Share

Email

Print

Two Takes on Transit

By Jennifer Eberbach

Detroit Regional Mass Transit CEO John Hertel and Peter Varga, the CEO of Grand Rapids bus line The Rapid, shared their thoughts on how improving mass transit can improve Michigan communities.

Transportation impacts industry, culture, and history. Access to transportation systems can determine where people live, work, and shop. Communities in Michigan are exploring the costs and benefits of growing mass transit. Proponents push on with development initiatives, by championing improvements to existing systems and the creation of new fixed guideway projects like Bus Rapid Transit, streetcars, and light rails. They claim that these projects will spur economic growth, improve people’s daily lives, and attract new businesses and industries to Michigan.

Traveling Light in Detroit
At the helm of major transportation initiatives, Detroit Regional Mass Transit’s John Hertel spearheads growing mass transit in greater Metro Detroit. According to Hertel, mass transit, “is the fastest way to get a gigantic improvement in Metro Detroit.” His most ambitious plan is to kick start a massive light rail line that would eventually connect Oakland, Wayne, and Macomb counties, by building a $102 million dollar “starter” line stretching 3.4 miles along the Woodward Avenue corridor. In the midst of campaigning for funds and support, he wanted to remind people of the benefits of mass transit. “You are talking about a tremendous economic machine,” he said.

…”the rewards of investing in mass transit [are]…the creation of jobs, improved road conditions, shorter commute times, and easier access to the places where people work, play, and shop.” -John Hertel

Hertel listed the rewards of investing in mass transit, by prophesying the creation of jobs, improved road conditions, shorter commute times, and easier access to the places where people work, play, and shop. For every dollar the government invests in the light rail, Hertel projects private sources will invest $4-8 in developing local communities. “Every place that you’ll see mass transit done appropriately you’ll see growth, you’ll see improvement,” he said.

Other metropolitan areas utilize mass transit models that impress Hertel. He sited Denver and Minneapolis as successful case studies. Denver’s light rail has attracted a reported 2.5 million square feet of new commercial space and 9,635 residential units along the line, as of 2007. Denver’s success is not a stroke of luck. Minneapolis’s light rail system, The Hiawatha Line, had six million rides in its first year. The Michigan Land Use Institute merits the light rail with reducing the unemployment rate and encouraging commercial and residential development along the line. Hertel is concerned that Michigan is “behind everyone else in the country,” reporting that Metro Detroit is the only area of the Top 30 metropolitan areas without effective mass transit.

 

“Investment in transportation has been undermined because it has been underfunded,” causing Michigan’s infrastructure to be “inappropriate for the development of good public transit.” - Peter Varga

Grand Plans for Rapid Growth
The federal government recently approved the research and development of fixed guideway projects in Grand Rapids. The Rapid CEO, Peter Varga, is focused on encouraging private investment in Bus Rapid Transit and streetcars in order to secure a local match for federal funds. “Michigan is at a crossroads now,” Varga said, adding that communities will have to decide “whether they are going to be competitive in the global market and with other states.”

Transportation is more than moving people from A to B for Varga. He sees potential for attracting new businesses to an area. Businesses are leaving Michigan as jobs and markets are lost, however, Varga asserts that improving mass transit “changes that pattern,” by “encouraging businesses to move in and develop based upon the new economy,” he said. “Instead of continued suburban growth, you would have inner city growth and greater concentration of employment and residences that are enhanced within the core communities,” he added.

Varga sited inadequate funding as the most imperative hurdle blocking movement on mass transit initiatives. “Investment in transportation has been undermined because it has been underfunded,” causing Michigan’s infrastructure to be “inappropriate for the development of good public transit,” he claimed. Varga’s recipe for success is two-fold. On one hand, he wants to see local officials support the kinds of “master plans and zoning requirements that allow for transit oriented development and allow public transit to be supported through local funds.” On the other, success requires securing funds and support from state and federal sources. According to Varga, elected officials must “maximize their abilities to leverage funds to improve the local communities.”

Big Ticket, High Hopes
At such a high price, it is prudent to weigh the costs and benefits of mass transit. Residents who are concerned about a potential tax increase may question the usefulness and popularity of mass transit. It is impossible to know if ongoing initiatives will produce the level of change and urban growth that proponents predict, however they take more than an “if we build it, they will come” approach to development. John Hertel concluded that “America was built on big ticket items,” and he seems to have the same hopes for Michigan. The accomplishments of cities like Denver and Minneapolis indicate that mass transit can significantly impact a community’s wellness. Mass transit systems like The Rapid are reporting recent, dramatic increases in ridership. Approximately 8.2 million people rode The Rapid in 2007, an 11 percent increase within one year. As the needs of individuals change with the economy, it is likely that the number of people looking towards mass transit will continue to increase, but will it be there? Proponents predict that proposed mass transit plans will help Michigan gain a competitive edge, attract a new economy, and better the lives of residents. It is up to elected officials and communities to decide if growing mass transit is right for Michigan.

Jennifer Eberbach is a freelance journalist and professional copywriter. You may contact her at 734-929-2964 or jen@jenthewriter.info. Visit her online at www.jenthewriter.info.