AATA Updates: Rail and East County

Here's the latest on commuter rail for Washtenaw County, from the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority's Planning and Development Committee (PDC):

• Nov 11, 2013, is the new tentative starting date for excursion trains on the Ann Arbor-Detroit route. Of course, this is contingent on other things. Nobody specified what "other things" this might be contingent on, but my guess is probably the same as yours... Nobody had to mention the connection, but no funding has been committed for operating the trains.
• Wally has no starting date in the works, but they to have a station specifications ready; and put out requests for design proposals (RFPs) 3 weeks ago.

Activity in the eastern part of the county got Board Member David Nacht quite enthusiastic at the PDC meeting. He reacted very positively to news about expanded Night Ride service.

Night Ride is actually taxi service subsidized and dispatched by AATA during evening hours that aren't served by fixed-route buses. Since it is largely funded by the city of Ann Arbor, it has (in the past) been run only in the city limits. But the Board of Directors recently approved a test expansion of service about a mile east, to Golfside Road, beginning April 1 (no fooling!). The result? Fully 22% of Night Ride calls either began or ended in the newly served area. Mr. Nacht said he had never known any new service to increase so rapidly in its first month. What can we do, he asked, to improve service in that hgh-demand area?

Well, there are a number of possibilities, some which may fall into the category of "cockamamie ideas", as Michael Benham jokingly put it. What do you think of these suggestions?

• Right now, AATA's CEO Michael Ford is in discussions with McKinley Properties, owner of Glencoe Crossing shopping center, about using their parking lot as an "official" AATA park-and-ride site. McKinley is reasonably receptive to the idea, but hopes soon to expand businesses in the area adjacent to the Ichiban restaurant, which may require moving the park-and-ride to another location within the shopping center.
• Put a station on the Ann Arbor-Detroit commuter rail (whenever it starts) at Dixboro Road, either instead of or in addition to the stop at Ypsilanti. This could be connected by a direct bus to Washtenaw Community College, St. Joseph Hospital, the many apartments of Golfside Rd., and buses on Washtenaw Ave.
• Currently routes 4, 7, and 22 pass Glencoe Crossing (route 22 by back-tracking about a quarter mile from Carpenter Road). What about making Glencoe Crossing a more important transfer point by bringing other bus routes there?
• Can we see if St. Joe and WCC would be willing to pay for shuttle service between their campuses and transit, on either Washtenaw or the railway?
• How about encouraging public-private partnership to develop station-area businesses in conjunction with an enhanced transit?

Do these sound like "cockamamie ideas" to you? Well, they may not all be equally practical, but it's great to hear Board members so enthusiastic and full of ideas. Mr. Nacht commented after the meeting that in his nine or ten years on the Board, he had never encountered so many esxciting things in the transit world happening at once.

One other east-side service that's coming up soon: Ann Arbor to Detroit Metro Airport, a project spearheaded by AATA's Dawn Gabay. As you probably know, there is already service roughly every two hours provided by Indian Trails and the Michigan Department of Transportation. It runs under the name of "The Michigan Flyer" in luxury motor coaches (with WiFi that sometimes works!) from Lansing through Jackson and Ann Arbor, stopping near Briarwood at the Four Points Sheraton. That location is convenient for rapid service, because it's so close to I-94, but there is no AATA bus service to it. AATA's proposed service would run from downtown and/or campus locations in Ann Arbor on an hourly basis. The goal is to take no more than 40 or 45 minutes from there to the airport. That's quite feasible as long as you don't have many stops in Ann Arbor. The problem is, everybody wants the bus to stop where they are: the Medical Center, Central Campus, the downtown Ann Arbor transit center, somewhere on the south side of Ann Arbor, and somewhere in Ypsilanti. And of course there's always the problem of how to pay for the service, how much it would cost users and how much would be subsidized. AATA is working on a presentation to the University of Michigan, hoping they will guarantee a block of seats on each run - perhaps as many as 50% of the seats - for students and staff. Naturally, that would imply an emphasis on service to U of M locations. The good news: tentative start date for the service is October of this year...or at least before Christmas!

To read more:

• Ann Arbor to Detroit rail commuter service: http://www.semcog.org/AADD.aspx
• Washtenaw-Livingston "Wally" commuter service: http://www.theride.org/wally.asp
• Michigan Flyer airport service: http://www.michiganflyer.com/

Thank You, Tea Party!

