Northern Michigan residents want to see officials invest more money in bike trails, sidewalks, and transit, even if that means less money is spent widening roads, according to new survey by Northwestern Michigan College.
Articles by James Bruckbauer
Running Out of Options for MI Transit
Michigan has few choices when it comes to raising money locally for transit. Transportation agencies can only ask voters to pitch in through local property taxes. They must rely on fewer and fewer state and federal dollars for the rest of a project’s cost. Michigan lawmakers must stop holding its cities back. Our towns can start meeting their transportation needs without waiting for the state to solve the state transportation crisis.
Governor Pleads for Road Funding, But Details Are Unclear
In his third State of the State address, Gov. Rick Snyder asked the Legislature to come up with a way to raise about $1.2 billion dollars that he says is needed to fix the state’s roads, bridges, buses, and trains. The state that brought modern transportation to the rest of the world is now fractured by crumbling roads, congestion, airport and train delays, and poor bus service. But questions remain, and local funding options should remain a high priority.
Regional Rider: Old Man Winter edition
National experts are coming to the area to help make our regional transit system even better. Smart Growth America, a national nonprofit dedicated to thoughtful city development, will enlist a team of big-time consultants to work with local transportation officials on developing a list of ways the state can encourage more collaboration among the region’s transit agencies. Plus, Snyder’s state of the state address and the Wililamsburg Connector.
Snyder expected to tackle transportation in State of State
You can expect one topic to be high on the agenda when Gov. Rick Snyder delivers his annual State of the State address next week: How we’ll pay for transportation in Michigan. The Republican governor, who set out to change the way Michigan invests in its road and transit network, is expected to unveil more details of his long-term strategy for fixing Michigan’s broken transportation system.
Regional Transit Authority a big win for Michigan
Reliable, convenient, and efficient transit may soon make a much-needed comeback in the city that gave the world modern transportation. Last week, lawmakers in Lansing passed a series of bills that would create a regional transit authority (RTA) for Metro Detroit. It’s a big win for Michigan, for Detroit’s revitalization, and for the groups that have advocated for regional transit over the past few decades, including many members of the Transportation for Michigan coalition.