Op/Ed: Regional Transportation is Worth the Investment

As a group dedicated to transforming and improving the mass transit landscape of the metro-Detroit area, Regional Partners Advocating Transit Here (R-PATH) applauds Governor Rick Snyder’s willingness to champion the need for a viable mass transit system in metro-Detroit.

It is R-PATH’s goal to focus on the broader discussion and continue engaging public officials in useful dialogue that moves forward in favor of a comprehensive regional transit plan for our area.

We, as a group of city and county legislators working with day-to-day issues affecting southeast Michigan, recognize that the need for access to reliable transportation affects us all. The issue crosses generational, socio-economic and racial boundaries, as well as city and county lines.

In 2012, we no longer both live and work in the same community, and a growing segment of the population that uses the available public transit options relies on these options daily. For instance, studies have shown that approximately 65 percent of SMART users utilize the service to get to and from work, and nearly one million people use SMART to travel to work, school, doctor’s offices and shopping centers annually.

Not only does a comprehensive mass transit system transform the way we live, it produces a cleaner, healthier environment and quality of life. Numerous U.S. cities, such as Denver, Salt Lake City, and Portland have tested and proven its impact as an effective economic growth tool, and it has been shown that for every one dollar invested in public transportation, communities experience a $6-8 increase in local economic activity. Clearly, the need to reap the benefits of a world-class mass transit system exists in metro-Detroit, and so does the opportunity. Regional transportation is worth the investment.

The first step in making this vision a reality is the creation of a Regional Transit Authority that will allow us to capture crucial federal dollars which will otherwise be funneled to other regions. We are urging our legislators to realize the impact and importance of this urgent step.

It is imperative that not only R-PATH continues to work together across political and geographic lines to push this common goal forward, but that all state and local leaders lend support on this transformative issue which has the ability to revitalize the region.

R-PATH (Macomb County Commissioners David Flynn, Bob Smith, Toni Moceri, Jim Carabelli, and Board Chair Kathy D. Vosburg; Wayne County Vice Chair Alisha Bell and Commissioner Tim Killeen; Oakland County Commissioners David W. Potts, Jim Nash, Beth Nuccio and Craig Covey; Washtenaw County Commissioners Yousef Rabhi and Barbara Bergman; St. Clair County Board Chair Jeff Bohm and County Administrator Bill Kauffman, Commissioner Terry London; and Detroit City Council President Charles Pugh and President Pro-Tem Gary Brown)