Today, thirteen states are benefiting from the decisions of Tea Party-supported governors in three other states.

As you probably know, Governors Kasich or Ohio, Scott of Florida, and Walker of Wisconsin each turned down millions of dollars in federal high-speed rail money, claiming their states would be burdened with cost over-runs and operations support for years to come. They claimed to be balancing their states' budgets and saving millions in taxpayer money, in the face of evidence that high-speed rail pays for its own operation, repays capital costs, and brings billions of dollars in new investments to the regions they serve.

The case of Governor Scott of Florida is particularly striking. The Mayors of Orlando, Tampa, and Miami issued a joint statement about the benefit of high-speed rail to their cities. The Florida Chamber of Commerce urged the Governor to implement high speed rail. Several coalitions of businesses made proposals to the state for investing matching money and assuming cost-overrun and operating expenses for high-speed rail. Governor Scott even instructed the Florida Department of Transportation not to accept the proposals. He refused even to listen. A classic case of, "don't bother me with the facts -my mind is made up".

The Florida project was the set to be the first 220-MPH rail line in the US, running largely in the median of Interstate 4 between Tampa and Orlando, a distance of about 85 miles. Last year, when I was living most of the time in Florida, I had occasion to travel on I-4 several times. The traffic in the urban areas is frightful, and in the rural areas is merely heavy. Decades ago, I recall it as a pleasant drive, but population growth has made I-4 more of a nightmare than a nice experience. Governor Scott's refusal of funds to alleviate the problem are, I suppose, a great gesture of ideological purity for his Tea Party supporters. (Who knows what other, less public reasons he had for sending the money back.)

OK, so Governor Scott freed up about two billion dollars in money that can only be spent for high-speed rail. Governors Walker and Kasich turned away a few millions more. Today, we find out what's happening to that money. Part of the answer is, Michigan wins pretty big. Thank you, Tea Party!

Today, Ray LaHood, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, is making announcements at Penn Station in New York and Detroit Station in Michigan, about where the money is going to end up, and what for. For the $2.2B that were so kindly freed up by Tea Party governors, 33 states submitted proposals amounting to about $10B. Obviously, not every state is getting what they asked for, but many got a big boost. Let's look at the other states first, then in more detail at our region.

• The Northeast Corridor (Boston to Washington) was the biggest winner, with $795M (39% of the redistributed funds) for general upgrades and several site-specific improvements.
• Five northeastern states are sharing another 7%, $150.2M for track and station improvements.
• The South gets only 1% of the redistribution, Texas with $15M to study express rail service possibilities between Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston, while North Carolina is getting $4M for studies of the Southeast HSR Corridor (but North Carolina, which has invested a lot of its state funds into rail, also received a lot of Federal money from earlier ARRA distributions).
• The West Coast states each received some money (19%), but the lion's share (15% of the total) goes to California, with $300M to extend and accelerate its 220-MPH high-speed project.

What about us? The Midwest gets 34% of this distribution, $609.3M. The Obama Administration has put a high premium on regions that work together cooperatively, and the Midwest has done that remarkably well (despite the recent defection of governors of Ohio and Wisconsin). For much of this, we owe a big vote of thanks to two organizations that have worked hard to bring the entire region together for high speed rail:

• The Midwest Regional Rail Initiative: The MWRRI is the combined effort of nine Midwestern state departments of transportation, which have worked since 1996 to plan and implement a 3,000 mile high speed rail system to connect the region.
• The Midwest High Speed Rail Association is a member-supported, non-profit organization advocating for fast, frequent and dependable trains linking the entire Midwest. For the last ten years, the tireless efforts of Rick Harnish, its Executive Director, have been promoting an integrated network of new, 220-mph high-speed lines combined with modernized Amtrak trains linked to strong local transit networks.

