Wave Goodbye to High-Speed Rail

[BrushStart]

http://www.freep.com/article/2010121...ing-rail-funds

Sincerestly,

The Michigan Legislature

[Mikeg]

Buh-bye!

When you are facing a $1.7 billion budget deficit and there's no more federal "stimulus" money to be had, finding $35 million worth of matching funds for a new initiative has to, by necessity, rank very, very low on the budget funding priority list.

[Novine]

New initiative? Last time I checked, trains were still running from Detroit to Chicago and back. The only thing new is the mindlessness of missing out on the opportunity to fund needed infrastructure improvements. As for the funding, it's from transportation funds, not the general fund.

[Danny]

YAY!

Now we all can buy cars and pollute the sky for years to come so our grandchilren can breathe foul stinky air. I told you all that there is a bureaucratic process to any projects that would satisfy America. I'm glad that politicians look at any worst case senarios before they could go ahead with the project. It's back to the drawing board for mass transit.

[DetroitPlanner]

This is exactly the reason why I have been harping on we need to fix the funding mechanisms for transportation in this state. All of you who want HSR need to know that matching dollars are to come from Act 51 [[gas tax and registration fees) and that those dollars are shrinking while are needs are growing. It will be next to impossible to fund this without impacting the current dollars that are used by public transit agencies or fix the potholed roads.

[BrushStart]

This is exactly the reason why I have been harping on we need to fix the funding mechanisms for transportation in this state. All of you who want HSR need to know that matching dollars are to come from Act 51 [[gas tax and registration fees) and that those dollars are shrinking while are needs are growing. It will be next to impossible to fund this without impacting the current dollars that are used by public transit agencies or fix the potholed roads.

That's fine. Take it from the gas taxes. The ever-expanding road situation is unsustainable anyways. It's only a matter of time before the whole house of cards collapses. Might as well take from the gas taxes now to build something sustainable while there's still money left in the kitty. In 10 years when everyone is driving electric Volts and there's no gas tax left, the roads will crumble and people will be whining about how someone should have built some mass transit sooner... Just wait and see...

[Novine]

As the various Road agencies have been crying poverty for years, this amount of money isn't going to impact pothole and bridge repairs in any significant way. But it allows the state to get federal funding for infrastructure repairs that are needed. If this was funding for a new freeway interchange, how many of the people attacking this proposal would be cheerleading that idea?

[Hypestyles]

This is what happens when you have a bunch of zero-tax ideologues in office, then when budget deficits loom, there’s all this stonewalling and waffling.. GOP lawmakers don’t care about transit because they still feel 'the future' is everyone owning two minivans.. Democrats aren’t willing to push the issue because half of them are “blue-dog” so-called-fiscal conservatives who are in the same boat as the Repubs, and the progressives just want to get re-elected again so they aren’t interested in going out on a limb with any proposals that would be pro-tax income. Michigan legislature should be only Part-Time.. then maybe they’ll get the incentive to actually get some real work done..

[DetroitPlanner]

As the various Road agencies have been crying poverty for years, this amount of money isn't going to impact pothole and bridge repairs in any significant way. But it allows the state to get federal funding for infrastructure repairs that are needed. If this was funding for a new freeway interchange, how many of the people attacking this proposal would be cheerleading that idea?

For 2012 the latest MDOT estimates have found that they can only prioritize funding to fix one bridge, the Fort Street over the Rouge bridge. Only a few miles of street are going to get repaved as well. What has happened is that all of the state raised money is going to debt service. They have had to bond for the last several years just to match federal dollars. Next to go will be salting and emergency fixes. There is no money left. The policies put into place under the previous governor and carried forward to fill the holes in the budget have finally hit the wall. Snyder and the new folks are going to be left with a 12 year problem to fix.

[lincoln8740]

If this was funding for a new freeway interchange, how many of the people attacking this proposal would be cheerleading that idea?

Funding for something that will actually be used compared to a 4 mile choo choo train to nowhere?

What a novel concept

[Augustiner]

Funding for something that will actually be used compared to a 4 mile choo choo train to nowhere?

What a novel concept

I don't think you understand what this money is for.

[lincoln8740]

I don't think you understand what this money is for.

You are absolutely correct--sorry about that

[wolverine]

Absolutely saddening. But you know what? That's Detroit, Michigan.

If anything, we'd love to accept that gift of rail funding from Michigan and brought here to Chicago to fund the Clinton Street subway. It will bring new development....Development the Woodward line could have brought. But people don't seem to understand that.

[English]

Absolutely saddening. But you know what? That's Detroit, Michigan.

If anything, we'd love to accept that gift of rail funding from Michigan and brought here to Chicago to fund the Clinton Street subway. It will bring new development....Development the Woodward line could have brought. But people don't seem to understand that.

Chicago is a city that works. Things get done. Detroit is a city that doesn't work. There's a big, sad difference here.

[runnerXT]

Chicago is a city that works. Things get done. Detroit is a city that doesn't work. There's a big, sad difference here.

This is the suburbs of Chicago, from the Chicago Tribune:

Reflecting the increasing strain of gridlocked traffic, a majority of Chicago-area residents think improving bus and train service is so important to the region that repairing and expanding expressways and toll roads should take a back seat, a Tribune/WGN poll shows.

Most suburbanites support investing more in mass transit than roads, sharing the long-held stance of a large majority of city residents, the poll found. Suburban residents also said they are driving less and taking more advantage of expanded suburban train and bus service in communities where the automobile has been king


"People are seeing that a car-oriented culture is limiting economic development and quality of life in the region,'' said Frank Beal, executive director of Chicago Metropolis 2020, which promotes social and economic ideas for the 21st century.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2...s-mass-transit

[Russix]

This is exactly the reason why I have been harping on we need to fix the funding mechanisms for transportation in this state. All of you who want HSR need to know that matching dollars are to come from Act 51 [[gas tax and registration fees) and that those dollars are shrinking while are needs are growing. It will be next to impossible to fund this without impacting the current dollars that are used by public transit agencies or fix the potholed roads.

If you want mass transit, drive more!

[iheartthed]

At least they're gonna get the highly anticipated moose hunting bill in motion: http://www.freep.com/article/2010121...me-to-Michigan

[DetroitPlanner]

If you want mass transit, drive more!

We have a system that is dysfunctional and is based on consumption. This needs to be fixed.