Anyone who followed the Great Columbus Streetcar Debate of 2008 knows what a divisive topic large capital investments into public transit can be, especially in cities that don’t already have fixed guideway transit.  I ran across this article from the Detroit Free Press and was struck by the similarity to the Columbus streetcar proposal.

Detroit light rail link may be only the beginning for mass transit

The Regional Area Initial Link (TRAIL) in Detroit

BY CECIL ANGEL • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • January 4, 2009

Despite the state’s economic woes, mass transit advocates saw significant progress in late 2008 toward proposed light rail and mass transit projects in southeast Michigan.

In early December, in a rare show of unity, government leaders in Detroit, Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties agreed on a resolution for a mass transit plan for the tri-county area.

The Michigan Legislature passed a bill on Dec. 19 giving the Detroit Regional Mass Transit Authority the go-ahead to establish a governing body that will oversee a planned $10.5-billion tri-county mass transit system consisting of buses and light rail.

The bill also gave the green light for the Detroit Regional Mass Transit Authority to create a tax increment finance authority to privately fund The Regional Area Initial Link (TRAIL), a 3.4-mile-long light rail line that will extend from Hart Plaza to New Center in Detroit. The line also will be supported with fares, but if there is an operating shortfall, the state will cover it, said John Hertel, chief executive officer for the Detroit Regional Mass Transit Authority.

“This line just got a big boost,” he said of the lawmakers’ action on TRAIL. “This can be built in a matter of two years. No federal dollars.”

READ MORE

Detroit is calling it light rail - and perhaps it will be - but with 12 stops on a 3.4 mile long starter line it sounds a lot like Columbus’ 2.8 mile streetcar to me.  The difference is that Detroit has funding and is moving forward with it.

I found the comments at the end of the article somewhat interesting.  As could be expected in the center of the US automobile industry, there is no shortage of rail critics.  Here are some quote:

It doesn’t make any sense to me to TRAIL-blaze rapid transit in Detroit with a useless “Hart Plaza-New Center” beginning. Just exactly WHO is going to use this? Rapid transit should provide a cheap and quick alternative to automobile transit. It needs to bring the commuters from the suburbs to downtown, where they can work, attend sports games, theater, concerts, and restaurants/bars. It needs to provide a way to get to the airport without having to park in one of the exhorbitant lots. It needs to reduce traffic congestion on area freeways.

First, it is always easier to criticize from the back of the room and not offer any reasonable solutions otherwise. The reason why you start in the city center is to create a starting point for transit to branch out from. While I agree Detroit’s downtown is still far from perfect, ANY successful metro area needs a strong, diverse city core.

But the real question is: Why would rail be expected to significantly increase ridership when, except for connecting Wayne with Ypsilanti, the rail system would simply duplicate or replace existing bus routes already in place??? And buses would be necessary to get to the rail system in the first place.

Sound familiar?

Just got this email in my inbox:

Greetings!

Saying bye is never easy, but sometimes it has to be done just the same.

Unfortunately, Ohio State University has decided to end its partnership with Zipcar, so we will be removing our cars from campus as of January 5, 2009. Please note, however, that your membership is still good in all cities where Zipcar provides service if you are 21+ (see zipcar.com for a full list of cities).

All reservations made for dates after 1/4/2009 have been canceled and fully credited. Further, we have decided to refund any and all annual membership fees, net of any free driving credit used, for members who have paid an annual fee since September 1, 2008.

If you signed up after September 1, 2008, your refund will appear in your account automatically (if you would like to cancel, you will still need to follow the instructions below). If you have questions about your refund, please contact us at info@zipcar.com.

IMPORTANT NOTES:
1. To cancel your membership, you MUST login to your account, go to My Stuff and select “Close Account”.
2. If you want to hold on to your membership, no action is required and we’re happy to keep you in the family.

If you have further questions, or are having problems canceling your account, don’t hesitate to contact us at info@zipcar.com.

Warm regards,

The team at Zipcar

zipcar | wheels when you want them (TM)

Bummer.

Hiawatha Line

I visited Minneapolis-St. Paul for the first time a few years ago. In some ways it reminded me of a bigger version of Columbus. The major employers are largely white-collar, which has helped the region avoid economic decline like some other Midwestern cities. It’s a state capital. There’s a major university. And driving around on the numerous freeways was relatively headache-free.

