Detroit is infamous for its lack of regional transit (or local transit for that matter), but the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan this month launched a master planning process that could finally fill some of the region's gaps.
Leonard N. Fleming reports on the mood at recent public hearings held by the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan (RTA) as it undertakes a master plan process that would set an agenda for transit in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw counties.
The public hearings are taking place in advance of a 2016 ballot initiative that will ask voters "to fund the RTA and three bus rapid transit routes up Woodward from Detroit to Pontiac, Michigan Avenue from Detroit to Ann Arbor, and up Gratiot in Detroit to M-59." The master plan is expected to be complete by the end of 2015.
Ryan Felton reported the initial announcement of the master plan process, which is described as "a step forward in developing a comprehensive plan for public transportation across metro Detroit." Felton also notes the hiccups experienced by the RTA since its creation in 2012.
The RTA's website also includes a website introducing the master plan, titled the BEST: Regional Master Transit Plan, which it says will plan for transit on a 20-year horizon.
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