As a lifetime resident of Detroit, I'm well aware of the difficulties of living here in a city that's comparable to hell itself.

Finding better jobs is difficult and population is being lost fast. The city government and public schools are national embarrassments. The public transportation system here is laughable, and they don't call Detroit: The Motor City for nothing. If you don't have a car, good luck getting around.

Our current mayor, Bing, said it best that it would take a long time for the city to rise from the ashes. Each day I ride my bike, I can see it.

We all can see it. The world can see it.

Those that are able to leave, are leaving. The jobs and money are leaving with them.

I'm considering leaving too. Finding a Information Technology job, here in the metro Detroit area has been difficult, and living a life as a multi-modal commuter that has a medical restriction on my driver's licence, living in a city that has high insurance rates on auto, and having to wait 25 years for the metropolitan area to make up their mind on making things easier for those that can ill-afford to commute by car.

Portland, Oregon is a city that has learned to provide first-class public transportation, as well as obtained a Platinum rating from the League of American Bicyclists. I think that Detroit has a lot to learn from them.

Detroit doesn't even have a rating. We only have 52 bus with bike racks on them. SMART is the only transit authority that fully accommodates bicyclists in the metro Detroit area.

I ask this question because I'm considering moving to Portland in hopes to live independently without the need of a car. My medical restriction could become permanent, and it would be harder for me to prosper here in Detroit.


I look forward to your responses.