The city of Detroit, known as the "Motor City" due to the important role it has played in the mass production and development of the automobile is now feeling the effects of its over-reliance of cars. While the city has an excellent system of roads and highways, it is at the cost of an extremely poor and inefficient public transportation system. There is virtually no light rail, and while there are two bus systems, it is not enough to support this large metropolis of over five million people.

The mains transit systems of the Detroit area are the D-DOT bus system, the SMART bus system, and the Detroit People Mover (DPM). The D-DOT, the nation’s oldest municipal transportation department (Russell), is the most widely used form of mass transit in the city of Detroit. The D-DOT has about 550 busses that carry over 175,000 passengers every day (D-DOT). The 54 bus lines span over the entire city, and carry about 80% of the city’s bus passengers (the SMART bus system transports the other 20%). In 1997, the Department of Transportation introduced the MetroLift service, where people with disabilities who live within ¾ of a mile of within a fixed bus route can get picked up at their house and transported directly to their destination (assuming that the destination is also within ¾ of a mile of a bus route). With so many routes, one would think that the citizens of Detroit would have an easy time commuting. However, the D-DOT only serves the city of Detroit- it does not have any routes that go out to the suburbs. This becomes a large problem for Detroiters. Many bus riders are of lower socio-economic status, as car maintenance, insurance (which is mandatory), and gas prices can be pricey. With so little unskilled labor jobs and clerical jobs in the city, and such an abundance of said jobs in the suburbs- it is vital that workers from the city get to the suburbs to work. However, with the D-DOT bus system, this is not possible.

The Suburban Mobility Authority Regional Transportation (or SMART) is a bus system that serves the entire metro Detroit area. In fact, Detroit is the only metro area in the country with two public bus systems (Russell). The D-DOT also helps subsidize the SMART bus system, despite the fact that even though the two systems serve two overlapping yet different areas- D-DOT and SMART do NOT coordinate their routes. This results in a great mass transit inefficiency, as potential workers in the city of Detroit have trouble finding routes to places of employment.

The People Mover is a light rail system that circles downtown Detroit in a 2.9 mile loop (Detroit People Mover Online). The DPM has a capacity to carry 15,000 passengers in one day (D-Dot), even though it rarely has that many users. The average time between DPM trains is 4 minutes (Detroit People Mover Online), making it a fairly reliable way to get around downtown Detroit. The People Mover has two main problems. First of all, as the city’s only commuter rail system, it does not service a very wide area. In fact, it only circles the downtown area. Since not that many people live downtown and also work downtown, it is not a very efficient way for the average Detroiter to commute to work. It has, however, served as a way to commute to and from sports and entertainment events. For example, it is common to take the DPM from Greektown (where parking is easily found, and restaurants and bars are plentiful) to Cobo Hall/ Joe Lewis Arena for the North American International Auto Show or Red Wings games. However, there is not a very high demand for such transportation on a daily basis. Another big problem with the People Mover is that it only moves in one direction. One would have to go all the way around the route just to get to the previous stop. Ultimately, the People Mover does next to nothing to transport inner city workers to the suburbs, nor does it provide a useful alternative for workers in the suburbs to make their commute to work. In fact, since it opened, the number of people using the DPM has been dropping significantly. When it opened in 1991, over 3 million people used it that year which by 1997 dropped to 2 million users. By the fiscal year 1999-2000, there were only about 1.5 million users, which is only 11% of its 14.6 million passenger potential (McWhirter)! Detroit has a metro population of 5 million, while the city alone has over 950,000. This would imply that in an entire year, about only one in every three people use the DPM.

Because there are far fewer users then expected, the People Mover is the great financial burden it has put on the city. For every person that pays the $.50 toll to ride the People Mover, the City must pay $3.55 subsidy (Puls)! Had the tri-county area used all of the $600 million President Ford allocated for a wide spread rail system, or had the 1984 plan for a widespread subways system (or even if the 1933 and 1919 proposals happened), then the People Mover would have been a useful link in connecting in downtown area with other rail systems (Detroit Free Press). Today the rail sits there and consumes tax money as it waits for the city transit system to grow, and new proposals to actually take place.

