Hertel's office set to release regional transit plan Wednesday

Thursday, September 18, 2008 | Source: metromode

What promises to be one of the most important master plans for Metro Detroit is set to be released Wednesday, when the Regional Transportation Coordinating Council starts holding public meetings about new transit plan.

The council, which is headed up by Metro Detroit Transit Czar John Hertel, created the new plan as a key approach to obtaining more federal dollars for local mass transit. It is the first comprehensive regional transit plan for the tri-county area in decades.

"What we'll be sharing is some recommendations for enhancing public transit systems for DDOT, SMART and MDOT," says John Swatosh, deputy director of the Regional Transportation Coordinating Council.

It details plans, timelines and funding mechanisms for improving bus lines and creating rapid transit initiatives, such as light and commuter rail. It will advocate for the creation of commuter rail, light rail, streetcar and bus-rapid-transit lines throughout Metro Detroit and serve as the roadmap for implementing them for decades.

What mass transit improvements will be applied where (such as light rail on Woodward Avenue) will be revealed early next week. Municipal planners and other stakeholders will review the proposal over the weekend before it's presented at public meetings between Wednesday and Oct. 2.

The meetings will be held from 4-7 p.m. as follows:

Dearborn on Wednesday in the U-M-Dearborn Fairlane Center, 19000 Hubbard Drive
Ferndale on Thursday in the Gerry Kulick Community Center, 1201 Livernois
Sterling Heights on Oct. 1 in the Independence Building at Freedom Hill County Park, 15000 Metro Parkway (16 Mile Road)
Detroit on Oct. 2 in TechTown, 440 Burroughs

For information, call (313) 393-3333.

Transportation Riders United, a local non-profit that advocates improving mass transit, will also attend the meetings to further discussions about how best to make the plan's recommendations realities.

TRU's fall meeting will also center on the new regional transit plan. The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 7 in the lower mezzanine of the Guardian Building in downtown Detroit.

Source: John Swatosh, deputy director of the Regional Transportation Coordinating Council and Transportation Riders United
Writer: Jon Zemke