Help ensure creation of a Regional Transit Authority for southeast Michigan.

[SpartanDem]

Help ensure creation of a Regional Transit Authority for southeast Michigan.



The legislature is debating a set of bills (House Bills 5731, 5732 and 5733) to create Regional Transit Authority – an agency to finally bring Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb Counties together to make real progress improving public transit.

The RTA will manage, implement and acquire funding for the Regional Transit Plan, improving bus service, developing new rapid transit lines, and creating a high quality, truly integrated regional transit service.

The RTA will create a more efficient, coordinated system throughout the region by eliminating service gaps and wasteful service overlaps.
The RTA will help meet federal demands for regional cooperation. Michigan currently “donates” an average of $100 million each year to other parts of the country that have gotten their regional acts together to plan for and build transit.


The creation of an RTA is absolutely critical, yet some Detroit and Oakland County officials are opposing it:

Some Oakland County officials are demanding a greater share of regional transit funds (currently 65% to DDOT, 35% to SMART). This would devastate DDOT bus service and Detroit officials will never agree.
Some Detroit officials demand veto power over all decisions by requiring all RTA votes be unanimous. This would effectively eliminate all progress towards true regional cooperation.




Help ensure real transit progress - call your legislators today!


Step 1) Get your legislator’s phone number (and/or email address) from MichiganLegislature.org by entering your zip code.

Step 2) Call your legislator.
Tell the legislator (or their staff) that you want real progress on public transit.
Ask if you can count on them to support the Regional Transit Authority.
(If they say definitely yes, thank them!)

Step 3) Tell us what they said, including any particular questions or concerns.

Then urge your friends to do the same!


We also need help from business leaders to convince Oakland Exec. Brooks Patterson not to fight the bills. Please call him at 248-858-0480.

Introduce yourself and your business.
Tell him that regional transit is critical for business prosperity.
Urge him to support the RTA, maintaining current funding for at least two years.
Then let us know what he said.
http://www.detroittransit.org/cms.php?pageid=74