TRANSPORTATION
In the early 1970s, the administration of Gerald Ford offered to set aside 600 million dollars for mass transit in southeastern Michigan, but local leaders, City and Suburb, failed to reach agreement to establish a regional transportation authority and to agree on how the money would be spent, so the federal government ultimately sent the money to other cities like Cleveland, Ohio.

In December 2002, we came close to leveraging a Regional Transit Authority that would open the door for federal funds for mass transit. The state legislature passed legislation to establish a Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), but Governor Engler refused to sign it. Transportation is the link to ensuring opportunity for all — connecting us to jobs, schools, housing, healthcare, and grocery stores. When transportation serves as a barrier to employment opportunities and access to the services,
something is unacceptably wrong.

Now in 2010, the Federal Government wants to see metro Detroit get its fair share of federal funding for mass transit and there is a regional transit plan, but our public officials can’t seem to get on the same page to support and pass a Regional Transit Authority (RTA). Establishing an RTA is the first step to positioning Metro Detroit to leverage public transportation funding to build a comprehensive and coordinated transit system.

MOSES wants a MASS TRANSIT SYSTEM that includes coordinated buses, light rail and commuter rail that connects people to a better quality of life throughout Southeast Michigan.

We thank Wayne and Macomb County for the support of the RTA. We need the Oakland County Executive and the Mayor of Detroit to support and vote on a regional transit authority by the end of 2010.

We also need the State Legislators to find funding to put in public transit. We are asking congressional leaders to support federal legislation that increases funding for public transportation in the next reauthorization of the transportation bill in 2011.

OUR PUBLIC OFFICIALS NEED TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Woodward Avenue Light Rail Mainline Alternatives...Part 1

The Detroit and U.S. Departments of Transportation are considering two alternatives for the downtown segment of the city’s proposed Woodward Avenue light rail line: a center-running alignment, running the trains down the road’s middle, and a curb-running alignment, running the trains down the two outer travel lanes. In deciding the appropriate alternative, its effects on transit, pedestrian, bicycle and motor vehicle mobility and accessibility should all be considered, as well as the overall effect of the alignment on community quality of life, sustainability, and social equity. This review represents the first portion of that more extensive analysis. It concludes that the center-running alignment would provide significantly more effective transit service, offering both faster, more reliable travel and safer access to stations. A truly comprehensive review, comparing the alternatives’ implications for other transportation modes and their more general effects, will be forthcoming before the public hearing scheduled for spring 2011.

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