Even on “The Jetsons,” hapless George would still get stuck in traffic jams on the way to work. Instead, says the Michigan Land Use Institute, what we need is a new vision for the future of commuting. MLUI wants to begin with a program called Local Motion, a community effort with local businesses, and a new website.
Back in 2009, some of the bumpers on BATA buses in Traverse City were held together with duct tape. Today, the 75-strong BATA bus fleet is taking more commuters than ever before to and from their jobs. They did this by adding routes and providing services that “fit residents’ lifestyles,” according to BATA’s business development director. This caught the attention of Jeffrey Tumlin: It is fortunate “you have a transit operator that really gets it.”
Tumlin said building up rural highways encourages people to leave “walkable cities” and gives people no option but to continue driving from one parking lot to another, creating hazardous conditions on roads that were built to accommodate rural traffic.