Michigan received $199.3M this time around, 10% of the total redistribution (pretty good, considering there were 13 states receiving funds). The majority of that, $196.5M, is "to rehabilitate track and signal systems, bringing trains up to speeds of 110 mph on a 235-mile section of the Chicago to Detroit corridor, reducing trip times by 30 minutes". The section referred to is between Kalamazoo and Dearborn. Currently, the section between Kalamazoo and Battle Creek is owned by Canadian National (CN), while the eastern portion belongs to Norfolk Southern (NS). NS would like to sell their line, since it's used more by Amtrak than by their freight trains - which means it would cost them more to maintain than it's worth to them. (It would, that is, if they were maintaining it...but apparently, since they're not planning to keep it, they aren't making a great effort. The section between Ypsilanti and Chelsea has been downgraded to 40 MPH because of poor track condition, and that may soon be extended all the way to Jackson.) The State of Michigan would like to purchase the NS line, but not at the price NS wants for it. (Negotiations aren't public, but it's pretty well agreed that price is the sticking point.) Is any of the $196M to be spent on purchasing the line? We'll wait and see.

Michigan will also share the benefits of the $286.2M for Midwest "Next Generation Passenger Rail Equipment Purchase – This state-of-the-art rail equipment will provide safe and reliable American-built vehicles for passenger travel, while boosting the U.S. manufacturing industry," according to the US DOT press release (linked below). Will any of them be built in Michigan? Probably not - other states seem to have been more active in attracting rail manufacturers.

Another $2.8M is designated for Ann Arbor's planned Fuller Road station, which is to be built on city-owned land near the foot of the University Medical Center. That, it turn, will allow the hoped-for commuter rail service between Ann Arbor and Detroit to have a station adjacent to the largest employer in the county. It will also include a park-and-ride facility, so commuters will be able to come from the entire county and park their cars there; no adequate parking is available at the current Amtrak station, which is over capacity now. Ann Arbor's (as I've mentioned before) is the busiest station in Michigan; the 85 people who boarded the morning train to Chicago on Saturday weren't able to fit in the waiting room; many had to wait outside.

These amounts are just about the finishing touches on what the Wolverine line needs to provide service that's competitive with auto travel to Chicago. Earlier grants and work have targeted bottlenecks on the route:

• The Englewood Flyover was funded earlier this year to alleviate a frequent source of delay a few miles south of Chicago Union Station.
• The Porter (Indiana) junction was funded last year; this will address the problem-spot where all three of Michigan's passenger lines join the busy main New York to Chicago line, formerly New York Central and now NS.
• Amtrak owns the line from Porter to Kalamazoo, the longest stretch of track owned by Amtrak outside the Northeast Corridor. Their crews, based in Niles, have upgraded the line and signals to allow running at 110 MPH already, though currently 95 is the top speed allowed.
• Detroit Junction received a grant two years ago for a more direct connection between the CN line running north to Pontiac and the Conrail Joint Assets track running west toward Ann Arbor. This one junction is responsible for a consistent 10-minute delay, which can easily stretch to much more when there are opposing freight movements on either line.
• Dearborn is moving its station to a new location, where it will be more centrally located and will encourage transit-oriented development.

Of course there's lots more that could be done to make the rail connection from Michigan to Chicago better. But don't look for more Federal money. As of April 15, the FY 2010 budget for high speed rail was reduced from $2.5B to $2.1B. The FY 2011 budget was reduced from $1.0B to $o.oo. That means it's time for Michigan to step up and do its part to continue improving transportation alternatives. It doesn't necessarily involve general tax increases, either: public-private partnerships can ease the pain for the state and provide an income stream for businesses; user fees for all types of transportation, including air, rail, and road, should be raised to cover more of their actual costs. But it would take a change in mind-set for Michigan transportation planners to engage business partners, and courage for legislators to enact higher fees for anything. So let's engage our state planners and legislators to see what we can do to provide alternatives to $4+/gallon gas. Consider joining the Michigan Association of Rail Passenger and the Midwest High Speed Rail Association, both of which do excellent work to support rational transportation alternatives.

Oh, yes - and even though we owe some thanks to the Tea Party in three other states, let's not encourage them in Michigan, OK?

To read more:

• US DOT Press Release
• Midwest High Speed Rail Association - Home - Join - About Florida's HSR funds
• Michigan Association of Rail Passengers - Home - Join

The basics of Highways and Rails

Yesterday (May 1), The Flint Journal published an editorial in favor of state support for passenger rail, "Our Voice: Michigan must climb aboard movement to ride the rails". They cited the past six months' 26.2% increase in ridership on the Blue Water, Amtrak's line from Chicago through Lansing and Flint to Port Huron. (Only one trip per day each way.) Interestingly, Flint's station saw a 34.7% increase in the last six months.

