SMART system's slow collapse

[Danny]

YAY!! The power of the people of Farmington Hills and thr people who take the SMART busses of OCC and the demand from disabilty skill center programs persuaded The Farmington Hills City Council to vote opt-in the SMART busses.

There's still hope in public transit.

[Dexlin]

Great news... SMART survived the vote in Farmington Hills, they will remain an opt-in community!

Out of curiosity, how close was the vote, and was the mayor a "yes" vote?

[Novine]

It was a 4-3 vote with the Mayor voting with the majority against opting-out.

http://farmington-mi.patch.com/artic...ick-with-smart

[That Great Guy]

How about if I vote for a Congressman that refuses to fund any more stupid-ass new freeway construction projects in population-static Southeastern Michigan? Is that sufficient?

At some point, y'all are gonna have to leave the Fifties and join the rest of the world.

Google

The abolition of state revenue sharing for mass transit in Michigan

[Bham1982]

SMART is drowning because in the end, it's just a bus and bus-only public transportation is so 20th century.

Then I guess the entire U.S., except for NYC, and DC, is "so 20th century". Those are the only two U.S. metros where rail passengers outnumber bus passengers.

[Gistok]

Then I guess the entire U.S., except for NYC, and DC, is "so 20th century". Those are the only two U.S. metros where rail passengers outnumber bus passengers.

You do know that you're arguing with a year old post, don't you?

[samsonov]

With the SMART Property Tax Renewal just weeks away, next August, it is important to educate the voters.

NO means the tax is capped, everyone keeps their bus service and job including all SMART employees. Federal Laws prevail over State and County.

YES means we build the Multi Billion Dollar freeways with the exact same money once used for public bus service.


Google

The abolition of state revenue sharing for mass transit in Michigan

Umm... does anybody know what That Great Guy is going on about?

[Gistok]

Umm... does anybody know what That Great Guy is going on about?

Ummmmm.... welcome to the forum Samsonov! We used to have a guy on this forum that did nothing but talk about transportation... named Trainman.. I think he's been reincarnated....

[professorscott]

Ummmmm.... welcome to the forum Samsonov! We used to have a guy on this forum that did nothing but talk about transportation... named Trainman.. I think he's been reincarnated....

Only Trainman occasionally said something that was factual. The nonsense about what happens if the SMART millage fails is inane, he keeps repeating it, and I hope everybody who reads it understands that it is absolutely false.

If you don't believe me, go stand anywhere in Rochester Hills and count how many buses go by.

Very bizarre. I'd love to know what his game is; the problem is, I automatically disbelieve everything he posts, so if he says why he's doing this, I won't believe him. If he posted that Grosse Pointe is east of Detroit, I would have to go check a map.

[DetroitPlanner]

I think that guy wants us to have a 20 cent gas tax increase instead. Unfortunately, funding transit from a tax that is decreasing as more people either buy fuel efficient vehicles or take transit more is an unsustainable tax.

[townonenorth]

Only Trainman occasionally said something that was factual. The nonsense about what happens if the SMART millage fails is inane, he keeps repeating it, and I hope everybody who reads it understands that it is absolutely false.

If you don't believe me, go stand anywhere in Rochester Hills and count how many buses go by.

Very bizarre. I'd love to know what his game is; the problem is, I automatically disbelieve everything he posts, so if he says why he's doing this, I won't believe him. If he posted that Grosse Pointe is east of Detroit, I would have to go check a map.

I really can't remember Trainman saying anything factual.

But, from what I DO remember, is this post from 2010:

Trainman

Join DateMay 2009Posts62

Next August 2010, Your Vote Of NO Is Needed To Stop Freeway Expansions In Detroit

http://detnews.com/article/20091030/...-fuel-revenues

It is the loss of funding from the Michigan Department of Transportation that caused the loss of the large SMART buses in Livonia in November 2006

Large freeway expansions are planned to start in 2011 at a cost of $2 Billion and more with the exact same money that used to pay for both SMART and DDOT. It is not Bing that is causing the DDOT reductions but instead the loss of fuel tax revenue sharing and the lack of industry support from companies such as Wal-Mart in Livonia.

Now, is the time for you posters to take action and not after August 2010 as it is very likely that the SMART tax will pass in all three counties.

Then the bulldozers will come, more cuts in state revenue are planned and more bus service reductions unless we once again vote in higher local taxes. And more promises for federal transit grants. But it will be too late because we once again passed the SMART tax.

See more people move out of Detroit.

See Livonia and other inner ring suburbs turn into ghettos.

It’s simple to vote NO and stop the large freeways but maybe it is the large freeways most of us want?

Maybe the bus drivers in Detroit can get bulldozer driving jobs to expand northern Oakland county and other wealthy areas that can afford to pay high property taxes to pay for the once federally and state funded SMART and DDOT public bus systems.

We now have a chance to stop the fuel tax cuts but soon it will be too late if we don’t act fast and get our elected officials to fight the Michigan Department of Transportation and SEMCOG to stop urban decay and the destruction of our farmlands and wetlands with NEW large freeways.

Learn all the facts in Trainman's... save the... in DETROIT LINKS

Same shit, different name.

[That Great Guy]

I'm in favor of all communities supporting the SMART Property Tax, IF our leaders stop playing their games.

So, they should raise the tax to 2 mils and increase the gas tax about 5 cents per gallon and provide at least 10 percent to existing providers including SMART and DDOT.

Then hire competent professionals to run public bus service and if they don't fill the fare boxes and run on time then fire them.

Prior to 1995, SMART was entirely run on the State fuel tax. We were promised no cuts in funding or service and a balanced budget.

We will get what we pay for. If you want a low fuel tax and property tax, then indeed we will get shitty roads and nearly non existent public bus service.

And we can forget about regional rail service of any kind because without a decent public bus system, there won't be enough passengers on the trains to justify running them without again raising taxes to the point people in China will live at a higher standard of living then us.

Our mass transit leadership in Michigan presently SUCKS

And it will continue to SUCK if the August tax passes, unless we take actions instead of talking and posting.

We get the freeway expansions because in Michigan the road lobbyists, trucking and car industries are strong and have money.

Money Talks. And y'all know this.

[Danny]

So vote YES YES YES on the SMART bus Millage on August.

[Gistok]

Did you ever get the feeling that some people who post here are in another place on the space/time continuum?

[chicagoforlife]

You do know that you're arguing with a year old post, don't you?

Don't you mean two years?

[chicagoforlife]

Then I guess the entire U.S., except for NYC, and DC, is "so 20th century". Those are the only two U.S. metros where rail passengers outnumber bus passengers.

The reason that a city like Chicago has more bus passengers than rail passengers is because the bus system covers the entire area. The CTA L only covers 222 miles of track, the CTA bus system covers 2,230 miles on over 140 routes with 12,000 bus stops. And even then the total numbers aren't that far off, the L carries about 730,000 passengers every weekday while the bus carries about 930,000 passengers every weekday, that doesn't count METRA or PACE.

[Gistok]

Don't you mean two years?

Duh! Yeah... I think I lost a year in somewhere on the space/time continuum...

[That Great Guy]

No Gas, No Cash, No Hugs and Kisses, NO Ride.

SMART needs more money. Maybe it should come from the bus riders?