The Countywide Transit Vision (10/20/11)How did we get here? Successful communities don’t happen by accident. They’re built through collaboration and citizen engagement, by setting goals and working to achieve them. Last year,the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (TheRide) set out to create a shared vision for connecting Washtenaw communities through public transportation. This effort is called “Moving You Forward." It has lead to the creation of the Smart Growth Transit Master Plan, which provides a framework to meet Washtenaw County’s transit needs for the next 30 years. Why is the Transit Master Plan called “Smart Growth”? The Transit Master Plan is called “Smart Growth” because it includes a broad vision for transit that will allow Washtenaw County to meet anticipated needs over the next 30 years by creating a countywide network for public transportation. What needs will the Smart Growth Transit Master Plan meet? The Smart Growth Transit Master Plan will help Washtenaw County meet the following needs:
Implementing Countywide TransitWho is guiding the creation of a Countywide Transit Network? The first step toward creating a countywide transit network is to establish a regional organization representative of all Washtenaw County communities. Representatives from throughout the County are guiding the development of transit service and investment in each part of the county. Why do we have to create a new transit organization? Washtenaw County’s largest public transit provider, Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (TheRide), was formed by the city of Ann Arbor and currently operates under Michigan law as a local Act 55 transit authority. This designation restricts its ability to meet Washtenaw County’s long-term transit needs. Creating a new transit authority under Act 196 will allow for the creation of a regional transportation provider representing all communities within the county. How is the new countywide transit organization being created? In preparation for creating a new countywide transit organization, the county has been divided into eight transit districts represented by 15 delegates. This group of individuals makes up what is referred to as the Unincorporated Act 196 (U-196) Board of Directors. The current list of members can be found here . The U-196 board will establish recommended bylaws, transit services and locations for transit facilities, funding needs and policies on how and when to provide service outside the countywide organization's boundaries. After developing the recommended services, facility locations, funding needs, policies and bylaws, each community will have the opportunity to review the recommendations and decide whether they would like to continue to be a part of the new countywide transit network. Once the new Act 196 organization is officially incorporated, it will include only those communities that choose to participate in countywide transit. How were the U-196 board members selected? U-196 board members were selected by the member municipalities in each of the eight transit districts. How will the U-196 board members find out what transit improvements are desired by the citizens in their district? A series of meetings will be held to seek input from citizens in each transit district. This input will be used to recommend transit improvements in each community over the short, medium and long term. The U-196 board representatives will also be looking for citizens to represent interests from a cross section of their district to serve on a Transit District Advisory Committee(TDAC). The TDAC will act as the citizen advisory committee for its respective transit improvement district. Citizens interested in serving on their local TDAC should contact[J1] their U-196 representative. Finally, the U-196 board representatives will regularly communicate the status and request input for transit improvement recommendations to each of the municipalities they represent. Transit District Advisory CommitteesWhat is a Transit District Advisory Committee? Each of the eight districts represented on the U-196 board has its own advisory committee. Each committee brings together transit service providers, senior and human service representatives, the business community and other interested citizens to provide advice on the development and implementation of transit improvements in their own district. Why do we need Transit District Advisory Committees? Each community of Washtenaw County has its own transit needs and goals. The Transit District Advisory Committees’ focus is to make recommendations to the U-196 board on how to prioritize transit service improvements, location of bus stops and types of transit amenities for their own unique areas of the county. The U-196 board will then use those recommendations and those of local citizens to develop service improvements plans for their district. How can I provide input to the Transit District Advisory Committee representing my community? In November, public input sessions will be held in each transit district where business owners and employees along with residents can voice their own local transit improvement needs. If you cannot make it to a public input session, you will also be able to add your comments and suggestions to our interactive map at MovingYouForward.org. Financial Task ForceWhat is the Financial Task Force? The Financial Task Force is providing recommendations for how to fund the countywide transit improvements included in the Smart Growth Transit Master Plan. Members will provide specific near-term funding recommendations to the U-196 board, while also setting a vision for funding options that may be available over the course of the next 30 years. Who serves on the Financial Task Force? The Financial Task Force includes Washtenaw County financial, business and legislative experts who want to help support the vision laid out in the Smart Growth Transit Master Plan. The task force is chaired by McKinley Inc. CEO Albert Berriz and former Washtenaw County Administrator Bob Guenzel. For a full list of members, click here . |