There were quite a number of favorable comments by this afternoon, but as usual, there were the folks who believe we should subsidize highways but not railways. "Bullseye" expressed these sentiments colorfully: "What a laugh. What are you smoking! Rail roads have never paid for themselves. We are unable to keep our roads maintained. Where would we find money for this? No police, no fireman! This is dream from la la land you need to come back to Michigan!"

So it's time to go over some of the basics about the cost of rail travel. I put up a comment; here's a version for you, dear blog readers:

It's true that railroads cost taxpayer money, but so do roads and so do cars. Here are a few facts:

• Even toll roads don't pay for themselves; the Illinois Tollway Authority is requesting money from the Illinois State Legislature.
• Americans sent $254 billion to other countries for oil in 2009, much if it to unfriendly governments. If American "patriots" woke up and realized how much they're subsidizing our enemies by hanging on to their SUVs, they might think investing a little of their tax dollars in rail passenger service was a really good deal.
• Family travelers: Kids love being able to run around in trains. My 3-year-old grandson learned how to kick the door-open panel on a trip to Chicago. (Drove the Conductor crazy, but the kid had a great time!)
• No transit "nuts" are trying to get you out of your car. They're just trying get you to let them into the train, the bus, and the light rail, so you can have more room on the highway. It's a good deal for you, and costs less than adding lanes to the highway!

Oh - and remember if you're a business traveler, 99% of your time on a train to Chicago would be billable work-time. How much of your time would be billable on a plane or driving your car? Business travelers would recover their year's tax expenditures, plus business-class rail fare in one trip. Gov. Snyder is a business man and understands the value of this transportation option, which is why he supported rail during his campaign.

National Deficits: Government and Oil

We're hearing a lot about the problem of deficit spending these days. It appears to have been taken on as the primary windmill with which the new House of Representatives has chosen to do combat. How much debt did the Federal Government incur last year?

$1,641,103,866,572.30 ($1,641 Billion)

No wonder people are concerned!

It's easy to find and track at Treasury Direct (I've put the link below) but there's another number that troubles me, too. It's what I call the oil deficit. People don't jump up and down and shout about it, but I think we should be concerned. Very concerned. That number, as of the last September 30, was:

$254,062,422,178.65 ($254 Billion)

Not as big, not as easy to track down, but very serious. This is the amount of money we (Americans) spent to purchase oil from abroad between October 1, 2009, and September 30 last year. It represents about 63% of the oil we use.

That money contributes mightily to our trade deficit, though it was only 15% of the Federal debt incurred in the same period . Let's compare it to a few other relevant figures:

• $254B is nearly 7 times larger than the $38B budget cut enacted last week
• $254B is nearly 170 times larger than the $1.5B cut from high speed rail
• $254B is nearly 7 times larger than the $37B collected in Federal gas tax last year

Did you catch that? We send almost seven times as much money overseas for oil as we do to the Federal Government for highways and transit.

I'm told most Americans no longer believe in climate change, but even for that questionable majority, these figures should raise an alarm about our dependence on overseas oil:

• $22B is what we sent to outright unfriendly countries for oil. During the same period, the Federal Government spent only $7B, about one-third as much, for public transit in this country.
• $55B is what we sent to questionable allies. During the same period, the Federal Highway Trust Fund spent only $32B on highways in our own country.

No wonder there's so much pressure to cut back on spending for rail and transit: it's pretty clear who stands to gain, but it's not the American people. And it seems those who gain have ever-deepening pockets.

Am I the only one who finds something wrong with this picture?

To explore more:

• Treasury Direct: The Debt to the Penny and Who Holds It
• Department of Energy: Oil import data
• Department of Energy: Oil price data
• How Much do we Support Other Countries? (Wake Up Washtenaw blog)
• Oil Deficit 2009-2010 (My worksheet, .wks format, on Google Docs)

Is the climate really right for trains?

"The Climate is Right for Trains" - that's the slogan of Bombarier Transportation (BT). Today, I attended a talk given by BT's President, Monsieur Raymond Bachant at Chicago's Mid America Club, in cooperation with the Midwest High Speed Rail Association and the Canada-U.S. Business Council Chicago. (Bombardier is, of course, a very Canadian Québequois company, though it does business in 60 countries.)

