The document summarizes a presentation about establishing a Regional Transit Authority (RTA) for southeast Michigan. It discusses bills introduced in the state legislature to create an RTA governing the counties of Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw, and Wayne. The proposed RTA would coordinate existing transit services, plan and fund new rapid transit routes, and allow voters to approve a vehicle registration fee to fund transit improvements. Concerns about the bills include a requirement for unanimous board approval for rail projects and a focus on spending funds within each county. The presentation urges advocates to support the bills and help improve regional transit.

1. Webinar: A Regional Transit Authority
for Southeast Michigan
Presented By:
Megan Owens, Transportation Riders United (TRU)
Richard Murphy, Michigan Suburbs Alliance
Dave Bulkowski, Disability Advocates of Kent County
Tim Fischer, Michigan Environmental Council
March 12, 2012

2. Transportation for Michigan (Trans4M) is a statewide
coalition working to create a stronger Michigan
through transportation policy reform that will:
•Revitalize Michigan’s cities and towns
•Reconnect its people to opportunity, and
•Spark a healthier economy
www.trans4m.org

3. A Regional Transit Authority:
What, Why, When, and How
A Summary by
Megan Owens, Executive Director of
Transportation Riders United (TRU)
March 12, 2012

4. Transportation Riders United
is Detroit’s Transit Advocate
Since 1999, dedicated to improving transit
throughout greater Detroit
• Improve Bus Service
• Remove Barriers to Rapid Transit
• Promote Smart Transportation Investments
www.DetroitTransit.org

5. Current Transit Services
• DDOT
– Buses serve Detroit (unreliably)
• SMART
– Buses link inner suburbs
– Connect into Detroit during rush hours only
• People Mover
– Circulates around downtown Detroit
• Transit Windsor
– Provides Tunnel Bus to Windsor
• The Ride
– Ann Arbor Transit Authority
• Amtrak
– Three trains a day to Chicago

6. Southeast Michigan
needs more and better transit
• To get people to
work, school, doctors, groceries, and elsewhere
– Over 30% of Detroit households
don’t have access to a car
– Nearly 30% of people are too young,
too old, or physically unable to drive
• To increase the region’s
competitiveness
• Effective travel throughout
region, regardless of
city or county borders

7. As every other big city has learned, an
effective regional transit system requires
an effective Regional Transit Authority.

8. Regional Transit Authority (RTA) Bills
• New legislation was introduced in January
– In the Senate by Senator Casperson (SB 909) and
– In the House by Rep. Townsend (HB 5309)
– Strongly supported by Governor Snyder.
• Would establish a Regional Transit Authority for:
– Macomb County
– Oakland County,
– Washtenaw County, and
– Wayne County,
– Including the city of Detroit.

9. Southeast Michigan needs an
effective Regional Transit Authority
• To coordinate current transit services,
• To provide new funding options
• One agency focused on improving transit
• Someone in charge of expanding transit

10. The new RTA would:
• Coordinate transit in the four-county region
– Require better cooperation between DDOT and SMART;
• Plan, fund, and operate a Rolling Rapid Transit service on
four main routes:
– Woodward,
– Gratiot,
– A Oakland-Macomb
cross-county route, and
– A Detroit – Metro Airport
- Ann Arbor route;
• Propose to the voters a new regional vehicle registration
fee to fund transit.

11. The new RTA would be:
• Governed by a Board:
– Two people appointed by each county,
– One appointed by Detroit, and
– One non-voting appointee of the Governor as chair.
• Run by a professional staff
• Advised by a Citizens’ Advisory Committee
including:
– Transit riders,
– Seniors, and
– People with disabilities.

12. Regional Transit Authority Bills
Could Be Improved
• Should not be biased against rail
– Requires unanimous Board vote to allow any rail
service in the region
• Should do more to protect current bus riders
– Detroit only gets one vote
– Needs more focus on improving current service
• Should be focused regionally
– Requires 85% of moneys raised in each county to
be spent in that county, regardless of need

13. Help Make It Happen!
1. Tell your state legislators
to support the RTA bills!
– Urge them to improve it, if possible
2. Get your friends, family, co-workers and bus
buddies to advocate to legislators too
3. Urge your organization, church, club, or other
group to send a letter of support
4. Join TRU’s e-newsletter to get updates on RTA
and other Detroit transit issues

14. RTA: funding sources
• Just how do we fund the proposed rapid
transit network?
• How does the RTA affect the funding of the
existing transit agencies?
• What about the rest of the transit agencies
around the state?

