The BEST Rally: Building Equitable Sustainable Transit

Last week, the Regional Transit Authority (RTA) held a rally at Campus Martius to formally introduce the public to the various transit planning efforts that are currently underway. The planning activities have been branded as BEST (Building Equitable Sustainable Transit).

BEST is a transit planning initiative to create a vision for a regional transit system. It will guide how we expand and improve transit in Southeast Michigan over the next 20 years. It includes improving bus service, coordinating existing transit providers (AAATA, DDOT, DTC, M-1 Rail, and SMART), and introducing bus rapid transit along major corridors throughout the region. The plan will guide development of a multi-modal transit system in Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw, and Wayne Counties. It will examine existing transit service, recommend improvements, and provide a strategy to make the system a reality.

There are also three corridor studies currently underway that are BEST studies – one on Gratiot, Michigan, and the environmental study portion of the previously completed BRT study on Woodward.

The RTA has much to do and not much time to do it in if they are going to be ready for a ballot proposal in November 2016. Your input is important and it is needed now! Meetings to learn about what they are planning and for you to provide input are scheduled for this week as follows:

• Monday, May 18, 1 p.m.-7:30 p.m., EMU Student Center, 900 Oakwood Street, Ypsilanti;
• Tuesday, May 19, 1 p.m.-7:30 p.m., Wayne County Community College District, Northwest Campus, Larry K. Lewis Education Center, Media Center, Room 116, 8200 Outer Drive, Detroit;
• Tuesday, May 19, 1 p.m.-7:30 p.m., U of M Dearborn, Fairlane Center North Building, Quad E, 19000 Hubbard Drive, Dearborn;
• Wednesday, May 20, 1 p.m.-7:30 p.m., Macomb Community College, Lorenzo Cultural Center in Community Hall, 44575 Garfield Road, Clinton Township;
• Thursday, May 21, 1 p.m.-7:30 p.m., Royal Oak Detroit Elks Lodge, 2401 E. Fourth Street, Royal Oak.

Try to attend one of these. Find out what is going on and provide your opinion and (hopefully) support. For more information, go to the RTA website at www.rtamichigan.org.