Don't miss the exciting new PBS documentary on Detroit transit - part of their Blueprint America series.

You can hear TRU Director Megan Owens and several local experts discuss the documentary on WDET's Craig Fahle show, during the last 15 minutes of today's show (Monday, 2/8, at 8:45pm) (also available online).

Several TRU leaders and volunteers will be at the Grand Truck Pub (on Woodward just south of Campus Martius) to watch it tonight.  You're welcome to join us! 

Over the next month, TRU will be partnering with the Michigan Municipal League and other like-minded groups to host additional local screenings in conjunction with discussions and action opportunities.  If you're interested in working with us to schedule a screening/discussion, please contact us!

Business owners and other business leaders play a critical role in decisions made by our region's elected leaders, including on transit.  That's why it is so important to get the business community involved in advocating for better transit!

TRU, in collaboration with the Troy Chamber of Commerce and the Birmingham Bloomfield Chamber, is inviting business leaders, owners, and key partners to get together to share information, ideas and engage in a discussion regarding public transportation. Our agenda will:

• Provide an overview of the current events regarding public transit.
• Provide a brief overview of TRU and its mission.
• Allow discussion as to why public transit is good for your business and what actions you and your business can participate in to promote it.
• Have an open question and comment session.
• Cover the next steps regarding how we all can help make regional public transit a reality.

• Patrick Droze (2nd term)
• Patricia Fedewa (3rd term after 1-year leave)
• Chris Frey (2nd term)
• Steve Gutterman (3rd term after 1 year leave)
• Aaron Thomas (1st term)
• Marcia Yakes (4th term)

• Mike Whims - for lifetime achievement
  
• Kelly Logan - our Rookie-of-the-Year
• Nancy Wiggers - our Unsung Hero
• Josh Hyman - our Energizer Bunny
  
• Emily Jaynes, Buzz Brown, and Rob Anderson - for their new project leadership
  

An exciting update from SMART:

SMART is making progressive strides to provide more convenient, modern, and customer-friendly service for its riders. Launching the first of several technology projects to upgrade its Intelligent Transportation System (ITS), SMART announced that it will be installing new fareboxes in February to replace outdated technology using some of the $20.2 million it received last year through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

The new fareboxes increase accuracy, providing greater reliability and less maintenance. The fareboxes can issue change cards that passengers can use for future bus rides. Future fare options will include Smart Card technology, allowing riders to carry a debit-like bus card around with them for ease and convenience – all riders have to do is tap the card and go.

SMART will also convert its 275 fixed-route buses and 110 paratransit vehicles to biodiesel fuel utilizing funds from its 2010 budget. This change is expected to increase fuel efficiency on average by 17 percent per bus and save approximately $250,000 annually.

Within the next 18 months, an Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) System will also be updated, improving reliability and enabling passengers to receive next bus arrival information on their phones. SMART will also add shelters to increase customer comfort, and accessibility to its buses.

For more information, go to www.smartbus.org or call Customer Information at 866-962-5515.

President Obama yesterday announced how the federal government will be investing the $8 billion in high-speed rail stimulus funding.  While California and Florida are getting the largest amounts ($2.3 and $1.2 billion respectively), 31 states will receive some funding.

Michigan is receiving $40 million federal funds for three train stations - in Troy/Birmingham, Dearborn, and Battle Creek. 

Unfortunately, MDOT identified an additional $850 million in needed improvements along the Detroit to Chicago rail corridor that will not be receiving federal funding at this time. 

"We will ... aggressively pursue our share in the second round of funding," Gov. Jennifer Granholm said in the Detroit News.

This Saturday is TRU's exciting new:

Reminder - TRU is now accepting applications for an Organizer / Assistant Director.  (Unfortunately Josh is leaving the state.) 

We are seeking a passionate motivated people-person to join our staff to lead public engagement and organizing efforts. The right candidate must have:

• Several years volunteer management and leadership development experience;
• Excellent verbal communication skills, including public speaking before large audiences and one-on-one mentoring/facilitation; and
  
• Demonstrated experience successfully managing multiple projects and responsibilities.

