Macomb County Joins Neighbors in Driving Regional Mass Transit

Mass transit has been a long time coming to the home of the Motor City, but if Macomb County commissioners and their regional counterparts have their way, such transportation will be developed sooner rather than later in southeast Michigan.

Macomb County commissioners joined fellow commissioners in Oakland, Wayne, Washtenaw and St. Clair counties, as well as members of the Detroit City Council Sept. 30 to form Regional Partners Advocating Transit Here.

R-PATH will serve as an advocacy group for the creation of a Regional
Transit Authority in Metro Detroit.

“Establishing a regional transit system will be a gamechanger for the social and economic development of our region,” said Macomb County Commissioner David Flynn, in a prepared statement. “It’s time for the leadership of southeast Michigan to create a Regional Transit Authority that will allow our community to capture federal dollars.”

The commissioners announced their plans for R-PATH at the 2011 Southeast Michigan Regional Summit recently held in Clinton Township.

“This was the perfect opportunity to bring together key regional players with the intention of forging a common goal and laying the groundwork to reshape transit in our area,” said Macomb County Board Chair Kathy D. Vosburg, in a prepared statement.

The group took their inspiration from the success of mass transit in Denver, CO. The city of Denver reports a $4 return for communities on every $1 invested in mass transit.

Whereas Denver ranks 13th on a 2009 U.S. Census Bureau report of Public Transportation Usage for the 50 Largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Michigan fails to make the list at all. 

“We are fortunate enough to have the expertise of well seasoned transit officials from Denver to draw from as we set out toward the creation of an RTA for our region,” said Macomb County Commissioner Bob Smith, in a prepared statement. “They bring with them a wealth of knowledge and good advice.”

To date, nearly all of the major elected bodies in southeast Michigan have recently passed or are expected to pass resolutions in support of a Regional Transit Authority, according to the nonprofit organization, Transportation Riders United.