I attended the Mass Transit Summit today hosted by Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick.

During the first part of the summit, we heard from representatives from Charlotte, Denver, and Houston about how transit has benefited their communities. All of these cities are roughly the same size as Detroit.

It was amazing to see what these cities have done in terms of public transportation systems.

Some highlights from the presentations:

• All of the cities had a wonderful connection between different transit modes. They all had express buses, some sort of rail system, and some even had streetcars.
• Each emphasized how building the transit infrastructure directly resulted in an increase in economic development. One presenter stated that every $1 in transit development results in $8.5 dollars in investment.
• The main funding source for each system was a sales tax. Of course, we can’t do that in Michigan because of some sort of constitutional issue.
• Many of the presenters emphasized that a good transit system must serve all segments of the population, from seniors to white collar workers to youth. And in order to do this, they had to create many different types of services.
• It was clear from all of the presenters that a variety of transit options is especially important to a vibrant community. This means both having good roads and good alternatives. And since roads can only be stretched so far, it makes sense to have transit alternatives that can meet demand at peak hours when congestion is the worst.
• In addition to having a variety of transit options (from express buses, to light rail, to commuter rail, etc), the presenters also emphasized the need to have transit go where people want to go. This includes vibrant downtowns, work sites, special event locations and stores. When someone is easily able to hop on a bus or rail and get to a grocery store or a baseball game then transit it really doing it’s job.
• Many of the presenters are noted how important it is to get businesspeople to help advocate and support a transit plan. Since transit inevitably brings more economic development it is in many business people’s best interest to support increasing public transportation.
• Finally,a presenter from Charlotte noted that there will always been some anti-transit people out there saying that it will never work. But time and time again those naysayers have been proven wrong.

Although the presentations focused on cities comparable to Detroit, each of those major cities created a transit system that linked the major city to outlying hubs. This is the idea behind the Ann Arbor to Detroit Rail. Since large numbers of people move from Ann Arbor to Detroit and Detroit to Ann Arbor every day this is a clear place where we need something more than just a highway system.

The next half of the summit brought together officials and decision makers from Metro Detroit to offer insight and direction into what all of this means for Detroit.

Some of the highlights from these panelists:

• A whole lot is happening in Metro Detroit to try to get a rail system as well as an expanded transit system created. Seems to be that the largest hold up is money. One panelist said that the Ann Arbor-Detroit Rail could be up and running by 2010. And a reason this is going to take so long is that there is more planning that needs to be put in place first.
• Everyone understood the need to have a more regional transit system. Right now, there is no transit authority that links Washtenaw to Wayne County. This can be an issue when trying to fund something on a more regional level.
• Obviously finding the funding for all of these transit projects is a concern. But Congresswoman Kilpatrick is working hard to get some Federal money to help Detroit expand its transit system.
• Moving forward with a more comprehensive transit system will involve making transit a priority for Metro Detroit. It will also involve continuing to engage the business community in the process.

All and all it was an interesting Summit with lots of good thoughts presented. It will be interesting to see what will come out of it.

Today begins a monthly article series from local blogger and downtown worker Laura Bien. Laura is a frequent bus rider and will be writing about a different AATA Route each month.

The March Route of the Month is the #3 Huron River

Could this be AATA’s most beautiful route? Read on to find out:

Route of the Month: Huron River #3
The AATA’s most beautiful route

Is route #3 the favorite route of AATA bus drivers? Do the riverside scenes compensate for the extended driving time of one of the AATA’s longest routes? Does route #3 have any drawbacks for drivers?

“The nastiest part of the route,” says one route 3 driver, “is Geddes at US-23.” A long line of afternoon rush hour cars piles up each day on Geddes across from Concordia University, intent on getting on 23.

Traffic is slowed to a crawl as the crowd of vehicles inches towards the highway. Once past this bottleneck, the Ypsi-bound route turns towards the elevated Dixboro Bridge, with its river vistas.

“You have the river valley. It’s relatively scenic,” says the same driver. “And the customers are nice.”

“Some drivers don’t like the long routes,” says another regular route #3 driver. “I go down [to Ypsi] and then become the 5 [Packard route] on the way back. I’ve been on this route since August.” Both drivers express a liking for route 3.

So do its riders. “[Route 3] has kept us from replacing our second car,” says regular rider Tad Wysor, a mechanical engineer with the EPA. He rides the 3 from downtown Ypsi to the EPA offices off Plymouth. Wysor’s use of the 3 illustrates how the AATA can promote good health. He often puts his bike on the bus’s front bike rack and once boarded the 3 with skis in hand, nonchalantly parking them under his seat. Wysor says he enjoys riding the 3 and misses it when he doesn’t. “I miss reading, or dozing, or pulling out the laptop to work on something,” he says. The route has become an established part of his daily routine.

It’s an established part of the AATA system, too. One of the AATA’s older routes, the #3 appears on 1982 and 1984 AATA route maps housed in the Bentley Historical Library. In 1982, a mere 15 routes, including the #3, serviced the Ann Arbor area, compared to today’s 27 routes. Although the number of routes has almost doubled since then, the fare has not–it was 60 cents in 1982 and is $1 today, although 60 cents in 1982 is, after inflation, equivalent, to $1.35 today.

The only route to service the area’s three major schools of U-M, WCC, and EMU, and the only route to service the area’s three major hospitals of U-M, Veteran’s Hospital, and St. Joseph’s, route #3 also offers riders three notable vistas.

On leaving St. Joe’s for Ann Arbor, the #3 passes a riverside band of thick forest that offers views of spring greens, summer lushness, fall color, and winter austerity.

Another woodsy moment occurs on Geddes (see photo above) just east of Huron River Drive, where tall trees arch over the curvy road.

The #3’s best vista is on Dixboro Bridge (see photo below).

On the morning commute, sometimes fog fills the river valley like a sleepy white dragon. Afternoons, the river sparkles in the lowering sun. A rider gazing at it likely will conclude that the #3 is the AATA’s most beautiful route.

–Laura Bien

What route would you like to see profiled for next month?
Email your suggestion to ypsidixit@gmail.com.