Future of Regional Transit Needs Outlined in State of System Report

The formation of the Regional Transit Authority for the counties of Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw was done by a legislative act,  Public Act 387 of 2012. A ten member board, which are appointed for three year terms, will help govern this group.  The RTA envisions a region with sufficient and secure funding to support enhanced public transportation options that will ensure accessibility, satisfy the integrated mobility needs of the community, and promote livable, healthy, and sustainable growth.

The RTA is focused on:

• Coordinating - Public transportation in the four-county region, including the City of Detroit

• Delivering - rapid transit in the region

• Funding - Being the entity where all transit providers must apply for state and federal funds

• Developing - Regional Master Transit Plan to guide present and future service

Southeast Michigan spends only $67 on transit per capita, the eight peer regions sutides spend an average of $231 per capita on transit.

State of the System

In the fall of 2015 the state of the system report was released, view here,  which is the guidance document for building the regional transit vision for all of Southeast Michigan.  Eight conclusions were revealed:

1. Transit service is limited

2. Many areas are underserved by transit or not served at all

3. Transit services are not aligned with regional travel patterns

4. Transit service is not reliable enough to be convenient

5. Regional transit is not well coordinated

6. No premium transit service offered

7. Transit funding is insufficient and much lower than peers

8. Paratransit services are not well coordinated.

What’s Next

In the beginning of April, the RTA released their recommendations for rapid transit on Gratiot, Michigan, and Woodward Avenues, which called for bus rapid transit (BRT) on all three corridors and commuter rail for the Michigan Avenue corridor. More on these recommendations can be found at www.rtamichigan.org/brtexperience

The RTA will be releasing a draft of a regional master plan this coming May that will detail how existing service can be coordinated and outline new regional service that will be implemented to connect the four-county region. The master plan will address the challenges that the regional currently faces which are lack of coordination and connectivity due to chronic underfunding or each individual transit provider. Creating a regional network will connect people with jobs, healthcare, and promote general mobility between the counties.

To learn more about the RTA and what they are working on http://www.rtamichigan.org/

$20 Million Committed by State for Connected Vehicles

The old Willow Run Airport is looking to become the second facility in Washtenaw County to focus on connected vehicle technology, according to John Maddox, CEO.  

Ypsilanti Township Supervisor and WATS Policy Committee member, Brenda Stumbo stated “that this is a game changer for the community. When GM closed and demolished their facility we lost a part of the community’s rich history.  With this new project two positives are happening, first, the Yankee Air Museum is preserving a portion of the plant where the planes flew out after being assembled and two, a new advanced technology is happening and giving Silicone Valley more competition”.  

The Willow Run facility will feature:

• Vehicle travel speeds up to 80 mph

• Large configurable intersection and areas to simulate urban, suburban and commercial area (a mall or freight center)

• Off-road section for possible military vehicle use

• Rural area featuring  gravel roads

• The center will feature a 2.5-mile loop that will serve as a simulated highway with ramps, bridges, merge lanes, signs, changes in elevation and potentially a curved tunnel

According to MLive, the planned connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) research facility received a $2.9 million grant from the Michigan Strategic Fund, where up to $20 million dollars can be requested for the project.

Joe Lawson, Ypsilanti Township Planning Director sat down with WATS staffer Suzann Flowers to discuss the project.  “The automobile industry is evolving. This type of investment will continue to bring high tech and high paying jobs to our state. This type of development could also lead to spin off companies that will serve the industry.” Lawson added that this testing facility would include freeway testing, roundabouts, and include an urban setting.  Lawson noted that Michigan’s changing seasons can play a large role in testing technologies for these cars.  

Sources:

1. http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20160318/NEWS/160319860/willow-run-driverless-car-project-gets-ceo-board-of-directors

2. http://www.mlive.com/business/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2016/03/3m_grant_approved_for_planned.html#incart_river_home

3. http://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/2016/03/22/wall-street-see-downside-self-driving-cars/82146426/

4. http://www.automobilemag.com/news/b-24-bombers-autonomous-car-testing/

Road Cones in our Region

Spring time in Michigan only means three thing, tulips, daffodils and orange construction barrels. Yes, it is that magical time each year when we prepare for construction season. Our partners at MDOT have been busy this winter getting project designs and plans together. This season we will see construction work on some of the most important corridors in our region, M-14, I-96, I-275, M-24, and I-75.