M. Bachant is very upbeat about the climate for rail. Of course, it's his job to be upbeat - who ever bought anything from a gloomy salesman? But Bombardier has every reason to be upbeat as a major supplier of railway rolling-stock around the world: they expect Europe to add about 10,000 kilometers of high-speed rail in the next decade, while China is planning to add over 30,000 km. Even though BT is a relative newcomer to high speed rail, they have a great "track" record in all areas of rail vehicle design, from streetcars, to passenger coaches, to subway trains, to locomotives. I say they're relative newcomers, even though in the 1990s they helped design and build Amtrak's Acela trainset along with Alstom. Alstom has been in the HSR business since the 1970s, when they designed and built the French TGV, so I suspect it was a learning experience for the Bombarier folks. Of course, BT does make jet airplanes - the popular (with airlines) CRJ series - and that's got to count for something in the high speed business!

So that's where BT and M. Bachant are coming from. With over 100,000 BT rail vehicles in use in 60 countries around the world, they can perhaps afford to shrug off the odd behavior of governors of small regions like Wisconsin, Ohio, and Florida. To them, the future assuredly looks bright.

But does it look as bright to us in the U.S.? M. Bachant listed four things that are necessary for high speed rail to succeed for us here:

1. Consistent and continued funding of rail infrastructure
2. Compatibility: seamless, convenient, integrated transportation
3. Competitive environment (but this depends on point 1, Consistency)
4. Good planning

Here's my take on these...

Consistent and continued funding of rail infrastructure

Passenger rail needs to be "de-politicized", says M. Bachant, and I agree completely. In Europe, the need to excellent rail infrastructure is not a political football (ahem - soccer ball?) as far as I know. In the U.S., the need for good highways enjoys just about the same status. So when - if ever - will the American political establishment bring passenger rail to enjoy the same status as our highways do?

M. Bachant, in answer to a question from the audience, opined that the rising price of oil was the force most likely boost the political fortunes of rail.

Perhaps I'm just a bit cynical, but I think it will take more than that. I suspect that the majority of politicians will only start to favor passenger rail when significant political contributions start to come from passenger rail businesses. The politicians who make the loudest noises about balancing the budget are also quick to protect their biggest contributors from tax increases, which may indicate where their true interests lie.

Oh, and why does funding need to be consistent and continued? Because the boom-and-bust cycle brought about by inconsistent funding is muderous to businesses. M. Bachant pointed out the Bombarier now owns the remnants of two great American rail car builders: Pullman, and Budd. Both shriveled as passenger rail decreased in the U.S., but might well have survived if Amtrak had been able to continually upgrade its equipment over the years. Instead, Amtrak got a big chunk of money for its Superliner and Amfleet cars thirty and more years ago, but practically nothing more until 2009. No wonder our trains and subways are built by companies like Siemens (German), Breda (Italian), Talgo and CAF (Spanish), Kawasaki and Nippon Sharyo (Japanese). Those are all countries that have kept up a steady demand for new rail cars.

Compatibility

M. Bachant stressed the need for transportation to work together as a system - seamless connectivity between high speed trains, airports, regional expresses, and locals, buses, and taxis. This is most certainly true: public transportation must integrate seamlessly in order to compete with the automobile. In a car, you can go from the slickest, fastest freeway to an unpaved, rutted road, without getting out of your vehicle. Not so in a high-speed train. In order to come even close to the same level of convenience, public transportation must be very well planned and coordinated.

But there is another level at which compatibility is important; and though he didn't talk about it, I'm sure M. Bachant would agree: equipment and operating rules must be standardized as well. That's part of what's necessary for competition, the next point.

Competitive environment

Competition is necessary for any sector of a thriving, capitalist economy. M. Bachant didn't delve in to this very deeply, but I can fill in the gaps. Not only do we need a good field of suppliers for equipment, but if the playing field is level and there's enough passenger demand, we can have competition among passenger train operators. This isn't widespread, but in addition to Britain (the most obvious example), Switzerland offers examples of several operators running on the same rails.

