Who else is tired of having to drive everywhere we need to go in Metro Detroit ?

[rjlj]

Back on topic, I watched a movie recently called 'Contested Streets' on the Sundance Channel. You really see how Detroit is about 100 years behind some of the bigger cities throughout the world after watching this movie.

http://www.sundancechannel.com/films/500318645


Summary:

"New York City prides itself as the world's most vibrant and dynamic metropolis. Unfortunately, it is also plagued by gridlock, noise, exhaust-filled air and a transit system that favors cars and trucks. Filmmaker Stefan Schaefer examines the city's past to reveal how this came to pass. CONTESTED STREETS offers contrasting lessons from three European cities - Paris, London and Copenhagen - which successfully introduced alternatives to limit automobile congestion, promote public transportation and facilitate walking and bicycle use."

[illwill]

Driving all over S.E. Michigan was one of the major contributing factors for me leaving the region. I totalled my car late one night on an icey patch on I-94 leaving Detroit heading back to Ann Arbor and that pretty much sealed the deal for me.

Everything is so spread out and being such an active person I chose to be in a city where most activities were within city limits and I could take public transportation to get there. I hope Detroit will get mass transit soon.

[showstoppa]

I recently visited Washington D.C. and the entire time I was there and I was surprised by the fact I didn't even ride in a car the entire time ! [[except rides to and from the airport) By the time I left I even had some of the routes memorized.

Detroit really needs to catch up with the times, just think of what our economy could be if people were saved from car notes, insurance, maintenance [[ and yes I know we're home of GM, Ford, and Chrysler)

One other thing, they were completely safe !

[DetroitDad]

We have 6,000-6,500 residents in the Central Business District, 10,000 could support the kind of urban living you and others want. Midtown on the other hand is only about 1/3rd of it's potential. The consensus is that transit in this area connecting the two would make it more desirable as one neighborhood/area.

[reddog289]

This has got me thinking. I myself could and should ride my bike or walk to work since the two buildings I work at are less then a mile from my house.And given the age of my vehicles I would not mind more options in transportation
With driving being part of my job for the first 15 or so of my working years I got used to it, But after being outta the game for the last 8 years, I don't miss rush hour one bit.
I myself don't live in Downtown or Detroit proper for that matter, Yet if it did come down to it I could get by without a car. My "wife" on the other hand would be screwed.

[Ghetto_butterfly]

One of the things I enjoy most in my new hometown in Germany is the fact that I do not own a car anymore and don't have to drive because I am able to go to work and everywhere I want to go by subway, bus and train. Having a comprehensive and well-planned mass transit system available is the best thing ever. I have explored the entire city [[which is about the size of Detroit) by subway and bus, and have gone on many weekend trips all over the place by train. Also, there is the human factor I enjoy. You see [[and sometimes meet) many different people and see all kind of stuff that would simply escape you if you were in the car on the freeway [[except the road rage). And with the money I save by not having a car, I am able to afford a much nicer apartment in a great location than I ever could have in Detroit.

[gazhekwe]

Every time I go to Boston, Chicago or DC, I use the subways and walk everywhere from the stops. There are buses, but I haven't figured them out yet. In Chicago, they do have the routes/destinations posted at many stops, which helps if I ever decide to go somewhere too far to walk. I have been out, by myself, quite late at night with no problems, so far. The trolley loops in Chicago and DC are great as well. It would be great to have such options here.

[exdetroiter]

Was this all 30 years ago or something?

I have lived in NYC for most of the last 10 years [[since graduating from college), have been basically everywhere at all hours, and never seen ANY of these things, and you see them all on one trip?

You all misinterpreted my statement. I LOVE NEW YORK. I have been going there every Spring to shop for the last 18 years. I've never had a problem on the public transit system, but I still try my best to take precautions. I personally feel safer in an automobile with the doors locked than I do on any public transit system anywhere with my purse on my shoulder. Nothing against New York. I would not give them a few thousand dollars each year if I didn't love it there.

[devman1983]

We'll have to wait another 50 - 100 years before the suburbs become the ghetto, Detroit has reverted back to farmland, and people move back in to the former city to create the city of the future.

[darwinism]

In case this point needs any reinforcement ..... an automobile is most likely a 'depreciating asset'.

Let's help our own financial health.

[DetroitDad]

50-100 years!? Try 20. Well actually........

[DetroitPlanner]

Move closer to work.

No kidding the closer to work you live the more options you have. If you choose to drive you can get there faster and burn less gas/contribute less to congestion/put less miles on your car.

Chances are that if you move closer transit would become easier to use, requiring less transfers, and you could walk or ride your bike to work if you choose.

[DetroitDad]

^Assuming you don't have kids in school. Then you have to live in one of a handful of districts with good schools, areas that don't have enough jobs to accommodate every working adult that lives there.

So what do you choose; sending your kids to underperforming schools, or commuting to work and spending family time stuck in traffic?

CAR CULTURE RULES!!!!

[wolverine]

Transit doesn't always have to be the answer either. Simply good planning for mixed use development containing retail with more basic needs local to housing make a big difference. Transit is best when major destinations are linear. You really can't "grid" public transit effectively because it's expensive, and people aren't all that keen on transferring to other modes such as buses from rail.

Therefore I also don't think we should rid our cities of cars completely either, but strike a balance where we can use them when we need them. I'd like to see more park and rides, especially here in Chicago, where some spots are too distant to walk to a station.

It's definitely nice not having to drive to work though, it makes a big difference. I live diagonally from the John Hancock Tower and walk 10 blocks down Michigan Ave to get to work. Not only is the hassle of driving eliminated, but I get daily exercise walking. I still use my car for the major grocery shopping though. It just makes complete sense to drive it even if a supermarket is 6 blocks away. If you walk, By the time you get back, the frozen food has thawed.

