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Transit Updates for Greater Grand Rapids

GRDadof3

By GRDadof3
in Grand Rapids

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WMrapids
WMrapids

All this talk about rail made me find these from the library

GR_Urbanist
GR_Urbanist

Fancy new Laker Line stop at the zoo!

BLUESCRUBS
BLUESCRUBS

Proposal to establish regional bus line gets support from Grand Rapids metro group. https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2019/08/proposal-to-establish-regional-bus-line-gets-support-from-grand

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Prankster Burg

Prankster

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Chris Knape is talking about Cleveland's new $200 MILLION BRT line :blink: :

http://blog.mlive.com/knapescorner/2008/10...reality_in.html

7.1 Miles for $200 Million. You can almost build light rail for that.

Just got back from Cleveland, and I believe a fair amount of that money was spent on totally replacing the road. It starts out in front of Tower City, and goes all the way out to the Cleveland Clinic. Before they started working on this, the road was in extremely poor shape.

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aowwt Whistle-Stop

aowwt

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Wow, I know that the system for us is going to run something like 40 or 80 million and it goes further than cleveland. That makes me wonder how much the feds paid for. Then agian they may have more busses than us. I know that a Street Car and a Light Rail are pretty much the same except a street car has just a front end and back end sections. A Lightrail adds links inbetween the front and back sections. But as for us, well we will see if they combine all of the government money spent to redo the majority of Division Ave.

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fotoman311 Burg

fotoman311

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Wow, I know that the system for us is going to run something like 40 or 80 million and it goes further than cleveland. That makes me wonder how much the feds paid for. Then agian they may have more busses than us. I know that a Street Car and a Light Rail are pretty much the same except a street car has just a front end and back end sections. A Lightrail adds links inbetween the front and back sections. But as for us, well we will see if they combine all of the government money spent to redo the majority of Division Ave.

They just redid a good mile+ long section of Division Ave inside the city this past summer. I wouldn't think they'd be touching that TOO much. At least I hope not. They also have recently done a couple of other portions in the last 1-3 years.

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aowwt Whistle-Stop

aowwt

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There is at least 4 miles of Division that needs to be redone. Thats 4 of the 6 miles that the BRT will be running on (the rest is on Jefferson, Michigan, Wealthy, Ionia (or some other government street), then back to the bus depot. Wyoming and Kentwood have a big job to do in the next few years.

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Rizzo City

Rizzo

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Wow, I know that the system for us is going to run something like 40 or 80 million and it goes further than cleveland. That makes me wonder how much the feds paid for. Then agian they may have more busses than us. I know that a Street Car and a Light Rail are pretty much the same except a street car has just a front end and back end sections. A Lightrail adds links inbetween the front and back sections. But as for us, well we will see if they combine all of the government money spent to redo the majority of Division Ave.

Only $40 million. I don't know to what extent money will be spent on Division Ave. From what I understand a lot of money is being spent on the stations. What it sounded like was The Rapid was going to take over existing lanes for temporal use.

Also, streetcars can be linked. On modern streetcars, the passenger unit is built upon a Jacobs bogie or similar contraption. This allows units to be linked without having to be temporarily coupled.

Edited by Rizzo
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d8alterego Whistle-Stop

d8alterego

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Lately I've been feeling pretty optimistic at GR's chances at getting it's transit projects built. Movement on Capital Hill seems to support my hunch.

Should GR have an expanded list of transit projects to give to the Feds like a new Amtrak station? To ask an even bigger question: could it be possible that Michigan could soon be seeing a transit renaissance?

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d8alterego Whistle-Stop

d8alterego

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Lately I've been feeling pretty optimistic at GR's chances at getting it's transit projects built. Movement on Capital Hill seems to support my hunch.

Should GR have an expanded list of transit projects to give to the Feds like a new Amtrak station? To ask an even bigger question: could it be possible that Michigan could soon be seeing a transit renaissance?

Edited by d8alterego
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Rizzo City

Rizzo

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Lately I've been feeling pretty optimistic at GR's chances at getting it's transit projects built. Movement on Capital Hill seems to support my hunch.

