan - with transit options

Mass transit is a drop in America's transportation bucket

Let's Save Michigan

Sprawl fat cats still powerful

Fire Rick Snyder

Wake Up, Washtenaw!: The basics of Highways and Rails

Thousands rally to recall Snyder

Do not buy the anti-teacher hype

The Rapid millage increase approved by 136 votes | MLive.com

Energy barons want to convert public property to private use

What a modest transit tax increase will do for the Grand Rapids area | MLive.com

Private auto is choking Michigan economy

Michigan is not broke, the money is just concentrated in the hands of the rich

Oiligarchy can no longer allow democracy

USA not ready for rail

No money for public transit? Wonder why? It has been stolen.

Woodward light rail should be down the middle.

Benzie Bus Yes! | Vote Yes on May 3, 2011

Grand Rapids sells land for Amtrak rail spur to The Rapid Transit Center | MLive.com

Transit plans are key to improving region | freep.com | Detroit Free Press

Divorce Your Car!

Part of massive autosprawl subsidy documented

Free Public Transit attracts business

The Rapid will ask voters for property tax increase next May or November | MLive.com

Ride The Rapid | www.ridetherapid.org

Divorce Your Car!: Transportation Transformation, Installment Two: Trains + Buses = Mobility

Streetsblog Capitol Hill � The Car Loan Loophole: How Auto Dealers Dodged Financial Reform

Mind Boggling Forest-Gobbling Biomass Boondoggle � Climate Connections

Public transportation takes us places

Public Transit in Grand Rapids

Divorce Your Car!

Michigan sees one of hottest summers ever | detnews.com | The Detroit News

Quality of life in the U.P. at stake

US per capita car ownership proportional to 590 million cars in China

China has 19 million cars. If it had the same rate of car ownership as the US it would have 590 million.[ per http://online.wsj.com/article/NA_WSJ_PUB:SB120613138379155707.html ]

Toronto: Let us not end up like Detroit.

SMART millage renewal--vote Aug. 3 in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb counties

ANOTHER Oil Spill: 800,000 gallons in Kalamazoo River � It’s Getting Hot In Here

Miscellaneous rants concerning the greater Detroit area

Blanket the area with bus routes

Some thoughts on bus routes

A Detroit subway?

Miscellany

2010 primary election

Divorce Your Car!: Free Public Transit

Traverse City, Try Transit !

Free public transportation service expands in Chelsea

Attention Farmington Hills residents

Everybody wins with public transit

Carjacked

China has 19 million cars. If it had the same rate of car
ownership as the US it would have 590 million.
[ per http://online.wsj.com/article/NA_WSJ_PUB:SB120613138379155707.html ]