Feds, Snyder kill Woodward Light Rail Line

[casscorridor]

First they say we can't have light-rail, even though the capital spending is already lined up, because we don't have a regional transit authority or dedicated funding source in place. Then they go on to say we are about to have an RTA, and dedicated funding but "high-speed buses" are more "efficient" and better serves our region, because in case you didn't know, we are Southeast Michigan and we don't do rail here, we do bus.

Well good news "Southeast Michigan", you gonna get a bus. Same damn bus you've probably honked at to get out of the way on Woodward because its so damn slow. There won't be any real BRT because that means building stations, creating dedicated right-away... precisely the costs associated with light-rail. And Snyder/Bing/La Hood are trying to look good as they cancel infrastructure projects.

While the rest of the country looks in at what they know as Detroit, not Southeast Michigan [[does anyone outside greater Detroit understand this?). They see a city and region and now even the entire state of Michigan as behind the times, seemingly stuck in the 1950s. Of course, our problems are America's problems, but in Detroit everything is intensified. The light-rail project symbolized a possible change of course, a change now seemingly much further away.

[brizee]

What kills me is the charade.

They were talking out of both sides of their sides of their mouths as recently as a few weeks ago.

This wasn't a spur of the moment decision. This has been planned for awhile.

Snyder smiles alot and smooth talks, but at the end of the day he and Bing are just....fuck it.

If there was any justice and the world the Transit secretary, governor, mayor, council, county execs all of em would have their cars curbed and forced to use the public transportation they hoist on everyone else.

See how quick their tune changes.

I was a few months away from purchasing a few [[very modest dilapidated) properties near Woodward. All based on a bold faced, knowing LIE.

[laphoque]

The city needs to learn not to constantly fulfill our pessimism. We're not a pessimistic lot out of nature; it's a learned behavior.

[Dexlin]

All that said, you want to know the very worst thing about this? The original lie that's been going on for at least months [[maybe a year or two) was bad enough all by itself. The worst thing in all of this is that when the lie was revealed -- and please note how this "accidentially" slipped out with the mayor's office and the governor's office almost nowhere to be found when this information was "accidentially" tripped upon -- they decide to keep f#cking lying with this ruse about a BRT system. Even after they've been caught they can't bring themselves to level with the people.

Forget about the actual issue of transit, here, this is about as botched a response to a crisis as you'll ever find. Eventually, when you're in a hole and realize it, you stop digging. Not Michigan. Keep lying your way through these multiple state crisis...and watch the population of the state to continue to slowly melt away.

We are not your children, politicians; we are you bosses. You will not continue to lie to us without electoral consequences. Hear that. Recalls? I'd sign almost any recall of a politician who has lied there way through these crises, now, Republican or Democrat. Our politicians aren't the only ones who come out of this looking like fools, this bungling reflects poorly on the image of the ENTIRE state.

[bailey]

The city needs to learn not to constantly fulfill our pessimism. We're not a pessimistic lot out of nature; it's a learned behavior.

Plus one. Seriously ... been saying it each and every time this topic came up over the last few years that whatever is the final result will be the worst possible choice. Funny thing is even this surpassed what I thought to be the worst proposal. I thought we'd end up with a 3 mile parking shuttle tram that runs at the curb, in traffic, with a stop on every corner. Lo and behold, just when you think metro Detroit can't be an even more stupid place to live, they go and do something like busses dressed up to look like trains.

Detroit, the region and it's leaders are not to blame. WE are to blame because we live here and enable this stupidity.

[Dexlin]

What kills me is the charade.

They were talking out of both sides of their sides of their mouths as recently as a few weeks ago.

This wasn't a spur of the moment decision. This has been planned for awhile.

Snyder smiles alot and smooth talks, but at the end of the day he and Bing are just....fuck it.

If there was any justice and the world the Transit secretary, governor, mayor, council, county execs all of em would have their cars curbed and forced to use the public transportation they hoist on everyone else.

See how quick their tune changes.

I was a few months away from purchasing a few [[very modest dilapidated) properties near Woodward. All based on a bold faced, knowing LIE.

Quoted for truth. To be clear, even if they'd let us know earlier that this was in trouble, I'd be disappointed. But, at least we'd have been prepared. It's become clear in just the last few hours that people have known for quite some time this wasn't happening. This is like a master class in how not to handle bad news. Our trust in our officials was already shot; were they trying to kill off any last vestiges of trust we had in them?

Honestly, what was the point in dragging this along knowing that it was to fail? Who wins out of this? No one ends up looking good. Every single one of them is tainted with this failure, now. How anyone in this region could vote for Bing or Snyder, again, is beyond me. I truly hope both are one-termers. They deserve it. Neither has risen to any of the occasions facing us. These are Grade A spineless, cowards of ridiculous proportions. If we were in Japan, these idiots would have long since resigned in shame.

Detroit is a tough nut to crack, but that doesn't mean that you don't even try. Go big or go f%cking home. Honestly, if they don't think the region is going to pay for the operating costs of a single section of light rail, where the heck do they think they are going to find money to operate an entire system of regional buses? That simply doesn't make any sense.

The light rail ain't coming, and neither are the buses. It's a ruse. Transit in Detroit is through, especially if we have to rely on this legislature to do the right thing. They couldn't possibly care any less about moving the working poor around Southeast Michigan.

[Wesley Mouch]

...They couldn't possibly care any less about moving the working poor around Southeast Michigan.

This has nothing to do with 'moving the poor' no more than the Lodge Freeway does. If you frame this as a 'help the poor' project, you are missing the point, and the opportunity. This will be [[when it finally happens, as it will someday) a project to move PEOPLE around. That's what transit does. It enables people to move efficiently, and therefore increases economic activity -- just as Woodward Avenue, Eight Mile, I-696, M-59 and the whole US highway system.

What is being done here is prioritizing where money is going in Michigan [[and the US). If DDOT / SMART CofD had their collective act together, rational LaHood and Synder would have supported it.

Dragging out the old tired is, well, tired. Let's clean up our acts instead.