In the U.K., a public corporation owns and maintains the track, while quite a few companies offer passenger service and others haul freight. You may have heard England's system dismissed as a "failure" by some American politicians, but countless people who visit Britain - and millions of Brits who ride trains - attest that service there is excellent and flourishing. (Yes, Megabus started there and is flourishing too, but that's another story!)

In Switzerland, the Swiss Federal Railways allow other companies to run trains on their tracks. Some of these are international (French, Italian, and German for the most part); others are freight carriers; and still others are regional operators providing extra local and commuter service for a canton, and subsidized by it - for example BLS, of the Canton of Bern. I believe there are similar arrangements in Germany as well.

Good planning

M. Bachant didn't go into detail with this; do I need to?

I do have an observation, though. Planning is a lot easier in a centrally-controlled system like China's. In 1990, the central powers there decided to invest in high speed rail. They didn't allow any opposition once the decision was made. Perhaps those who disagreed are now mining coal with picks and shovels in China's far northeast. The leaders then set in motion a large, well-funded group of engineers to plan routes and learn everything about HSR technology from the leaders in the field - Japan, France, and Germany. By 2007, they were ready to launch their service, and in ten years they'll have thousands more miles of high speed rail. Everybody who has visited has been awe-struck by how smooth, fast, pleasant, and efficient it is. But they probably didn't talk to the guys in the coal mines.

We don't work that way here. I'm glad we don't. Really. But it would sure be great if we could find a better way to pull together, instead of pulling apart what others have tried to build up.

Any ideas...?

To read more: -

• Midwest High Speed Rail Association
• Bombardier Transportation
• High speed rail in China
• The Canadian Club of Chicago
• Chicago's Mid America Club

Clarification: Ann Arbor to Detroit Commuter Rail

In the last entry, I wrote,

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), after reviewing the proposal for the Ann Arbor to Detroit commuter service, decided to "take over" the project.

I misunderstood what was happening: The Federal Transit Administration became the primary federal oversight agency for the AA-Detroit commuter rail project, instead of the Federal Highway Administration, which had previously had the oversight. SEMCOG is still the primary local agency in charge.

My apologies for any confusion and misleading speculation I may have spread. Thanks to Terri Blackmore of WATS for clarifying the whole thing for me!

Three Transit Updates: AATA, APTA, WATS

Family Savings for Using Transit

American Public Transit Association released their monthly calculation of the amount a family would save by giving up one car and taking transit. The annualized average for the entire country is...

$9,904

Look for a figure over $10,000 next month, reflecting rising gas prices.

Ann Arbor Transportation Authority

There was a little shuffling around at tonight's AATA Board meeting about the Washtenaw Avenue Transfer Center (née Arborland). This is intended to get buses out of the flow of traffic while they wait for passengers, and make it safer for passengers to from one bus to another. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between AATA and the City of Ann Arbor has been drafted and needs to be ratified in order for work to proceed. But the MoU wasn't quite available yet, so the Board will vote electronically after having a chance to see it.

The big moment was the formal adoption of the historic "Smart Growth" plan as the 30-year goal for public transit in Washtenaw County. As Board Chair Jessie Bernstein said after the meeting, it's just a start. There's lots of work to do now. Remember though, signing the Declaration of Independence was just a start...but it was an important start. Still, there was a war to fight before it meant anything.

So what is the "war" we must fight before Washtenaw County actually gets the transit system envisioned in the Smart Growth scenario? Like any war, it will require good strategy, good funding, winning hearts and minds, and good troops in command and on the ground.

• Good troops on the ground: we're fortunate here. The staff at AATA, including the two Michaels - CEO Ford and Coordinator Benham - have demonstrated their skilled and are eager to keep up the fight. We're also fortunate that Governor Snyder, our representatives at the state and federal level, and most of the elected officials in the county support the "Smart Growth" plan, according to Mr. Ford's extensive polling.
• Strategy: some of the big strategic decisions involve timing and inclusiveness. Should we press for an early millage vote, while people's attention is still on the new plan, or should we go slowly, carefully, and make sure everything is "done right"? What's the best strategy for including all parts of the County, without losing revenue from Ann Arbor that provides extra services like Night Ride? Is an "Act 196 entity" really the best model for a county-wide transit authority, or might it come with some serious "gotchas"?
• Winning hearts and minds has been a big part of the process so far, with two rounds of public meetings, a big Web push, and coverage in the media. That needs to continue. Input from public meetings indicates broad support county-wide for the "Smart Growth" option. Here's where we are so far, combining feedback from all the sources:
  