15. RTA: federal funding
Current: Proposed:
•Federal Transit Administration provides •RTA becomes “designated recipient” of
both formula-based and discretionary funds Federal funds, passes through to local
to AATA and to RTCC as “designated agencies.
recipients” for the Ann Arbor and Detroit •Every agency receives funds “as if it were
urban areas. receiving independently”—the RTA can’t
•Funds pass through RTCC to SMART and move around Federal funds between
DDOT as “sub-recipients” agencies.
•Several small, rural providers also sub- •Rapid transit system would be new sub-
recipients through AATA, RTCC. recipient with its own passthrough.
FTA operating and FTA operating and
capital funds capital funds
New RTA
RTCC
Rapid
AATA Transit AATA SMART DDOT
SMART DDOT

16. RTA: state funding
Current: Proposed:
•Michigan provides formula operating •State formula funds would pass through
funds to local transit providers based on RTA to local agencies in the metro region.
“eligible costs”. •Each agency’s funding calculated as if it
•Set amount available in each state had applied independently—RTA can’t
budget: for one agency to get more move funds around.
funding, others have to get less. •New rapid transit NOT ELIGIBLE for
formula operating support: will not
compete for funding with existing
agencies.
State formula operating funds
State formula operating funds
New RTA
AATA SMART DDOT
Rapid
Transit AATA SMART DDOT

17. RTA: regional funding
Current: Proposed:
•There is no existing regional transit •RTA could ask voters for a vehicle
funding. registration fee to fund transit. Vote is
all-or-nothing, not per-county. (SB 912)
•Fee could not exceed $1.20 per $1,000
of vehicle value ($40 max on average
vehicle).
Voter-approved
vehicle registration
fee
New RTA
Rapid
Transit
AATA SMART DDOT

18. RTA: county funding
Current: Proposed:
•There is no existing county transit •Any county could ask voters for a vehicle
funding. registration fee to fund transportation—
not limited to transit. (SB 910)
•Fee could not exceed $1.80 per $1,000
of vehicle value—that limit would be
reduced in counties where RTA also
collected a registration fee.
Voter-approved vehicle
registration fee
County Treasurer
Road
Other
Commission
transportation
purposes
Local Local
road transit
agencies or RTA

19. RTA: local funding
Current: Proposed:
•Existing transit agencies are funded •RTA legislation does not appear to
by a variety of millages and general affect existing local transit funding or
fund allocations. ability to fund transit.
•SMART’s funding can look like
county-wide (Macomb) or regional
(tri-county) funding, but opt-in/opt-
out provisions make it very “local.”
Local millages SMART Local millages SMART
City of Detroit City of Detroit
and purchase millage in and purchase millage in
general fund general fund
of service opt-in areas of service opt-in areas
AATA SMART DDOT AATA SMART DDOT

20. RTA: funding implications
• Federal, state, and local funding to • Rapid transit concept under
existing transit providers—in metro discussion estimated at $500 million
area and statewide—appears construction, $22 million annual
protected. operating. (Very, very, very rough
estimate!)
• Exception: SMART and DDOT federal
funding calculated • RTA vehicle registration fee estimated
independently, not totaled and split to collect $119 million/year at
65/35. maximum rate.
• All counties statewide would gain a • Primary purpose of RTA vehicle
new transportation funding option registration understood as funding
(SB 910); the RTA would also get an rapid transit—but appears sufficient
option specific to transit. (SB 912) to allow RTA to pass some funding to
local agencies.

21. Wednesday, March 21 – Friday March 23, 2012
Website: trans4m.org/miodyssey
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Twitter: twitter.com/t4michigan
Hashtag: #miodyssey