Should GR have an expanded list of transit projects to give to the Feds like a new Amtrak station? To ask an even bigger question: could it be possible that Michigan could soon be seeing a transit renaissance?

A transit renaissance? If you talk to transit groups anywhere in the state there's clearly a renaissance on the West Side, the East Side is quickly following.

The time and energy it takes to put in a request for funding is exhaustive. I can't see this community putting in any more rapid transit projects. The current bus project may take nearly 10 years start to finish. The bus project down Division qualified, but other potential routes didn't meet the threshold. Besides, it wouldn't matter how much the Feds wanted to throw at Grand Rapids as The Rapid probably isn't financially capable of covering operating expenses of a project.

The Feds wont fund the streetcar and it's up to the state to provide funding for a new Amtrak station. In the very near term the station needs a new and extended platform.

The key to transit isn't the Feds, but a concerted effort to find local and state funds.

Edited by Rizzo
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Rizzo City

Rizzo

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Although, we had two people running for comission for.. 3rd ward? Something like that.. Accoring to Mlive, one thought mass transit is a waste of taxpayer money and claimed it pollutes more, the other supported rail transit and improved buses. Guess who won? (Hint: not good.)

I think you mean the 3rd District for the US House of Representatives. Vern Ehlers (pro-transit) was challenged by Erwin Haas (anti-eveything) Haas spouted off on a transit related MLive article about two months ago.(?) I'm guessing that is the article you mention. Haas wasn't elected, no surprise there.

Pro-transit people elected to County Commission: Sandra Frost Parrish, 5th District (Lowell and Bowne, Cascade and Vergennes townships); Stan Ponstein, 7th District (Grandville, portions of Wyoming) See suburban Republican's are supporting transit!

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fotoman311 Burg

fotoman311

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HIGH SPEED RAIL + CALIFORNIA + EARTHQUAKE = OMG!

I guess the relevant questions would be, how long do earthquakes take to go from detection to shake-a-fast-moving-train-off-the-tracks, and how good are the brakes on that thing? (among others)

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Rizzo City

Rizzo

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I'm recalling Sanchez being pro-transit. Was that the same running? I may be confusing who won, but I know Sanchez did not.

Ehlers won. It was a three way race with Ehlers (Rep), Sanchez (Dem), and Haas (Lib). I have no idea where Sanchez stood on transit, but Ehlers is pro-transit.

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Raildudes dad Hamlet

Raildudes dad

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No doubt a reflection on how terrible traffic has become.

Without a doubt - my daughter has been there a couple times. One of her friends took a job there (another engineer leaves MI :(. My daughter might have to leave MI for a job as well and she says while Seattle is a nice place , the traffic would keep her from moving there.

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Rizzo City

Rizzo

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The state has published findings from the Transportation Funding Task Force. (see attached document below) The report covers many aspects of the state's transportation system and how to adequately fund it in the near and long term. The document paints a dark picture on Michigan's transportation system. Apparently, Michigan is lagging in spending so much so that it is divesting and as a result loosing hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds.

On the public transit front, it lays out the need for increased funding and it has to come from many stable sources. It looks like they want to get enough funding for the enhanced bus project in Grand Rapids along with rail transit in Ann Arbor and Detroit.

TF2PRELIMINARYREPORT_FINAL_.pdf

Edited by Rizzo
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GRDadof3 Ecumenopolis

GRDadof3

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The state has published findings from the Transportation Funding Task Force. (see attached document below) The report covers many aspects of the state's transportation system and how to adequately fund it in the near and long term. The document paints a dark picture on Michigan's transportation system. Apparently, Michigan is lagging in spending so much so that it is divesting and as a result loosing hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds.

On the public transit front, it lays out the need for increased funding and it has to come from many stable sources. It looks like they want to get enough funding for the enhanced bus project in Grand Rapids along with rail transit in Ann Arbor and Detroit.

TF2PRELIMINARYREPORT_FINAL_.pdf

Another state effort on transit funding getting some attention:

http://www.mibiz.com/absolutenm/templates/...4&zoneid=25

Are all these people working in concert with each other?

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