Sunday, November 29, 2009
Bing on Transit
| Detroit Mayor Dave Bing was interviewed by the Free Press and had some interesting things to say about transit: A: We are on board. There has been some push back, yes. A lot of that has to do with trust, which historically has been a problem. You have to trust the people at the table. I think, with the relationships and credibility I bring to the table, there should be less mistrust. But we have to be careful. The city subsidizes its transit system to the tune of $80 million a year. We have the largest ridership. We want to make sure we're not going to be disadvantaged. Q: How so? A: We want to make sure that the federal funds we get will continue to come our way, even under the new authority. As you know, now there's a 65-35 split (of federal funds to the city and suburban bus systems). Going forward, we want to make sure we still get our 65% share of federal funding. We're close enough that I feel we're going to come to an agreement. Q: Now, there are two separate plans for running light-rail on Woodward, north of New Center. The city's plan would take rail to just south of 8 Mile. The regional plan extends it into Oakland County, all the way to 11 Mile or even 13 Mile. Would the city be willing to fold its plan for light-rail on Woodward into the regional plan? A: I'm not opposed to that. The question becomes whether Oakland County wants light-rail. I believe, with the Woodward corridor, it makes sense to go into Oakland County. We've just got to get Oakland County to say they are in agreement with that. |
