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INTRO: Last week, several state lawmakers met to talk about bills that would set up regional transit authorities. They say Michigan’s economy needs light rail, commuter rail and high speed rail to go as far as Chicago. But when the U.S. Secretary of Transportation came to Detroit for the auto show he said you have to hammer out details first.
Michigan’s metro areas have agencies to plan, build and operate buses. But trains are different animals. Even the seven county Southeast Michigan Council of Governments is not equipped.
“Frankly I don’t know if SEMCOG would even want that responsibility. This is a massive thing we’re attempting here.”
Democrat Bert Johnson of Highland Park wants to pass laws to make a regional transit authority. The federal government can fund them. But they need matching funds that come from local or state budgets or from voter approved tax hikes.
“I think the voters, when presented with this opportunity are gonna absolutely seize it. This isn’t your standard raising of taxes where they don’t see it going to some of the things that want it to go to. So there’s no black hole here. This is a transit authority that they can see, touch, ride, feel, enjoy. This is a big economic engine.”
Johnson and his colleagues will make metro Detroit the model for other cities. Marie Donigan is the transit subcommittee chairperson. She’s a term limited democrat from Royal Oak. She wants transit to be her legacy.
“There is an interest around the state to develop legislation like this that does work not only in southeast Michigan but amongst some of our smaller urban systems like the Bay City Saginaw area, or the Muskegon area. Some of these areas would like to have a regional authority.”
The Traverse City area is considered amongst the best organized in the state. But that’s only in the last few years. Miles of shopping malls have been built in the surrounding townships for decades. Traffic and commerce have gone out there. Republican Senator Jason Allen’s family owns a clothing store downtown. He wouldn’t mind if the central business district attracted more businesses. He sees the parallel in Detroit. Allen says Michigan should invest in its cities first. And demographics show why.
“There are two groups of people that are going to have buying power. One is the group just coming out of college, 21-31. The second group will be those that are 60-70 years of age. Some trying to live in an urban environment. So we’ve got to incentivize people to invest. We know that corridors are a way for people to invest in housing, restaurants and infrastructure.”
This month, The Obama Administration announced it would change the Bush era criteria. They’ll now fund transportation projects not just based on time on money. But on what they called, “livability.” The same idea as Jason Allen’s housing, restaurants and infrastructure.