[cch]

people are quick to moan about the lack of public transit in metro detroit, but don't do much about it. i've lived in the city without a car for two years and still haven't taken a DDOT or SMART bus anywhere. if you make it a priority in your life then you don't need a car. if you are not used to stepping outside the box then, yes, you do need a car.

[daddeeo]

How any rides have you mooched from family and friends?
Where do you shop?

[milesdriven]

Mass transit works well in dense, safe cities. Until Michigan follows other states and set property taxes based on home sale price instead of SEV, and one can traverse the D without worrying about their personal safety, it won't work. Buses are the best way to go until more people move back to the city. And living in the city doesn't make sense right now for families.

Isn't it ironic that when you live in the Motor City you have to use an address in the suburbs to afford car insurance?

[DetroitDad]

Transit doesn't always have to be the answer either. Simply good planning for mixed use development containing retail with more basic needs local to housing make a big difference. Transit is best when major destinations are linear. You really can't "grid" public transit effectively because it's expensive, and people aren't all that keen on transferring to other modes such as buses from rail.

Therefore I also don't think we should rid our cities of cars completely either, but strike a balance where we can use them when we need them. I'd like to see more park and rides, especially here in Chicago, where some spots are too distant to walk to a station.

It's definitely nice not having to drive to work though, it makes a big difference. I live diagonally from the John Hancock Tower and walk 10 blocks down Michigan Ave to get to work. Not only is the hassle of driving eliminated, but I get daily exercise walking. I still use my car for the major grocery shopping though. It just makes complete sense to drive it even if a supermarket is 6 blocks away. If you walk, By the time you get back, the frozen food has thawed.

Good points!

According to the New Urbanists; generally, everything you need should be within a quarter mile radious of your residence in a good urban environment, some things should be even closer. This sounds a bit extreme if you are single, young and somewhat fit, but get someone with young children to haul around, or a older senior citizen [[the two groups that benefit most from urban living), and you can see that things really have to be that close to be realistic.

[cch]

How any rides have you mooched from family and friends?
Where do you shop?

2 from family
maybe 10-15 from friends, but only to non-essential events [[social gatherings where we are both going anyway)

where do i shop for what? food? honey bee; sometimes university foods. other than that, i don't really buy anything else on a regular basis.

[darwinism]

A number of folks above had mentioned relocating closer to the workplace.

That may be entirely sensible in the 50s or the 60s, where people tend to spend their lifetime working for the same company.

In case there are still people who are unaware, the business environment in 2009 is very different. People do not work for the same company their entire lives anymore. Companies do not stay in business for decades and centuries anymore. Those of us here in the Metro Detroit should know this better than anyone else. It doesn't matter if the company is more than 100 years old ..... it can go "kaput" just as easily as a 10-year-old company.

Suggesting that any of us move closer to where we work, doesn't seem like a solid advice anymore, unless you enjoy packing and moving every few years when you change jobs.

[wolverine]

I think the packing up and moving part would definitely be difficult as you get older. But nobody is saying everyone would have to participate. Every morning when I walk to work I don't see millions of people jamming the sidewalks within a 200 square block area, just tens of thousands makes a difference.

You pointed it out, but for somebody my age, if I leave the company and go elsewhere, I'll just switch apartments when my lease ends. It's inconvenient for maybe a week, but it saves a lot of time and money over the next few years.

Really, what is important is that people are within close walking distance to transit, or at least minimal driving distance.

The issue I really don't want to touch on keeping business concentrated in one area. The issues get very complex.

[DetroitDad]

I think the packing up and moving part would definitely be difficult as you get older. But nobody is saying everyone would have to participate. Every morning when I walk to work I don't see millions of people jamming the sidewalks within a 200 square block area, just tens of thousands makes a difference.

You pointed it out, but for somebody my age, if I leave the company and go elsewhere, I'll just switch apartments when my lease ends. It's inconvenient for maybe a week, but it saves a lot of time and money over the next few years.

Really, what is important is that people are within close walking distance to transit, or at least minimal driving distance.

The issue I really don't want to touch on keeping business concentrated in one area. The issues get very complex.

Wolverine, am I right in assuming then, that Detroit would benefit in a scenario where larger buildings would be converted to residential, while smaller and midsized buildings would work better with office space that is dispersed over a large geographical area? Or, would mixed use in buildings be preferable, like Mid-Med, Broderick, Leland, Fort-Shelby, and Book-Cadillac?

[crawford]

Wolverine, am I right in assuming then, that Detroit would benefit in a scenario where larger buildings would be converted to residential, while smaller and midsized buildings would work better with office space that is dispersed over a large geographical area?

Detroit would benefit from a scenario where larger buildings would be occupied. Period.

[ZRX Doug]

I'll get on a bus when you pry my cold, dead hands off'n my steering wheel.

Amen, bruddah..only add handlebars & clip-ons to the "steering wheel" part.

I've never been able to figger out why anyone would prefer an hour on a slow & lurchy bus to 15-20 minutes in their own vehicle..buy a cheap used motorcycle, folks..my old CM400 "commuter bike" costs under a hundred bucks a year to insure, has under $500 invested in it, and gets close to seventy mpg..and I never have to wait for it to show up or figure out how to get the remaining three miles from the "stop" to my destination..
And on top of that, it's stupid-fun..

[DetroitDad]

Detroit would benefit from a scenario where larger buildings would be occupied. Period.

I don't know Crawford, seems like we'd just need more surface parking without mass transit.