9 replies to this topic

[Lmichigan]

This is what I'm talking about!  Hopefully, this bolsters those whispers about possible light rail down Michigan Avenue that keep getting rumored about.

Link

CATA wins national honors

The Capital Area Transportation Authority was named the best transit system of its size in North America by the American Public Transportation Association, the highest industry honor.

CATA was ranked first in the 4 million to 30 million passenger trips category, which includes 106 transit systems.

[beatneck]

That is some good stuff.  I ride the 8 and the 1 from time to time, and always have a good experience.

[Cliff19336]

Lmichigan, on Jul 19 2007, 06:15 PM, said:

This is what I'm talking about!  Hopefully, this bolsters those whispers about possible light rail down Michigan Avenue that keep getting rumored about.

Link

CATA wins national honors

The Capital Area Transportation Authority was named the best transit system of its size in North America by the American Public Transportation Association, the highest industry honor.

CATA was ranked first in the 4 million to 30 million passenger trips category, which includes 106 transit systems.

CATA's millage increase goes down in flames.  What's next?

[Lmichigan]

I personally think they are trying to scare the public, and think that if they really believed they needed the money now, that they'd have prepared a much better sell to the public than they did.  They sprang this at what seemed to be the 11th hour and asked everyone to simply trust them.  That's not enough, and I'm really kind of disappointed in how poorly they did in preparing the millage.

[jas49503]

what are the criteria that the transportations systems are judged by?

[metrogrkid]

Lansingites . . . . sorry for posting this here, but I did not see a dedicated transit topic for Lansing/State Government transit issues.

However, READ IT AND TAKE HEED . . . . the Legislators in the big dome in downtown Lansing need to get on this since it will affect EVERY city in Michigan's ability to implement fixed-guideway mass transit systems in their futures AND eventually to be able to knit the entire state together with transit rail.

"Grand Rapids: Gateway to Michigan's Transit Success"

Feds won't support Detroit's Woodward Lightrail nor Detroit/Ann Arbor Commuter Rail unless State matches Federal funds for Grand Rapids BRT system

By Andy Guy
Great Lakes Bulletin News Service

DIRECT LINK TO STORY AT MICHIGAN LAND USE INSTITUTE ONLINE

Edited by metrogrkid, 13 June 2008 - 11:19 AM.

[hood]

I wish GR the best in their efforts for BRT, but what about everyone else? Who are the feds to make demands like that? Detroit is a metro area of over 6 million, with no subway, light rail or BRT, which makes it much more in need of a system like that than GR. CATA's route 1 has over 1 million riders per year itself, I think thats deserving of some funds...

Anyways, my point is basically that Detroit is in immediate need of a better transit system. For the rest of the state, it's not really that neccessary, more of a luxury.

[metrogrkid]

hood, on Jun 13 2008, 04:08 PM, said:

I wish GR the best in their efforts for BRT, but what about everyone else? Who are the feds to make demands like that? Detroit is a metro area of over 6 million, with no subway, light rail or BRT, which makes it much more in need of a system like that than GR. CATA's route 1 has over 1 million riders per year itself, I think thats deserving of some funds...

Anyways, my point is basically that Detroit is in immediate need of a better transit system. For the rest of the state, it's not really that neccessary, more of a luxury.

<Insert Exasperated Sigh Here>  Hood, the real point is that GR is the only municipality in Michigan that had the will and foresight to drudge through over five years of research and the labyrinthine hoops of the Federal Transportation Administration (FTA).  Then, after that, GR actually won approval for their $59 million Division Avenue Corridor BRT system - THE ONE AND SAME SYSTEM THAT, ONCE MATCHED WITH THE STATE'S $8 MILLION, WILL STREAMLINE DETROIT'S APPLICATION FOR FTA FUNDS AS WELL AS ANY OTHER CITY IN MICHIGAN WITH THE WILL AND FORESIGHT TO PLAN FOR NON-AUTO TRANSIT ALTERNATIVES (you have noticed that the "luxury" of fixed-guideway transit options are becoming less so with gas approaching $5 and $6 per gallon?).  Short Form:  FTA's stand is, "if Michigan cannot even get a multi-year funding process together to appropriate $8 million that will leverage $51 million from us for a straight-forward GR BRT system, why would we even think to consider earmarking funds for two more-complicated Detroit systems or any other in Michigan?"

In closing, Detroit and GR have awakened to the fact that transit is 1] necessary for making them attractive to the new workers of the intellect-/creativity-based industries that are growing in them both and 2] for driving their respective next waves of development with the sustainable transit-oriented development that follows the placement of fixed-guideway mass transit (GOOGLE:  "Euclid Corridor BRT Development; Cleveland OH" for a glimpse of what will occur in GR).  Were your "luxury" point-of-view made protocol in Lansing, a Capital to Michigan Avenue to MSU-Main Campus BRT corridor for Lansing would never be investigated and would never set Lansing up to grow a dense pre-lightrail TOD corridor of housing, entertainment and workplaces for Lansing's government employees, college students and Sparrow-associated medical workers.  It's your city though - wait for others to implement the urban development tools that will help it grow as you always yearn for it to or take those tools yourself (as a city) that work in other cities that are what you want yours to be and IMPLEMENT THEM.

Sheesh, Grand Rapids would not be transforming like it is now unless we had awakened long ago to the fact that we were NOT a city at the time, definitely WANTED to be a GRAND world-class one and chose to take notes from Boston, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Toronto, Miami and Chicago to get us there.  If you want Lansing to grow, YOU ABSOLUTELY CANNOT rest on the "Oh this is only poor little Lansing" and the "we can't create the future we want for Lansing" things.

READ:  CAPITAL - TO - MSU BRT CORRIDOR.  Amazing things will follow (including lightrail and streetrail in future years PENDING GR successfully getting those funds from the Big Dome).

Edited by metrogrkid, 17 June 2008 - 01:18 PM.

[hood]

I just don't like the feds threating like that. Besides, I doubt the state would not match a grant that favorable.

[metrogrkid]

hood, on Jun 16 2008, 10:55 PM, said:

I just don't like the feds threating like that. Besides, I doubt the state would not match a grant that favorable.

I hear you, but the Feds do what they want - especially when we need their money.  It sucks but it's real.  As far as the state getting this REALLY GOOD GR DEAL together($8 million to leverage $51 million PLUS open-door-status for all other Michigan cities submitting FTA Small/New Starts transit system applications), I hope you're right.

If you are, at the very least, Lansing could wind up not only onday having a Michigan Avenue BRT corridor from the Capital dome to MSU-Main Campus but also could see itself linked with Commuter Rail (like the METRA trains in Chicago) to Central Station in downtown GR and Rosa Parks Transit Center in downtown Detroit.  That would make Lansing the hub of mass transit for the I-96 corridor.

NOTE TO LEGISLATORS IN THE DOME:  DON'T @!+$ THIS UP!!  THE FED'S CLOCK IS TICKING DOWN TO SPRING 2009!!

Edited by metrogrkid, 17 June 2008 - 01:33 PM.