After years of bicker and months of negotiating, will our region’s leaders finally come to agreement on the next steps for regional transit?
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Tell the Region's Leaders: Support Region-Wide Transit Now! Read More »
Ever since the narrow defeat of the Regional Transit ballot measure in November 2016, people have been asking: “What’s next?” For 13 months, the silence has been deafening. The silence from the Regional Transit Authority and the Counties’ leaders has been deafening. The resignation of first one RTA CEO then 8 months later the Interim
Renewed Hope for Regional Transit? Read More »
Who’s in charge of regional transit? It’s supposed to be the Regional Transit Authority (RTA) which was created by state law to explicitly coordinate and improve public transit throughout the four counties of southeast Michigan. Yet on Thursday, November 16, the Regional Transit Authority appears to give up and close up shop. At their Nov
The end of the RTA as we know it? Read More »
In a YouTube video for SMART, County Executives Brooks Patterson and Mark Hackel promise to “revolutionize mass transit as we know it.” SMART has now provided a little more information (pasted below): SMART is proposing major changes along its busiest corridors. Earlier teasers talked about frequent (every 15-30 minute) limited stop (every 1-2 miles) service on Woodward, Gratiot
Big Changes Coming to Woodward, Gratiot, Michigan Transit Read More »
The RTA and County Executives continue to debate the question of what’s next for regional transit. While they agreed upon a set of questions to explore when they held a retreat in May, no further news has been shared publicly since. No timeline has been set for a decision and they’ve offered no opportunity for public input on these critical decisions.
Key questions include:
1) Size of the Region – Should the rural and exurban areas be removed from the RTA taxing authority?
2) Consolidation – How can transit agencies coordinate, collaborate or consolidate to increase efficiency?
3) Timing of Funding Vote – Should the RTA place funding back on the ballot in November 2018 or November 2020?
4) Transit Plan Changes – Modest or major?
5) RTA Today – What can they do now to improve and coordinate transit?
RTA Still Debating Next Steps for Transit Funding Vote Read More »