  Lifeline Plus	Accessible County	Smart Growth	Total
  100	138	647	885
  11%	16%	73%	100%

  
  The "Smart Growth" option isn't really a plan, so much as a scenario - a proposal, a vision - as Board Member Roger Kerson pointed out at tonight's meeting. We've got to continue listening to input from the public, and continue education on what good transit brings to a region.
• Good funding is "the elephant in the closet", of course. (No political implications intended!) A millage is almost certain to be involved, but other sources of funding are equally important. I can't over-emphasize the importance of public-private projects. It's one of the cornerstones of Wake Up Washtenaw's advocacy. It's working in Detroit with the M-1 light rail, as savvy business men there realized what they can gain by investing in good transit. We should consider everything from sponsored stops to transit centers with shops and cafés helping pay the bills, making passengers comfortable, and making a profit.
  And we've got to help families realize what they can save with a good transit system. It's $9,904 this year, and it's bound to go up. Anyone care to guess what a gallon of gas will cost in 2041?

The Board will have its annual retreat on June 3, and the focus will be on funding strategies for the Smart Growth model. That's when the "elephant" really comes out of the closet.

Washtenaw Area Transportation Study (WATS)

Looking over my notes, I don't see much to be happy about from the WATS meeting Wednesday morning (March 16). Well run meeting, positive up-beat representatives from the various agencies and governing bodies, but most items were just depressing.

Oh - one good item: the intersection of US 23 and Washtenaw Avenue will be reorganized this summer to improve pedestrian and bicycle passage. If you've ever tried to walk or bike through this intersection...you're probably dead. It's a killing zone. Motorists using the approach ramps have too many other fast-moving vehicles to look out for, and can't spare attention for mere human beings. I haven't seen the plans for the new arrangement, but it's got to be an improvement. (Of course, things will be really awful while they're working on it!)

Now the depressing stuff.

• Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) admin staff is at 50% of its earlier level, and no immediate prospect of hiring anyone new. This is good news for those who want small government, but not so good for those who want our roads fixed.
• The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), after reviewing the proposal for the Ann Arbor to Detroit commuter service, decided to "take over" the project. SEMCOG, which has been in charge up to now, does not know why (according to SEMCOG's point man, Carmine Palombo). This will result in a month or six weeks of delay. Sigh. (This may be just a wild guess, but perhaps the FTA didn't think SEMCOG's experience with rail projects was very impressive. Could it be their lack of "track" record? ;-) We'll have to wait and see if FTA can do any better.
• Washtenaw County Road Commission (WCRC) has spent about $300 million for salt this winter, about $150 million over budget.
• Two Ypsi Township projects - Golfside and Ford - will be postponed until next year due to lack of "obligational authority" (i.e. money) until October.
• Governor Snyder has indicated that he won't be able to turn his attention to transportation issues until Fall. The House Transportation Committee, chaired by Rep. Olsen, will be preparing a recommendation for him late this summer.
• A tremendous amount of confusion was revealed when Western-Washtenaw Area Value Express (WAVE) pointed out their request for new buses couldn't be entered on time to get them by next year. After hearing a lot of polite but tense discussion, my conclusion is that the fault rests squarely on the US House of Representatives. Their infighting, political posturing, and intransigence has prevented the Federal government from having a budget. As you know, the government is operating on a "continuing resolution" that goes from week to week, almost. In that environment, the FTA can't authorize any new expenditures. Without the FTA's OK, MDOT transit people can't permit new money to be obligated, so SEMCOG has blocked these requests from being entered in their on-line system. The result? Unreliable service between Chelsea, Dexter, and Ann Arbor in a year or two, when WAVE's worn-out buses start breaking down frequently.

Well, draw your own conclusions. I really wish Congress would stop partisan game-playing, show some statesmanship, and start governing the country.

To read more:

• APTA monthly transit savings page
• AATA Master Transit Plan options presentation
• AATA Board Packet for March 17
• WATS Policy Committee current meeting packet
• Western-Washtenaw Area Value Express (WAVE)