November 19, 2009
Last year, the Regional Transportation Coordinating Council (RTCC) adopted a regional transit plan for Southeast Michigan -- historic. The chief elected officials of Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb Counties and the City of Detroit had never adopted a transit plan while acting as the RTCC. In adopting a plan, they also agreed that the next steps included developing a regional transit authority (RTA) and identifying long-term local funding needed to implement the plan. It is important that an RTA be formed for several reasons. First of all, it is important to have a single agency speaking on behalf of transit in Southeast Michigan. If we are to successfully obtain federal transit dollars, it will be important for the region to speak with one voice. An RTA could be that effective voice.
Second, it will be important for a single entity to manage and plan for expanding transit in Southeast Michigan. Light rail on Woodward, commuter rail from Ann Arbor to Detroit must work as a single system. The expansion of rail in Southeast Michigan, along with the other components of the adopted regional transit plan, must also be implemented in an organized fashion, consistent with anticipated dollars.
Finally, the public will need to know who is in charge, who is responsible for building and operating the system if they are to feel comfortable providing additional funding for the needed transit improvements. The RTA can provide the confidence and oversight the public needs in order to be convinced to provide additional funding.
The time is right – the time is now – to pass legislation that will establish an RTA to oversee the operation and construction of public transit in Southeast Michigan. SEMCOG supports establishing an RTA as the next step in moving mass transit forward in Southeast Michigan.
