A couple of weeks ago, I shared with you the results of a SEMCOG/MAC poll that indicated people would be willing to pay for better road and transit systems. Well, the Michigan Environmental Council just released results from their survey that said the same thing.
The survey indicates people are unhappy with the condition of Michigan’s roads and public transportation. What is really interesting is that more than 70 percent of those that responded said that they would not vote against elected officials who vote to raise additional dollars for transportation infrastructure improvements.
The statewide poll of 600 voters was conducted by Maryland-based Victoria Research & Consulting in February and March.
Other key findings of the survey include:
- 67% of responders rate Michigan’s public transportation systems as fair or poor;
- 87% rate our roads in fair to poor condition;
- 70% believe we should improve or fix bus systems;
- 64% want increased state investment in infrastructure;
- 78% believe new transportation investment creates jobs and boosts the economy.
I hope the results of this and other polls get to our legislators, who have yet to take up several pieces of legislation that would provide more resources to improve our failing transportation system. Many legislators are hiding behind the thought that raising taxes means being voted out of office – this poll begins to say otherwise.
The longer we wait, the more it costs and the longer it will take to have good road and bridge programs. Now is the time to make something happen – get hold of your legislator and tell him/her to invest in our road and transit systems now.
Complete results of the poll are available at: http://bit.ly/IE363l
If you want to know what about anything related to transportation in Southeast Michigan, don’t miss Carmine Palombo's blog. Carmine has more than 30 years of experience in various phases of transportation planning at SEMCOG. He is responsible for administering SEMCOG’s transportation planning program, which includes the region’s long-range transportation plan and short-term transportation plan.
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