Farmington Hills City Council recently voted to stay SMART - giving residents the option to vote for SMART bus service and millage in the August election.

Now the City of Farmington must decide!!

Bus service provides the people of Farmington with a way to get to work, shopping and school, which we need now more than ever! It also boosts business, which we need during a recession.

The Farmington City Council is considering whether to put renewing service on the ballot.  If they don't , residents won't even get to VOTE - and SMART bus service in this community will DISAPPEAR in 2011.

The City Council will consider this issue this Tuesday, January 26 at 6pm, at City Hall, (23600 Liberty St.) 

• Please BE THERE and comment at the meeting that we shouldn't lose our right to vote on bus service!
• Please call the City Council (at 248-474-5500) to express support for putting SMART bus service on the ballot!
  

News from MDOT:

MDOT will be hosting a public information meeting to discuss the I-94 rehabilitation project, including news on key corridor bridges at Gratiot and Van Dyke.  They also want feedback on a design guide to determine what the rehabilitated freeway will look like in our community.

When: Thursday, Jan. 28 from 9-11am AND from 5:30-7:30pm

Where:  Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Barth Hall (4800 Woodward Avenue)

(According to MDOT) "The I-94 Rehabilitation Project will improve mobility, safety, pavement, and bridges in a 6.7-mile segment of I-94 in the city of Detroit. The project also will enhance local traffic circulation by separating local traffic from I-94 traffic. To learn more about this project, please visit MDOT's Web site at www.michigan.gov/I94rehab."

In a big change, U.S. Dept. of Transportation Secy. Ray LaHood recently announced that transit projects would be evaluated based on their ability to meet cross-cutting livability goals such as their ability to reduce carbon emissions, spur economic activity, and relieve congestion.

"We want to base our decisions on how much transit helps the environment, how much it improves development opportunities and how it makes our communities better places to live," LaHood said in announcing the change.

Transit-industry officials said many projects had been stymied by a Bush administration policy requiring the government to evaluate projects based largely on reducing commuting times at the lowest possible expense.  Under the new policy, some dollars that might have gone to projects that emphasized longer commutes, such as a rail line between major cities, could now be shifted to smaller local projects that serve more-compact areas.

The shift would determine how the Federal Transit Administration awards some $2 billion a year in transit-construction funds. This money, awarded under a program known as "New Starts and Small Starts," is intended to help state and regional agencies build commuter rail, light rail, heavy rail and bus rapid-transit projects.

In addition, President Barack Obama has pushed agency heads to work together to encourage cities and suburbs to promote walking, biking and public transportation as alternatives to driving. Mr. Obama has called for the DOT and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, for example, to coordinate plans for transit and housing projects so people can find jobs and housing closer to transportation hubs.

Read more in the Wall Street Journal, Reuters, and the Federal Transit Administration website. 

Check out this interesting blog from TIME.com's "It's Your Money":

"Adam Greenfield, a 29-year-old filmmaker born in England and now residing in San Francisco, decided that for an entire year, he would not get into any sort of automobile. No SUVs, taxis, or motorcycles. Not even a ride in a hybrid or electric car. His bicycle took him nearly everywhere he needed to go.

What was the point? For one thing, to prove that he could do it—and that others might be able to follow his lead, in ways big and small. . . . "

SEMCOG manages transportation funding and projects for the entire 7-county southeast Michigan area - a very important role, headed by Carmine Polumbo. Carmine has recently started a blog sharing his thoughts, ideas, and news on key transportation issues. His most recent notes the Farmington Hills City Council voting to remain in SMART:

"This is a huge win for both SMART and regional transit in general, but I don’t think SMART is out of danger just yet.
Transit is facing some important challenges in 2010, the results of which may go a long way in determining how effective transit is and how attractive it will be to local governments. . . ."

Previous blogs discuss:

• Carmine's Christmas wish list
• Safe driving in the snow
• The "Bridge War"
  
• Support for a Regional Transit Authority
• More transportation funding, or not
  
• SEMCOG's Direction 2035
• Blaming the legislature for lack of transportation funding

As we launch our second decade of advocacy, the transit opportunities and challenges are greater than ever.  So we've decided to expand our Annual Meeting to include a full afternoon of information, trainings, and opportunities to get involved!

