My wife and I are two people who'd potentially be happy if commuter rail service were provided to Ann Arbor. We are not low income.
My wife doesn't drive. I drive but haven't owned a car for a very long time and would strongly prefer not to live where there are no other good options. One of the most important things we look for in a neighborhood is the ability to access most of our usual needs within walking distance.
If we were to move to the Detroit area Ann Arbor is one of the top places we'd consider. And if we were to move to the Detroit area it's likely that at least one of us would work in Detroit. If not, we'd want to visit often and conveniently.
And before you say bus routes could serve us as well as a train, would be much cheaper to build, and can be easily re-routed, a bus would not make us happy. We take buses when we have to but avoid them whenever we can. I had to commute daily by bus from NYC to New Jersey when my job was relocated there. I take subways regularly, but resolved never to repeat that bus experience again. The swerving, stopping and starting, jostling, shaking, noisy ride was terrible. So was the bus station.
When you evaluate a person's daily commute time required is one important consideration. But wasted time is even more important. Trains allow commuters to work if they want to. And in a comfortable environment, with a smooth ride, and potentially wi-fi and a power plug. Boarding the train can be practically like arriving at the office. Until driverless cars, the most productive use of a car commute is a phone call, podcast, or an audiobook. And I'd get a headache if not carsick if I tried to work from a bus seat. Comfort is another important consideration too. I look forward to a commute by train.
I realize there are not currently a lot of people like my wife and me in the Detroit area. But you may be surprised how many there are in denser, more walkable cities. And I'll bet many people in the Detroit area would happily adapt to this lifestyle were it available to them. I suggest the trend is clear for there to exist more people like us, and fewer who don't mind needing a car everywhere they go.
Compared to many other cities, Detroit is a very unattractive option for people who prefer an urban, self-propelled and transit-oriented lifestyle. I wouldn't consider it if I weren't originally from there. My wife is resistant to the idea. A commuter train to Ann Arbor would be a big help.
Lastly, I totally agree a train terminus downtown would be much better location than New Center. But mitigating that somewhat, development occurs around popular transit centers [[though not so much bus stations). If New Center becomes a transit hub it will spur lots more development there.
Employers are increasingly favoring locations convenient for their employees, well-served by transit. And vibrant with services, retail, dining, and leisure options. It helps them attract talent. Parking lots, expressway barriers, and wide rivers of cars are antithetical to that.
And like the demographic trend of energetic well-educated people migrating toward walkable neighborhoods, I suggest the companies that are participating in this trend are many of the most forward-thinking. Lack of good transit is one more reason Detroit is a less attractive location for them.
If Detroit doesn't get on board and start adapting to these clear social and economic trends it doesn't bode well for its future.
The People Mover and Q Line are just scratching the surface addressing these needs and should just be the start.
Of course ridership numbers are relatively small now. Detroit's transit system is nowhere near achieving critical mass.
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