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comment by b_b
b_b  ·  3810 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Reuben Fischer-Baum: How Your City’s Public Transit Stacks up

I certainly worry about the usefulness of the M-1 line. My fear is that it's going to be another People Mover, which I believe is the most expensive public transport system in the US (if it can even be called that). It's a joke, and it's existence is a source of ridicule instead of pride. It also has the unfortunate side effect of being one of the few counter examples of the axiom that public investment in transportation is good for the local economy, giving fuel to critics who are against a regional rail system. Maybe M-1 will work. I'm skeptical, but I hope for the day when I'm proved wrong. I still have yet to find a good answer to the question of what need it's filling. If it's a showcase for what light rail can be, with the hope that it will eventually be expanded, then I sincerely hope it's a wild success. The investment happening along side it in Detroit at the moment is encouraging, as a $2bln development was just announced last week. Hopefully the pump is primed and the time in history is right to see some real change. Given the history of the region, however, one can be forgiven for not being overconfident.





mk  ·  3810 days ago  ·  link  ·  

If they can extend M-1 north of 8 Mile, I can see a real utility. I don't think the 3.3 miles is going to cut it. I recall that Ferndale was pushing for a line that reached them. Of course, it could go all the way to Pontiac, but I imagine that the Birmingham portion might not have any stops. :)

It would be great if the New Center part jogged west to the Fisher Building. The longer the Woodward portion, the more sense branches will make.

b_b  ·  3810 days ago  ·  link  ·  

The Oakland County executive, as you well know, hates the fuck out of Detroit. Until that miserable old man does the 21st century a favor and dies, there's not going to be any regional cooperation. Full Stop.