Proposed Woodward High-Speed Bus Route Faces Scrutiny

[marmar]

[font size="1"]PHOTO: Snapshot of the proposed route from SEMCOG's LPA report[/font]


The Citizen’s Advisory Committee of Southeast Michigan's Regional Transit Authority (RTA) is urging the RTA to steer clear of a plan to split up the Detroit leg of a proposed 27-mile high-speed bus system.

The project, which would run through 11 Woodward Corridor communities, has become a hot topic among those who follow the region’s transit policy, due to disagreement over the layout of a route in the city's greater downtown region.

In September, the RTA board okayed a plan for a Woodward Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service, known as a Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA), submitted by a steering committee organized by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG), that includes representatives from the 11 communities along the route. The RTA’s approval of a plan was required to move forward with the project, although there’s still time to make changes as it undergoes a federal environmental review.

The committee’s recommendations followed a two-year SEMCOG study of different BRT options. With the assistance of the consulting firm Parsons Brinckerhoff, the regional planning organization held three rounds of hearings over 16 months to gather public input. They released their findings in a report entitled “Woodward Avenue Rapid Transit Alternatives Analysis Locally Preferred Alternative” on Oct. 28. .................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://wearemodeshift.org/proposed-woodward-high-speed-bus-route-faces-scrutiny

[RandySF]

1. Those stops make no sense.

I see Wayne State and DMC, but not may office buildings there.

[marmar]

2. I sort of get it because .......

...... I don't see how the M1 rail line, BRT buses and regular buses are going to all coexist peacefully on the Midtown-Downtown stretch of Woodward. Plus, there's a LOT of residential/retail/entertainment development now along (especially) Cass and John R, and they're only a block away from Woodward.