DDOT

Give Thanks. Give Back. Get Involved!

The holiday season is an important time to not only give thanks for the many good things you have but also to give back to the community that helped provide them.

If you agree that a great public transit system would be a great benefit to the greater Detroit region, here are three important ways you can give back:

1) Apply to join TRU’s Board of Directors! Application deadline extended to January 6.

2) Apply to join the RTA’s Citizens Advisory Committee (Sorry, deadline passed!)

3) Donate to Support Transit Advocacy

As you give thanks this holiday season, think about how you can best give back. Then get involved with Detroit transit advocacy!!

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Goodbye to Long-time TRU Board member Marcia Yakes

When TRU was first founded in 1999, Marcia Yakes was already fighting for better Detroit buses. She frequented DDOT meetings and City Council hearings, complaining that if she could have back all the time she spent waiting on DDOT buses, she’d be a decade younger! She joined TRU’s founding board and for the past 15 years

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Vice President Biden Helps DDOT Reach 100% Pull-Out

Vice President Joe Biden came to Detroit, echoing what TRU has long said, that “Transportation is the single biggest factor allowing people to move up the economic ladder.”

Mayor Duggan thanked Biden for his help in Detroit getting federal grants for 80 new DDOT buses which are now all on the road, enabling DDOT to finally run 100 percent of their scheduled service!

TRU applauds this important progress, yet notes that far more still remains to be done. DDOT must maintain this progress, improve on-time service, and develop a plan for long-term improvement, in coordination with regional partners.

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Tell MDOT to Fix I-94 but NOT Widen It

MDOT is seeking public input on their proposed $1.9 billion overhaul and widening of I-94 through midtown and the east side of Detroit, including redesigning the interchanges with I-96, M-10, and I-75.

You have an opportunity to share your opinions at a series of open-house style Public Meetings hosted by MDOT on Tuesday July 14 and Thursday July 16.

While TRU supports reconstruction of the old infrastructure including I-94, we and others have serious concerns about the project’s scope and magnitude of the project. We recommended critical changes:
1) No Expansion – no new travel lanes or service drives
2) Maintain and Improve Walkability, instead of removing 11 bridges!
3) Preserve Urban Fabric and Historic Buildings
4) Fully Evaluate Impacts and Alternatives – complete a “Supplemental EIS” and consider how transit could alleviate peak traffic on I-94.

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TRU Supports Prop 1 to Fund Michigan Transportation

TRU supports passage of Prop 1 on May 5, 2015 because it will increase funding for public transit and other transportation needs without harming schools, cities, low-income families, or other important budget priorities.

While it is a complex proposal that is not anyone’s ideal solution, Michigan will be better off if it passes than if it fails. That is the most critical evaluation of any proposal.

Prop 1 will provide essential funding for important priorities:

Prop 1 will provide $115 million per year in funding for public transit agencies throughout Michigan above current levels, once fully implemented.
Of that, over $50 million a year will support DDOT and SMART (together), likely enabling expanded bus service for seniors, low-income workers, and other riders.

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