University Region Planner Kari Martin and Metro Region Planner Julie Edwards gave a fantastic presentation at last week’s SEMCOG Technical Coordinating Committee meeting to discuss the major improvements that we will see this spring and summer.

•I-275 Rehabilitation, 5 Mile Road to I-96/I-696/M-5 (Wayne and Oakland Counties) http://www.revive275.com/

•I-75 Modernization, North of Coolidge Road to South Boulevard (Oakland County) - http://1.usa.gov/1VuJGon

•M-24 Rehabilitation, Harmon Road to Goldengate (Oakland County)

•I-96/US-23 Interchange Reconstruction (Livingston County) - http://1.usa.gov/1WCkwm4

•I-75 Reconstruction (Monroe County) - http://1.usa.gov/22yI4vC

•M-14 Pavement and Bridge Repair (Washtenaw County) - http://1.usa.gov/1LVJGWW

You can stay connected and up to date on all of the construction projects this summer via MDOT on their MiDrive app (http://mdotnetpublic.state.mi.us/drive/). Downloading this to your phone can be a helpful aid  saving hours of delays in your travel plans.  

A special thanks to MDOT for the I-96/US-23 image used in this blog. Tune in next week when we talk about the driverless cars and what is happening with this emerging technology.

Regional Safety Plan Seeks to Move Towards Zero Deaths

In partnership with the Southeast Michigan Council of Government, WATS is pleased to announce the completion of the Southeast Michigan Traffic Safety Plan that defines the common vision that will drive safety efforts around the region.  Toward Zero Deaths on Southeast Michigan Roadways is a shared vision by SEMCOG and the Michigan DOT.  

In order to achieve this vision local agencies must work aggressively to meet the targets.

Reduce traffic fatalities by 5% by 2019

Reduce serious traffic injuries by 10% by 2019

The methods used to set the targets is consistent with the proposed rules within the previous transportation bill known as MAP-21 (Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century). The current transportation bill known as the FAST Act (Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act) continues these rules.

The Safety Task Force will be focusing on their high priority emphasis areas: Intersections, Lane Departure, Pedestrians, and Drivers age 24 and younger.  

Additional emphasis areas include Access management, Bicycle, Commercial Vehicles, Distracted driving, Impaired  driving, Motorcycle, Occupant protection, Senior mobility, Speed management, Traffic incident management, and Traffic records and information systems.

Crash Rates for Washtenaw County

Crash rate is a measure of safety which looks at crash frequency and traffic volume.  This rate illustrates the K and A (fatality and serious) injury crashes. The average crash rate for the region is 5.81, Washtenaw County’s crash rate is 4.85.

To review the plan or see where Washtenaw County ranks on other safety metrics please visit http://bit.ly/1QTbpgo.  

WATS Hosting Public Meetings to Gain Input About Projects

WATS is hosting a series of open house meetings to discuss what projects should receive federal transportation funds over the next four years.  Please plan to come to a meeting or take our short survey (soon to be released) to share your comments with the Policy Committee members. Learn more at http://www.miwats.org/tip.

Local Agencies Request $29 million in Federal Funds for Road Projects in Washtenaw County

The process to select projects for the 2017-2020 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) started with the call for projects in November, 2015.  Local agencies have submitted their candidate projects to WATS. Urban area project list and rural area project list.

Requested Funds, Anticipated Revenue and Deficit

• Urban Area Funds:  $12.5 million Deficit - $29 million (requested); $16.5 million (anticipated revenue over 4 years)

• Rural Area STP Funds: $700,000 Deficit - $2.5 million (requested STP); $1.8 million (anticipated STP funds over 4 years)

• Rural Area Fed/State D Funds:  $304,000 Deficit - $1.3 million (requested D Funds); $996,000 (anticipated D funds over 4 years)

The candidate projects that are recommended to be funded will be presented to the Technical Committee and then final action will be taken by the Policy Committee to include projects in the TIP.  The proposed project list includes all the projects that are seeking federal urban and rural dollars.  

Questions and comments can be sent to Suzann Flowers [flowerss@miwats.org, 734-994-3127, 200 N. Main St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104].  All comments and responses will be collected and presented to the Technical and Policy Committee members for their consideration in project selection.