Sign up now for TRU's exciting new:

Transit Action Conference

Saturday, January 30, 1-6pm
at the MSU Detroit Center
(3408 Woodward, south of Mack)

So Farmington Hills residents will be able to vote in August to maintain SMART regional bus service. 

But what about residents of the City of Farmington or Keego Harbor?  Their city officials will decide soon!

In Oakland and Wayne Counties, each city or township council can decide whether their residents get to vote on the SMART millage and bus service.  The councils of these two cities will be debating this issue and need your input!

The City of Farmington is debating whether to allow their residents to stay in SMART!  The City Council will consider the issue and hear public input on Tuesday, January 26.


Keego Harbor is considering joining SMART for the first time!! 

• On Thursday, January 21, at 6pm, the City Council of Keego Harbor will debate and vote whether to add the option to join the SMART Bus system to the August ballot.
  • Keego Harbor City Hall (2025 Beechmont)

• On Wednesday, January 20, at 7pm, local residents will host a community transit meeting, joined by TRU and SMART, on what it means for a community to be part of the regional public transit system.
  
  • In the Community Room of the Keego Harbor City Hall (2025 Beechmont) 
  • For more information, contact Buzz Brown at buzz@qlinc.com or call 248-217-7979.
    

For American families today, transportation is the second highest expense after housing – averaging 19 percent of a household’s total budget. 

Even more shocking is the difference by community - costs go as high as 25 percent in auto-dependent communities while households near transit spend less than 10 percent of their budgets on transportation costs!

This evening, the Farmington Hills City Council debated and agreed to put SMART on the August ballot, giving voters the choice of maintaining this important service.  Assuming voters continue to support it, SMART service will continue running for the next two years.

Special thanks go out to:
 - Rob Anderson for leading the local outreach and notification effort;
 - Everyone who made phone calls and sent emails to the Council (the Mayor noted that there were many!);
 - County Commissioners Steve Schwartz and Jim Nash and State Rep Vicki Barnett for their insightful testimony;
 - Dennis Green and others for their letters to the editor;
 - Barry Malak, the big Park&Ride contingency, and the many other local residents for their strong personal statements supporting the SMART service;
 - and, of course, the City Council for the strong recognition of the importance of regional transit and faith in the voters to make the right decision.

We won this important defensive battle, but the war is far from over.  Next week, Keego Harbor Council will consider adding SMART to the ballot for the first time.  And over the summer, we must convince voters throughout the region to maintain this vital service.  Keep up the great work!

TRU is now accepting applications for an Organizer / Assistant Director.  (Unfortunately Josh is leaving the state.) 

We are seeking a passionate motivated people-person to join our staff to lead public engagement and organizing efforts. As the second person on staff, the position provides high levels of responsibility, flexibility and opportunities for growth.  The right candidate must have:

• Significant volunteer management and leadership development experience;
• Excellent verbal communication skills, including public speaking before large audiences and one-on-one mentoring/facilitation; and
  
• Demonstrated experience successfully managing multiple projects and responsibilities with consistent follow-through.

Detroit Public Television and the Kresge Foundation are hosting a special night focused on Detroit's transit infrastructure:

From our friends at Disability Advocates of Kent County:

I would like to request a pause in our efforts to get things rolling for 2010 and reflect on what we accomplished as a community during the "zeroes." I believe that it's time to look back and see how far we've come.

It is sometimes hard to remember that it was only ten years ago that the first Rapid millage was successfully passed in 2000. This led to the expansion of service into the evening and Sundays, to name only two of the enhancements at that time. With successful millage elections in 2003 and 2007, further enhancements were made to the level of service. Along with this, the Rapid has added new features to make our trips easier to take such as the recently added "nearest stop" finder.

In addition, the Rapid has been very successful in securing the dollars needed to buy new buses and build our nation's first LEED certified transit station and just broke ground on the expanded operations center.