Minneapolis has done some more innovative things than most cities though.  They share tax revenue throughout the region.  This reduces competition between suburbs and cities for limited corporate and industrial land uses, disparities between rich and poor communities, and allows for smarter development planning.  They have implemented congestion pricing with high occupancy/toll (HOT) lanes on I-394.  The region’s Hiawatha light rail line opened in 2004, connecting downtown Minneapolis to the Airport and the Mall of America.  At least two additional light rails are being planned; the “Central Corridor” line connecting downtown Minneapolis to the University of Minnesota and downtown St. Paul , and the Southwest Transitway to suburban Eden Prairie.  The Northstar commuter rail line is also set to open in 2009.

The article below explains how Minneapolis is working to reduce automobile parking requirements while still bringing people into downtown by other means.  Ultimately this will lead to more land downtown devoted to people and economic activity instead of storing cars.  This stands in contrast to Columbus’ policy of public funding for new parking garages, which in my opinion will ultimately lead to more congestion on the freeways and less land downtown being used to its full potential.

Minneapolis may reduce off-street parking
BY Briana Bierschbach
PUBLISHED: 12/02/2008

Parking in the City of Minneapolis may soon get more difficult for motorists, but easier for bicyclists.

A proposed amendment to parking regulations, proposed to the City Council this month, will allow future developments to provide fewer off-street parking spaces than they currently do. The amendment also seeks to increase bicycle parking in the city.

Most businesses currently have an off-street parking requirement of one space per 300 square feet. The amendment would reduce this requirement for most uses, to one space per 500 square feet.

Bicycle parking requirements could also change. The City currently doesn’t require bicycle parking citywide, but changes would require almost all newly established businesses to accommodate at least three bicycles.

…Weinberger said Minneapolis needs to be strategic about where it reduces the requirements for off-street parking. Focusing on areas near a light rail or around the University, where public transit is readily available, is a good idea, she said.

“You want to make it easier for people to come, but harder for them to come by car,” she said.

READ FULL ARTICLE

I think this deserves a “Thank You” to the state highway patrol, traffic engineers, oil traders, and mostly all of you who are driving less.

Traffic deaths dropping to record low in Ohio
State patrol credits enforcement, fewer miles driven in summer
Published on Thursday, Dec 25, 2008
Associated Press

CLEVELAND: Ohio has seen a sharp drop in traffic accident deaths this year, in part because of stepped-up highway enforcement in big cities and a drop in summer driving because of high gas prices, the State Highway Patrol said.

Car crashes killed 1,080 motorists in Ohio through Wednesday, and the state is on track for a record yearly low in 2008, said patrol spokesman Sgt. Darren Blosser. The previous low mark was 1,239 deaths in 2006.

”Motorists can breathe a little easier,” said AAA spokesman Brian Newbacher.

Ohio’s reduction of about 13 percent exceeded the national average of about 9 percent, said Col. Richard Collins, the patrol superintendent.

Other factors included air bags, driver education programs and advances in trauma care, such as medical helicopters quickly reaching crash scenes, Collins said.

Alcohol-related traffic deaths also fell — down 10 percent in 2008 from 280 fatalities last year. Troopers arrested more than 24,000 drivers who had been drinking this year, Collins said.

”Alcohol continues to be a problem,” Collins said. ”It will still be a big focus.”

Seat-belt campaigns also helped in Ohio in 2008, and a state law set to take effect in March requiring that children younger than 8 ride inside booster seats will reduce deaths even further, Newbacher said.

Ohio had been one of only seven states that didn’t require booster seats for children older than 3. Seat belts that don’t fit young children properly can do extensive damage in accidents, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

The patrol’s fatal crash figures in Ohio date back to 1933. The worst year for traffic deaths was 1969, when 2,778 motorists died.

The patrol’s partnership with police in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton and Toledo in accident-prone areas had a huge effect, Collins said.

For example, troopers on special details on interstate highways in Northeast Ohio issued more than 6,000 tickets for speeding and arrested 525 people for drugs in 2007 and 2008. The sweeps likely had the residual effect of causing drivers to regularly reduce their speeds in those areas, Collins said.