Quote:
Originally Posted by LMich
You know, you get the regional transity authority through the legislature, and the entire regional plan becomes exponentially easier, because operating cost funds can be nailed down by a regional tax.
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Bingo! Bingo! Bingo!......BingoBingoBingoBingoBingoBingoBingo!
This is what I'm hung up on. The whole existence of this project is the classic case of putting the cart before the horse. It's literally impossible for a LRT line to exist on Woodward Avenue if there is no regional authority in place to properly "govern" it.
Bing is right. Detroit can't afford it. Never could, never will. Detroit can't afford the People Mover. Never could, never will. Detroit can't afford the one house standing in the middle of the urban prairie with the occupants who refuse to leave. Yes, Detroit is a different kind of city, but where Woodward is involved, it's a regional grab from the get-go; just like Cobo Convention Center.
My point is more society-focused. Why are we as a society, particularly the leaders in this transit scope, refusing to embark on this long-range planning process in the correct way? SEMCOG knows it's wrong, county and local governments know it's wrong, private and philanthropic doners know it's the improper way, so why invest? If the RTA (Regional Transit Authority) is not properly established and in place, LRT...won't...happen...period. And if it somehow, magically did, we'd end up with a hodgepodge like SMART, DDOT, Detroit People Mover, etc, further setting us up for greater failures and divisions in the future.
RTA must come first. My way or the highway.