This all, in turn, led to the significant growth in ridership. Way back then, only 4,000,000 rides were given in a year. Last year, that number increased to over 9,300,000!

As we turn our gaze forward, let's be encouraged and strengthened by these accomplishments so as to continue to plan for the next level of service enhancements -- both within the Rapid's service area and throughout our entire county. Time to use this history to chart a course that our local, state and federal officials will need to follow!

On Monday, January 11, the Farmington Hills City Council could decide the fate of SMART bus service for everyone in that community (and area)!!

If they choose not to put the millage renewal on the ballot, local residents won't even get to VOTE - and SMART bus service will DISAPPEAR in 2011.  In 2006, renewal made the ballot by just a 4-3 vote (and then the voters supported it overwhelmingly!).

Bus service provides the people of Farmington Hills with a way to get to work, shopping and school, which we need now more than ever!   It also boosts business, which we need during a recession.

If you live in Farmington Hills and care about bus service, come to the City Council meeting Monday, January 11, at 7:30pm at city offices on the southwest corner of 11 Mile and Orchard Lake Roads.  Arrive a few minutes early to sign up to make a comment at the meeting.


Please encourage anyone you know in Farmington Hills to do the same!!


Not in Farmington?  Remember - each municipal government in Oakland and Wayne Counties decides whether to put the SMART millage on the ballot for their voters.  If they don't put it on, there is no vote and there will be no bus service in that community!  Call your city manager today to make sure SMART will be on your local ballot!!

The latest data on stimulus spending show that funds spent on public transportation were a more effective job creator than stimulus funds spent on highways. In the 10 months since the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) was signed, investing in public transportation produced twice as many jobs per dollar as investing in roads:

• Every billion dollars spent on public transportation produced 16,419 job-months.
• Every billion dollars spent on projects funded under highway infrastructure programs produced 8,781 job-months.

DDOT has added Spanish language assistance to its telephone service.  By calling DDOT's main number (313-933-1300) and pressing 5, a Spanish-speaking operator will be available.

On February 8, an exciting new documentary will debut focused on Detroit transportation, titled "Blueprint America: Beyond the Motor City," as part of the PBS special series on infrastructure, Blueprint America.  TRU staff, volunteers, and partners were pleased to assist in the creation of this film. 

It examines how Detroit, a grim symbol of America’s diminished status in the world, may come to represent the future of transportation and progress in America and asks whether it is time to fundamentally change the way Detroiters — and by extension all Americans — get around. Detroit is the crucible in which the nation’s ability to move toward a modern 21st century transportation infrastructure is put to the test.

The documentary shows how investments in the past profoundly shaped Detroit’s physical layout, population growth and economic development. Detroit’s engineers inspired much of America’s 20th century transportation infrastructure system.

But over the last 30 years, much of the world has moved on, choosing faster, cleaner, more modern transportation and leaving America — and Detroit — behind. Yet amidst Detroit’s abandoned factories and decimated neighborhoods the documentary-makers find many people with new ideas about what a 21st century system might look like.

Blueprint America: Beyond the Motor City shows how the auto industry puts Detroit in perhaps the best position to transform itself for the transportation of the future. Using CGI animation combined with present day footage of Detroit, the film brings the vision of the city’s possible transportation future to life in a sequence depicting a commuter’s ride into the city.

Filmmaker Aaron Woolf says, “If you look at the city’s history, you realize that it has led the way in adapting to different forms of transportation, and if Detroit’s public transit advocates prevail, it may once again lead the way in how America gets around. I can think of no other city where the need for a complete transportation overhaul is as urgent.”

Check out the preview and full description at www.PBS.org/wnet/BlueprintAmerica/.

Check out TRU Director Megan Owens and Wayne County Executive Bob Ficano on Channel 7's "Spotlight on the News" from Sunday, Dec. 20.

Spotlight on the News, now in its 44th season, is Michigan’s longest running weekly news and public affairs program. It airs every Sunday at 9:30 am on WXYZ-TV/Channel 7.

