Regional Transit passes Senate...now time for the house.

[corktownyuppie]

From the Craig Fahle Show Facebook Page:

BREAKING NEWS from Jake Neher with the Michigan Public Radio Network: "The state Senate has passed legislation to create a regional transit authority for southeast Michigan. The bill passed 22-to-16 with bipartisan support."

[Eber Brock Ward]

This always stalled in the Senate and teh House was taking the lead, right?

HOLY SHIT if my understanding is correct!

[corktownyuppie]

Majority leader Jase Bolger [[R-Marshall) [[517) 373-1787
has agreed to hold vote in the next couple weeks.

Chuck Moss–State Representative from Birmingham
Phone: [[517) 373-8670
Toll Free: [[877) 707-MOSS
chuckmoss@house.mi.gov
Was once chairman of the Oakland County Transit Authority

Marty Knollenberg–State Representative from Troy
Phone: [[517) 373-1783
Toll Free: [[877) 248-0001
martyknollenberg@house.mi.gov

[dmike76]

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...c-transit-plan

[brizee]

Know what? Fuck the bullshit.

Get this done.

All the anger, frustration and disappointment will mean nothing if you just finish this.

[313WX]

Did anyone manage to spot any pigs flying around today?

[corktownyuppie]

In all our frustration, anger, and hurt...let's try to remember that over time people have the capacity to change. I can't tell you how devastated I'll be if they don't get this through. The fact that it did helps indicate that the politics and the attitudes of the past are not set it stone, though at times it certainly feels that way.

The senate was probably the more challenging place to get this through, in my opinion. The house has more "hard core" partisans [[i.e. tea party reps) then the senate. But the their majority is pretty narrow. If all the dems are on board + 10 republicans sway, then it goes to the governor's desk.

I'm curious, anyone know why Coleman Young II voted with the Republicans on the senate floor?

[dmike76]

Questions.....it says that the authority will not be responsible for legacy employees costs of ddot and smart, which is probably why the bill passed this time. So....I assume that those are pension costs? who will manage those costs? Will the authority manage the current employee costs such as wages/benefits? Will the same union employees still be there? I assume so. So if the current system is so jacked in a large part to union employee costs, will the authority be able to fix that in some way? I doubt it. I know that they'll get more money if they add a fee onto our registration, but this authority needs to manage it much more effectively than whomever managed them in the past.

[dmike76]

And let's not forget, this still has to pass the House of Reps.

[Hypestyles]

I'm curious, anyone know why Coleman Young II voted with the Republicans on the senate floor?

Myth that this is stepping stone legislation that will lead to a state/suburban takeover of the city-owned [[read: Black owned) DDOT bus system.
Reflexive animosity toward any bill that “originates” with the GOP governor or legislators [[bipartisan roots of the bill notwithstanding).
Building up “credibility” for eventual run for Detroit mayor.
Just plain uninformed.

[Detroitnerd]

Too bad our regional transit plan involves building a magic bus line out in places where ridership is zero. I suppose without a sop to throw the road-building lobby, though, this would never get done.

[Det_ard]

Road building lobby? No new roads being built for this. Kinda random comment, huh?

Now, a sop to those who'll be required to carry most of the financial burden for a system they'll seldom/never use? Yes indeed.

[dmike76]

If we want this region to be competitive with other major metropolitan areas, then we need a regional transit authority. I don't want to throw up any old crappy plan, but this needs to be done to attract more out-of-towners to live here. More residents=more tax revenue for the state and region.

[canuck]

How about the lower house throw in conditions about assembly and components for buses or train sets in the region also?

This is good news for the region and a precursor to a new metropolitan government in the future maybe? Anyhow, the ball is rolling.

Another plus would be a head-hunted topflite administrator with a proven record of getting things done, on budget [[if such a thing exists) and on time [[even iffier).

A recent director of our suburban rail authority [[AMT) resigned after a series of cost overruns revaled a lot of irregularities but mostly plain incompetence. The AMT had decided on a hybrid diesel/electric shift locomotive for parts of a new line from eastern suburbs to downtown. A hundred yr old tunnel under the mountain [[Mount Royal) is used by a northern line of electric trains since 1918. Nobody anticipated that the locomotives would be dangerous even if they were switched to electric from diesel in case of fire when crossing the tunnel. The engines would still be carrying fuel and the tunnels were not built for that kind of contingency. Apparently, the same thing happened in New York a number of years ago...

[Warrenite84]

I am hopeful that this gets passed.
If you ever get a chance to visit http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...197077&page=13
you can see how Cincinnati on the move with new projects in part because of their newfound committment to transit.

If the State House passes this and the old guard City Government gets broomed, I believe Detroit will see many new investors throw their hat into the development ring.

It might be a bit presumptious but I've been looking forward to Detroit joining the other top 25 cities in the U.S. with intelligent, city-wide transit authorities who work for all residents of their communities.

[Dexlin]

Can't say I saw this coming. It'll be interesting to find out what Snyder promised Richardville down the pike for Richardville to find twelve [[or was it thirteen?) Republican votes for this. lol The bills aren't perfect, but we MUST get started, and this is a huge start. Even just finally being able to coordinate SMART and DDOT buses better will be huge.

The great thing if this passes the house before the New Year, though, is that the formation of the authority immediately releases funds from the Feds to get the construction started on the Woodward Street Car. I think people forget that the main purpose of this is that the region will now get more bang for its buck, instead of having two seperate systems out there angling for federal dollars often used on duplicate services.

I didn't think I'd see the day after the Woodward Light Rail was scrapped, but somehow, Snyder did some work behind the scenes, because they weren't going to do this. The Senate had been the stumbling block for this for nearly 10 years. The last time the legislature passed a regional transit bill, Engler gave them the middle finger on his way out an vetoed the legislation.

We're so close. Don't mess this up, house.

[dmike76]

When does the House vote on it?

[Sandhouse]

The RTA package is in today's House Transportation Committee meeting, for testimony only. It might be reported out a week from today. Or not, if Rep. Opsommer and enough Republicans decide they don't like it. These meetings are usually televised over the House web site; tune in at 12:00 today to see what kind of reception these bills get.

Rep. Opsommer may be opposed to the plan. He devotes most of his few remaining days, before term limits kick in and he goes back the DeWitt city council, to trying to thwart the new bridge agreement, and legislating against radios implanted in our electric meters and driver licenses, which he feels are spying on us.

[bailey]

Can't say I saw this coming. It'll be interesting to find out what Snyder promised Richardville down the pike for Richardville to find twelve [[or was it thirteen?) Republican votes for this. lol The bills aren't perfect, but we MUST get started, and this is a huge start. Even just finally being able to coordinate SMART and DDOT buses better will be huge.
....

I didn't think I'd see the day after the Woodward Light Rail was scrapped, but somehow, Snyder did some work behind the scenes, because they weren't going to do this. The Senate had been the stumbling block for this for nearly 10 years. The last time the legislature passed a regional transit bill, Engler gave them the middle finger on his way out an vetoed the legislation.

If there was some horsetrading, I'm guessing a handshake deal on his not objecting to Right to Work legislation that seems to be the Rs obsession these days. Snyder [[for an R) has been pretty luke warm on that issue...much to the consternation of the rest of the Rs.

[brizee]

The RTA package is in today's House Transportation Committee meeting, for testimony only. It might be reported out a week from today. Or not, if Rep. Opsommer and enough Republicans decide they don't like it. These meetings are usually televised over the House web site; tune in at 12:00 today to see what kind of reception these bills get.

I'm at work with a criminally slow thin client, so I can't view. I really do pray it works out.

Rep. Opsommer may be opposed to the plan. He devotes most of his few remaining days, before term limits kick in and he goes back the DeWitt city council, to trying to thwart the new bridge agreement, and legislating against radios implanted in our electric meters and driver licenses, which he feels are spying on us.

With what passes for politics in this country/state I honestly can't tell whether this is a joke or not.

[Detroitnerd]

Road building lobby? No new roads being built for this. Kinda random comment, huh?

Not random, if this is indeed BRT. There's plenty of construction work to be done. Sometimes they'll have berms or high curbs to keep the roadway dedicated. There will be opportunities to build stations.




Yes, there will be plenty of construction money to throw around.

Now, a sop to those who'll be required to carry most of the financial burden for a system they'll seldom/never use? Yes indeed.

Nobody will use that Hall Road bus for sure. I'm an enthusiastic supporter of a Woodward Avenue light rail system because it has the demonstrated ridership to justify the upgrade. What are the ridership numbers for Hall Road?

[ghettopalmetto]

Not random, if this is indeed BRT. There's plenty of construction work to be done. Sometimes they'll have berms or high curbs to keep the roadway dedicated. There will be opportunities to build stations.




Yes, there will be plenty of construction money to throw around.



Nobody will use that Hall Road bus for sure. I'm an enthusiastic supporter of a Woodward Avenue light rail system because it has the demonstrated ridership to justify the upgrade. What are the ridership numbers for Hall Road?

The Los Angeles Orange Line busway cost over $23 million per mile to "construct" in 2005...and they don't have the high-level platforms or curb-divided right-of-way that your photo from Bogota shows. They basically have bus shelters with painted lines on the street. Sexy!

Does anyone realistically think Southeastern Michigan is going to suddenly find a couple billion bucks for four regional bus lines [[especially that one on Sprawl Road that no one will ever ride)?

And is not-quite-emulating a third world banana republic the pinnacle of American success or what?

This is either going to be rapid transit, or it's going to be cheap. There's no way in hell it can be both.

[bailey]

The Los Angeles Orange Line busway cost over $23 million per mile to "construct" in 2005...and they don't have the high-level platforms or curb-divided right-of-way that your photo from Bogota shows. They basically have bus shelters with painted lines on the street. Sexy!

Which is all I expect we'll see anywhere here.

Does anyone realistically think Southeastern Michigan is going to suddenly find a couple billion bucks for four regional bus lines [[especially that one on Sprawl Road that no one will ever ride)?

nope.

This is either going to be rapid transit, or it's going to be cheap. There's no way in hell it can be both.

I've said it before... if there is a totally stupid way to do something our leaders here will find a way to not only live down to that stupid way, but likely exceed whatever worst-case- scenario is out there.

[Dexlin]

Rep. Opsommer may be opposed to the plan. He devotes most of his few remaining days, before term limits kick in and he goes back the DeWitt city council, to trying to thwart the new bridge agreement, and legislating against radios implanted in our electric meters and driver licenses, which he feels are spying on us.

You know, literally last week I might have said this of Opsommer, but it was either the Freep or the News CLEARLY quoting him saying he wants to get this through the house, and by "get through" he clearly meant pass it.

BTW, I think the lame duck is freeing up a lot of the termed-out members. He doesn't have to tow Matty's line, anymore.

[mwilbert]

The whole Hall Road thing is so stupid that I have an alternative theory for it:

1) You say you are going to do it to make the system seem more regional.

2) Once you get the RTA, you do an actual study showing that no one will ride a Hall Road line and that the dedicated bus lanes will screw up traffic.

3) You bow to public outcry and don't build it.

However, I'm not sure anyone playing this game is actually thinking that far ahead.