We now have an official regional transit plan! This (Monday) afternoon, the Regional Transportation Coordinating Council (RTCC) voted unanimously to support the regional transit plan, with affirmative votes by Detroit Mayor Ken Cockrell, Macomb County Commission Chairman Bill Crouchman, Wayne County Executive Bob Ficano and Oakland County Executive Brooks Patterson. Please send your thanks to these men! Also thank John Hertel and his team, whose hard work developing the plan made this possible.
The plan approved is basically the same as what was previewed at a series of public meetings in September and October (available for pdf download online). It includes improvements in bus service and coordination, new “Arterial-Rapid Transit” express bus service, Woodward light rail and Detroit-Ann Arbor train service by 2011 and expanded rapid transit as demand and funding allows.
Brooks Patterson was careful to point out that this plan is “dependent on future legislative actions including 1) the legislative establishment of a regional authority to run the system, b) the legislative establishment of state and local funding mechanisms requiring a vote of the People for adoption, and c) the identification and adoption of funding sources for both operating and capital costs and a federal match on capital costs.”
This move does not solve our transit problems, but it is a vital step in the right direction and should be celebrated as such.