Think Regional/Act Local

This week, I attended the dedication of the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority’s new building and public dock. The building is very attractive and the opportunity to promote Great Lakes cruises is exciting. For a long time, we have not developed our water resources to the extent that we should. It is exciting to walk the riverfront in Downtown Detroit these days and see all of the people enjoying the sights and the entertainment that is available.

The public dock also provides us with some opportunities that we didn’t have before. For example, we now have the opportunity to consider and analyze the possibility of ferry service between Windsor and Detroit instead of using the bridge or tunnel. A water taxi service is also now a possibility – don’t know if it makes economic sense, but at least now it can be considered.

In a few years, MDOT will begin the largest project they have yet constructed – the reconstruction and expansion of the I-94 freeway on the east side of Detroit. This project will span over several years and will disrupt current travel patterns for those years. Many people who commute using I-94 will be urged to find alternative routes, use public transit, share rides, in order to minimize the impact as much as possible. So, how about considering another option? How about looking into the possibility of taking a hover craft or some other type of water craft on the river, past the construction to the new public dock, and completing the rest of your journey to work by bus or the PeopleMover?

Crazy? Maybe. Cool? Definitely. Will it work? I have no idea – but now is the time to start thinking and analyzing this and other options. A public dock in the downtown area allows us to at least look at other options that weren’t possible before. What do you think?

The seven-county Southeast Michigan region experienced a modest increase in traffic—between one and two percent from 2009 to 2010 – according to an analysis of over 4,000 region-wide count locations from our traffic-count database. This is the first year since 2005 that the region has experienced an increase in traffic. Analyses by the Federal Highway Administration and the Michigan Department of Transportation also show a modest increase in travel at both the national and state levels.

Why is traffic up? Well, the economy is improved some. The number of jobs has increased in Southeast Michigan starting in the second half of 2010. In addition, the region experienced relatively stable – and lower – gas prices in 2010 than we had in 2009. The increase in economic activity combined with lower gas prices likely influenced individuals to travel more in 2010 than in 2009.

Although the region experienced a modest increase in traffic from 2009 to 2010, the annual vehicle miles of travel – or VMT – is still way below 2005 levels. A look at traffic trends from 2005 to 2010 (see figure below) shows a decline of between seven and eight percent across the region. It is going to take years before vehicle miles of travel approach what we had in 2005.

The increase may be short-lived, though. Preliminary data for 2011 indicates that traffic is down. Why? Do you remember that gas was about a dollar a gallon cheaper this time last year than it is today? Most of you probably don’t. So, do you even think you would notice if the gas tax were raised a dime or so? I think you would – because many of the roads you drive on would be so much better!

Well, it has started – finally. On Thursday, July 7, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman, John Mica, web cast a presentation outlining a new six-year transportation bill that will soon be introduced in the House. Now, the good news is that it does not have a snazzy new name yet like SAFETEA-LU, but it could be cast as POOR-YOU because it proposes to cut transportation funding significantly over the next six years. Not to worry though, even though it proposes to spend $230 billion over the next six years – somewhere around a 30 percent cut over current spending – the overall program is not going to feel bad because of all of the other benefits in the proposal – and that is a promise!

Now, there are some things in the proposal that make sense; these are things that need and should happen regardless of the funding issues…things like:

• Better leveraging and maximizing the value of limited federal resources,
• Streamlining the project approval process,
• Reforming our federal transportation programs,
• Reducing the federal bureaucracy,
• Improving programs that don’t work while building upon programs that work well, and
• Providing flexibility to states to address their own unique, critical infrastructure needs.

While these are all important things and should be pursued, they will not improve the overall condition of our public transportation infrastructure – not when they are combined with a close to 30 percent decrease in funding! I don’t want to even imagine what our transportation systems will look like in six years if this proposal becomes law – no amount of flexibility is going to help!

The proposed bill will be out shortly and it will be interesting to see the reaction it gets. Already, several of the single-issue public interest groups are urging people to oppose the elimination of their programs – as they should. I suspect no one will be in favor of this proposal, but no one wants to raise taxes either. Reality can be painful – especially when it impacts you and yours.

The Senate is threatening to introduce its own bill. This one could be a two-year bill and include no increase over the cost of inflation. I already like this one better. Sometimes your choice is not between good and bad – it is between bad and worse. That is what this feels like to me.

A full version of Chairman Mica’s proposal can be found on the SEMCOG Web site at www.semcog.org under Hot Topics on the home page. Check back frequently as the games begin!

Here we go again – it happens every year. The motorcyclists have once again asked for legislative relief from having to wear a helmet while riding their bikes – and at least the Michigan Senate is listening. Motorcyclists age 21 and older could ride without a helmet, under a bill passed in the state Senate this week. Approved on a 24-14 vote, the bill goes to the Republican-led House, where it is expected to pass. Gov. Rick Snyder said that he would consider repealing the helmet law as part of a broader plan of auto insurance reform.

Supporters of the current helmet law say repealing it would result in more serious injuries from motorcycle accidents, which would add to insurance costs for non-bikers.

Opponents of mandatory helmets say it should be a personal choice and that requiring them keeps many bikers from other states away.

There are so many angles to this issue – insurance, personal freedom, additional costs to me and society, safety, etc. Let me try to draw a parallel here from the sports world. I find it ironic that one of the bigger issues in sports across the board is concussions. A number of star baseball and hockey players missed considerable time this year while they recovered from concussions suffered from being hit in the head – while wearing helmets! Sport equipment companies are working overtime to try to develop better and safer head gear to offer more protection to athletes at every level of sport – and yet our legislature is considering allowing people to drive their bikes in excess of 70 miles per hour on the freeway without anything protecting their heads from injury! A college football player could go from wearing a helmet to protect himself from concussion during the game to riding his bike on the freeway without one. Make sense to you? Only if you ride a bike I guess.