The City of Detroit has two other public transportation systems that serve as tourist sight-seeing transit lines. The downtown trolley has 9 cars that circle Washington Blvd., Jefferson Ave., The Renaissance Center, and Grand Circus Park (D-DOT). Obviously this line does not go near any population centers, and is useless in reducing the amount of traffic on city streets. The other bus line is the "Grey Line," though this line is used mainly for tours of the cultural areas of the city. Since the "Grey Line" requires advance reservations, it does nothing to promote mass transit in Detroit.

As previously mentioned the inefficient mass transit system in Detroit causes a great deal of problems for Detroiters. Lower class workers who do not own a car face a paradox: in order to purchase and maintain car one needs a job. In order to get to work, one needs a car. There are a number of reasons as to why there are few jobs in the city, and one of which is the lack of mass transit. With so many proposals and so little action done to make them happen in Detroit, and which the city preferring to invest in expanding roads and improving highways, the people of Detroit found it easier and more convenient to commute to work from suburban homes. Furthermore, shopping malls and strip malls became logical alternatives to street level downtown shops, as one could easily drive to and park at these suburban shopping centers rather than risk shopping in the city. The same can be said about offices and factories- since there was no efficient mass transit system and since the auto was affordable and convenient due to a good road system suburban sprawl was inevitable in the Motor City. With so much sprawl, the city was left with few businesses, leaving little work for the remaining workers.

While it is evident that the citizens of Detroit have suffered greatly with the current mass transit situation, people in the suburbs also pay the price. In fact, the Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint area is the 5^th most expensive metro area in the country to commute in according a study by the Washington D.C. based Surface Transportation Policy Project (STPP) (Longer). The average household in the area spends $6,710 a year on transit- that is more than spent on food, utilities, education, health care, etc (STPP). Where does this money go? 15.7% go to gas and motor oil, 39.2% go to vehicle purchases, 43.4% go to other vehicle purchases, while only 1.7% go to public transportation fares. Furthermore, 91.3% of trips are taken by car, compared to .4% taken by transit. These figures do not even include the amount of money taxpayers pay in the Detroit area to keep the roads in decent condition.

The Southeastern Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG), which is a regional planning partnership (that includes Wayne, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, and Washtenaw counties), has prepared a number of short term and long term solutions for the transportation problems of the Detroit metro area. The transportation department of the SEMCOG have begun two programs: the 2025 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and 2000-2002 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) (SEMCOG). The Transportation Improvement Program will allocate $1.4 billion in federal and state funding in the 7 county Detroit metro area (Tait). About 77% of this funding will go towards walking paths, bike paths, improving roads, fixing bridges, replacing buses, etc. The other 23% will be spent on widening roads in urbanized areas. A problem with this is that road widening will be focused on currently congested roads- ignoring areas where by 2025 will be home to the expected 560,000 increase in population (Tait). Of course, while widening roads is necessary in the short run, this will also discourage any development of a regional light rail system, and does little to help out the problems with the bus systems.

The Regional Transportation Plan, on the other hand, has made provisions to improve both bus transit, as well as begin proposals for a light rail system. First of all, SEMCOG would like to replace D-DOT busses, as well as expand the fleet and improve transfer facilities (SEMCOG). This calls for the redevelopment of the Cadillac Square transfer facility Downtown, as well as the establishment of four neighborhood facilities. The plan also calls for adding maintence facility and bus bay at the Detroit Intermodal Transportation Center. SEMCOG would also like to improve passenger facilities by improving the and adding shelters and bus stops. The D-DOT would also like to develop a "Flex Route" program with funding from SEMCOG, which will help low income households on the west side of Detroit provide after school transportation to and from day care centers.

The RTP also plans on expanding the services for the SMART bus system. SEMCOG would like to make technological improvements on the bus’s Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) which is currently unfunded. The RTP also calls for SMART to extend four of its routes for the purpose of linking inner city residents with suburban jobs. The plan will also increase the frequency of busses and hours in service for the bus system. Finally, the RTP has proposed a merger between SMART and D-DOT. While no details about such a merger are mentioned, this is a step in the right direction.