So you’re getting gifts for your family and friends, maybe for your office-mates and kids’ teacher.

How about a gift for your city?

More and better public transit is certainly what Detroit really needs!

Help Detroit by helping TRU!

Donate to TRU today!



If needed, check out some more information and more reasons to give.

The number of miles Michiganders drove dropped 9% from 2002 to 2008 (according to SEMCOG data).  

Vehicle miles traveled (VMT) are expected to rise slowly over the next twenty years, but will not reach 2005 levels (130 million miles daily) again until 2035.

According to Crain's Detroit Business:

State Rep. Bert Johnson will introduce legislation Thursday that would establish a regional mass transit authority for metro Detroit despite concern from Mayor Dave Bing’s administration. . . .

Bills that would set up the authority to govern a system of improved and new bus and rail service throughout Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, and in the city of Detroit, have been in the works for months.

The legislation sets up a board with members appointed by the Detroit mayor, the elected executives of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, and the governor. In turn, the board would hire a CEO to run the system on a daily basis.

The bills also set up the authority’s ability to levy a tax to run the system, but only after voter approval.

The three counties were able to reach an accord on the bulk of the proposed legislation, but the city objected because the 65-35 city-suburbs percentage split of federal transit funding set up in the 1980s would be replaced in the new legislation by tradition state and federal formulas. . . .

The legislatively-approved legal authority is needed to qualify for federal transportation dollars to finance and operate the regional system.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, during an October speech to the Detroit Economic Club, said metro Detroit needed to set up a regional system if it truly wanted to compete for federal money — a fact Johnson said fuels the urgency to get the bills introduced. . . .

Check out a great interview with US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on The Daily Show talking about High Speed Rail and more!

According to the Detroit News and other media, the US House and Senate passed a major spending bill, that President Obama is expected to sign, that includes several key provisions for Detroit-area transit:

• It provides $3.5 million for the Detroit-Airport-Ann Arbor commuter train.
• It provides $1.3 million for the Troy-Birmingham Transit Center.
• It supports Woodward Light Rail by ensuring that the $120 million that private interests have committed to spend to build the first 3.5 miles will be able to be used as a match towards future federal funding for the expansion to 8 Mile or beyond.

• Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick led the fight for Woodward Light Rail.  "I am confident that we will be able to break ground on this project by summer," she said.
• "Local residents have been pushing for more public transportation for years, and this transportation hub will be a cornerstone of a larger regional public transit plan," said Rep. Gary Peters who pushed for the Troy-Birmingham funds.
• Senator Carl Levin said the Woodward Light Rail match allowance is "bringing us one step closer to realizing the dream of light rail in Detroit."
  

A recent study found that for every dollar invested in organizing and advocacy groups (like TRU!), the groups garnered $138 in benefits for local communities!!

For more than a year, TRU has posted links to radio articles and features from Michigan Now.  Now you can get these and much more all in one place - MichiganNow.org! 

"MICHIGANNOW.ORG is a one-stop resource for news and information about how Michigan can succeed in the new economy. Beyond being a public radio news series, we showcase new thinking, new technology, new products, and new ideas that have the potential to be catalysts for Michigan's recovery."

• A whole Public Transit section
  
• Headlines from Great Lakes Echo
• A new story: "Bill Milliken: Ann Arbor lifestyle formula as good as San Francisco"
  

At tonight's meeting of the Oakland County Commission, a great deal of time and debate focused on SMART transit.

Unfortunately Commissioner Schwartz failed in his effort to force a vote on making the SMART millage and service countywide.  The decision went down on purely party lines.

The Commission voted instead to maintain the status quo - putting the existing .59 mil property tax on the ballot in existing opt-in communities to maintain SMART service for the next two years.  Commissioner Schwartz and other transit champs fought to keep it to two years with the hope that within that time we'll have a regional authority and funding or that we can try again for countywide in the next year or two, instead of waiting for four years.

The next key steps on SMART are to make sure every current opt-in community puts it on next year's ballot (for August 2010).  While that sounds a long way off, the decisions have to be made by each city or township government very soon!

Stay tuned!