by Steve Bush

Ever since Detroit’s streetcar lines were replaced by buses, southeast Michigan’s transportation system has been dominated by the automobile. While the car has served us well over the years, problems associated with our over dependence on it - traffic congestion, increased pollution, limited mobility for those without a cars - have recently led many people to call for increased transit service. Transit advocates have arisen from amongst the public, the corporate world, and our elected officials. Will this groundswell of support lead to a turning point in which Motown will become a "transit town" as well? This question will be answered in part by the outcome of several efforts currently underway to increase transit availability in our region. These include legislative efforts to increase transit funding, a proposal for a new regional transit governing body which would facilitate the creation of a regional rapid transit system, and two rapid transit corridor studies. As we await their outcome, Cityscape provides an overview of these efforts.

Efforts to Legislatively Increase Current Funding
Much attention has been focused on the relatively low level of funding SMART and DDOT receive from the federal, state, and local levels. One effort to increase funding from the state is Michigan House Bill 4002, sponsored by State Representative Judith Scranton (R-Livingston), which would direct a portion of revenues from the already existing tax on automobile leases to the state transit budget. Currently, the state transit budget receives a portion of tax revenues from new car sales, but not from new car leases. Therefore, the trend toward leasing new vehicles instead of purchasing them has reduced SMART and DDOT’s funding from the state. It is hoped that the legislature will pass this bill during the lame duck session between the November elections and the beginning of the New Year. If not, it will need to be re-introduced next year.

Another recent effort to increase SMART and DDOT’s state level funding was a 1999 campaign by Detroit area transit advocates and transit agency officials to constitutionally mandate that transit needs receive a full 10% of the state transportation budget. Currently, according to the state constitution, road and bridge needs must be allocated at least 90% of the state transportation budget, and transit needs may be allocated up to 10%. Under the administration of Governor Engler, from 1990 to 1997, transit had been receiving about 9.2% per year. However, this percentage dropped in 1998 when transit needs received none of the extra revenue generated by a 4 cents per gallon increase in the state gas tax. Since that year, transit needs have been receiving about 8.2% per year. The 1999 campaign for the full 10% resulted in a bill being considered by the state legislature, but it was defeated. However, this effort could be given new life if Jennifer Granholm is elected Governor, since she has stated her support for giving transit a full 10% of the state transportation budget.

Giving transit a full 10%, coupled with passage of HB4002, would add about $45 million per year to state transit funding. Of this, SMART would receive about $6 million and DDOT would receive about $12 million.

Southeast Michigan’s federal transit subsidy is limited by the fact that the bulk of federal funds available are allocated by a formula that gives 40% to new rapid transit projects, 40% to existing rapid transit operations, and 20% to bus operations. Since SMART and DDOT only run buses, and at this point our region has not proposed any new rapid transit projects to the US Department of Transportation, we can only receive money from the 20% for bus operations. As a result of this, for every dollar in transit taxes we pay to the federal government, we receive back only 42 to 48 cents on average per year. Local transit officials are currently lobbying our congressional representatives to work to change this formula with the re-authorization of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) in September of 2003. They are hoping that the bus operations portion of the funding can be increased to 33%.

Proposals for a New Regional Transit Governing Body & Regional Rapid Transit System
Our region can move closer to having rapid transit service, and gaining federal money to help pay for it, if the state legislature passes Michigan House Bill 5467, sponsored by Detroit Mayor Kwami Kilpatrick when he was still a State Representative. This bill would create the Detroit Area Regional Transit Authority (DARTA) to replace the Regional Transit Coordinating Council (RTCC) as the regional transit governing body for southeast Michigan. Unlike the RTCC, DARTA would be lead by a CEO with transit expertise and a full staff, so it would not merely act as the distributor of federal and state operating subsidies to SMART and DDOT as the RTCC did, but also create and implement a regional transit plan, contract with existing agencies such as SMART and DDOT to provide service under the plan, and work to bring rapid transit to the region. With SMART and DDOT’s bus service already about as well coordinated as it can be, the most significant part of DARTA’s mission would be working to bring rapid transit to the region. It would do this by being the governing body to implement new rapid transit service and by coming up with a proposal for a dedicated source of local funds to pay its operating costs. With this governing body and proposal for a dedicated local source of operating funds in place, southeast Michigan would then meet the requirements to apply for federal grant money to cover 80% the capital costs of building a rapid transit system.

In order to provide rapid transit, DARTA would most likely employ the major elements of a Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) proposal which envisions that rapid transit service could be provided by bus rapid transit (BRT). This so-called "train on tires" would travel in its own dedicated lane on major roads and be synchronized with traffic lights so it would not need to stop at intersections. If this proposal were fully implemented, BRT would run on 12 major traffic corridors and be fed by the existing bus service.

If the state legislature does not vote on DARTA during the lame duck session, it would need to be re-introduced next year. After passage, it is estimated that it would be about 3 years until DARTA could start implementing BRT. This would include time needed to hire the CEO and staff, come up with the regional transit plan and proposed funding source, and then have the public vote on a funding source. This could come from new service taxes, payroll tax, income tax, or sales tax

Rapid Transit Corridor Studies
In addition to the rapid transit that DARTA would provide, our region could possibly in the future have rapid transit service between Metro Airport and downtown Detroit, and between Ann Arbor and Detroit’s New Center area. The Metro Airport to downtown rail study is being conducted by SEMCOG. So far, the study has determined that this link would travel within 1.5 miles in on either side of I-94, but it has not yet been decided if it would employ BRT or light rail. SEMCOG plans to finish this study by 2004, and it is estimated that service could begin by 2010. Before the start of service, the state legislature would need to establish an authority to operate it, and voters would need to approve a new local tax to provide operating funds.

The Ann Arbor to Detroit rail study is being conducted by the Ann Arbor Transit Authority (AATA). On its way from Ann Arbor to the New Center, this link would travel through Ypsilanti, Metro Airport, and Dearborn. Employing heavy rail cars, it would travel mostly on existing Amtrak rail. AATA aims to finish this study by early next year, and it is believed that service could start as early as 2005. As with the Metro Airport to Detroit line, the state legislature would need to establish an authority to operate it (possibly DARTA, AATA, Washtenaw Co., or a new authority), and voters would need to approve a new tax to provide operating funds.