Increasing coordination and SMART’s expanded routes are definitely steps in the right direction, however, these are only short term solutions to help the current mass transit situation in Detroit. In order to accommodate the half million residents expected within the next 25 years, and in order to prevent further sprawl, an efficient and reliable light rail system is required. So far, the RTP has supported the Woodward Avenue Corridor Transit Alternatives Study to look at how an efficient transit system can be implemented downtown. The first phase of the study has been completed, as it focused on light rail, bus rapid transit, commuter rail, and automated guideway systems (like the current people mover). The study concluded that the aforementioned systems would be beneficial to the metro area both economically, ecologically, while easing road congestion. Therefore, SEMCOG has begun funding the second phase of the study, which will also include the effects of an entire regional transit system. One of the proposed elements of such a network is a "SpeedLink." This is a rapid transit bus system known as a "train on tires," as it uses specified roads to transport passengers around the city.

Another important reason why a well-planned network is necessary for Detroit, is for intra and inter state passenger rail services. As the Detroit-Chicago High Speed Rail Passenger Corridor Study progresses, SEMCOG has become influential in the planning. The RTP calls for the line to connect Detroit with Kalamazoo and Battle Creek, while designing a new, more suitable Amtrak station in Detroit. When this system becomes implemented, it will become necessary for travelers to be able to complete their destination via mass transit. Funding for the RTP has also been allocated for the Downtown Detroit to Detroit Metro Airport Rail Study, where again, a passenger who takes a train to the city should be able to complete his route via rail.

Finally, another interesting proposal is to connect Lansing and Detroit via rail, which was explored during the Lansing to Detroit Passenger Rail Study (Capital Area Transportation Authority). The four phases of the study were completed in September, 2000. The first phase found that in cities that had a similar rail system as the one proposed, there were between two and twelve trains each way running that carried between 200,000 and 2 million passengers a year. The fares ranged from three to thirty five dollars, and the rail networks tended to be run by Amtrak with state Department’s of Transportation overseeing. The second phase of the study studied four different lines between the two cities to see which one was best suited for the proposed rail system. It was decided that the best route would originate in Lansing, and use the CSX line that connects Lansing to Howell. At Howell, there is a connector that links the line to the Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway (TSBY), which goes south to Ann Arbor. From Ann Arbor, a new tracks will be laid to connect with the NS (formerly Conrail) route to Detroit. This route has a reasonable travel time, and links together centers like Lansing (including East Lansing), with Ann Arbor, Greenfield Village, and Detroit. This route also has little freight train interference and has received support from the communities involved. Phase three of the study looked at the number of people that will use this rail route, as well as where the train stations will be. The study concluded that the Lansing area is expected to grow by 15%, Washtenaw county will grow by 32%, Livingston county will double in size (it is the fastest growing county in the state), and Southeaster Michigan in general will increase by over 12%. Furthermore, Detroit and Ann Arbor will use existing stations, while other new stations will be built in Lansing, East Lansing, Howell, and Dearborn for a total cost of about $4.3 million. Phase four of the study simply created a business plan for the project, by laying out the organizational structure.

While a great deal of progress has been made with the proposed Lansing- Detroit rail proposal, it is the only mass transit study that has been completed and is preparing for construction. What will happen when the route does arrive to Detroit, and passengers arrive in the New Center Amtrak station, with no other means to commute in the city? Perhaps this will push the city government to finally act instead of making proposals and conducting studies that do not resolve anything.

Detroit is currently in a difficult position. In order for a mass transit system to be effective, it needs to be widespread. An effective system should be able to transport people without cars easily to their job within a reasonable amount of time. The current D-DOT expansion proposed in the RTP however, appears to make bus system even more complex. An effective, cost-efficient transit network should incorporate a light rail system in the city, combined with a rather extensive network of light rail in the suburbs, use the People Mover (perhaps with a new loop that goes the other way) as a means to get around the Central Business District. Furthermore, the new Amtrak station in the New Center area should have access to multiple light rail lines, so that travelers coming from other cities can easily go to their destination using mass transit. Studies should be conducted to see where popular destinations will be for potential commuters, so that rail stations can be placed at both population centers, business centers, and other popular areas of interest. Parking structures should be placed near suburban rail stations, and a some urban stations. