Question about RTA in MetroDetroit

[trotwood]

I've not looked through all threads here so pardon if this has been discussed but I'm a little confused what's to become of DDOT&SMART under the RTA system. Will they both continue to operate under different names[[companies?)or will they be merged into one new system/one name? I've asked drivers at both DOT&SMART[[as well as called both companies&city council)but no one seems to know.
What happens now with DDOT&SMART?
Thanks in advance.

[Jason]

The RTA is an additional system. It will provide service on some routes and SMART and DDOT would coordinate appropriately.

In practice, the RTA will eventually take over the responsibilities of the other systems, although no one in charge has said so, for political reasons.

[brizee]

This is all just how I interpreted the bills but:

To take over any entity like DDOT, SMART or the eventual M1, the same poison pills exist for any "rail" based project.

The board has to come to a unanimous vote instead of just a majority, and then it has to be presented before the voters.

So it depends on who's on the board at the time and the what wedge issue is being presented at the four counties at the time.

[trotwood]

Thank you both for the information.

[stasu1213]

I hope that the RTA busses will have wider seats and aisles so that passengers would have more room to sit or stand. The problems with DDOT busses is the alsles are too narrow and the seats are made for smaller petite people. Who ever ordered these busses for DDOT had done a poor job. I dont know if these busses are manufactured in China, where most of the popualation is of small stature, and shipped here. Are they poorly designed and detroit had ordered a fleet of them for a cheaper price? RTA should have someone from New York City's transit system on it's board who would bring ideas on how to effectively run a transit system.

[Islandman]

I'll just leave this here:

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/11/travel...ml?hpt=hp_bn10

[professorscott]

I hope that the RTA busses will have wider seats and aisles so that passengers would have more room to sit or stand.

The buses for the new RTA routes will be of quite a different design than the typical DDOT bus. If you are ever in DC check out the DC Circulator buses; they won't be exactly like that but that'll give you an idea. Also they will be able to wheelchair board at level from the stations.

The problems with DDOT busses is the aisles are too narrow and the seats are made for smaller petite people. Who ever ordered these busses for DDOT had done a poor job.

DDOT has fairly standard models of buses, designed for what was considered to be an average size person when the buses were ordered. I'm not sure how bus companies overall can keep up with the fact that we are becoming larger as a nation, mostly for unhealthy reasons.

Someone asked about what would become of DDOT and SMART and the person who answered more or less nailed it. DDOT in particular has some costs [[pension obligations) that nobody outside the City will ever be willing to absorb. If any sort of merger ever occurs, it will be because that problem got solved somehow.

But the main point of the RTA is to create and operate the rapid transit lines and to coordinate with and between DDOT, SMART, DTC [[People Mover) and M1 Rail.

[casscorridor]

But the main point of the RTA is to create and operate the rapid transit lines and to coordinate with and between DDOT, SMART, DTC [[People Mover) and M1 Rail.

Don't forget AATA, as Washtenaw County is included under the RTA.

I hope one of the first things the RTA does is establish an express bus route to the airport from Downtown until a rail link can be established in the future.

[trotwood]

The buses for the new RTA routes will be of quite a different design than the typical DDOT bus. If you are ever in DC check out the DC Circulator buses; they won't be exactly like that but that'll give you an idea. Also they will be able to wheelchair board at level from the stations.



DDOT has fairly standard models of buses, designed for what was considered to be an average size person when the buses were ordered. I'm not sure how bus companies overall can keep up with the fact that we are becoming larger as a nation, mostly for unhealthy reasons.

Someone asked about what would become of DDOT and SMART and the person who answered more or less nailed it. DDOT in particular has some costs [[pension obligations) that nobody outside the City will ever be willing to absorb. If any sort of merger ever occurs, it will be because that problem got solved somehow.

But the main point of the RTA is to create and operate the rapid transit lines and to coordinate with and between DDOT, SMART, DTC [[People Mover) and M1 Rail.

Thank you very much Professor. I appreciate your time.

[Detroitnerd]

I'll just leave this here:

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/11/travel...ml?hpt=hp_bn10

WHAT? That's CRAZY! This is Michigan! We LOVE our cars! The weather's too harsh here to wait outside! This is all propaganda for some government plot to take away our cars! Young people will ALWAYS need cars when they have children! Trains and buses will bring MINORITY CRIMINALS into our neighborhoods! Roads pay for themselves! The gummint choo-choo won't run on its own farebox! I'm not paying taxes for things I won't use! Cars are mankind's magic carpet! Why do you people hate America? AAARRRGGHH! *head explodes*

[professorscott]

Don't forget AATA, as Washtenaw County is included under the RTA.

I hope one of the first things the RTA does is establish an express bus route to the airport from Downtown until a rail link can be established in the future.

There are a lot of reasons for that to be likely. For one thing, that corridor has already had some of the Federally required studies done, though it is probably they will need to be updated. For another thing, the airport is a Really Obvious Destination for a transit link.

AATA does a good job, and doesn't have duplicated services with other agencies, which is why I omitted it: if I'm on the RTA board I'm not going to lose a lot of sleep over AATA.

Just a guess, but one can imagine most of the M-59 line withering on the vine and an Airport link arising from the ashes [[get it?) to take its place. Just a guess.

[brizee]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tts_CwuMzk

I hope to God that the actual RTA is more aggressive and grand thinking than Semcog/this proto-rta.

Because in their own words, that is some cheap-n-easy, unambitious, setup for failure sounding nonsense.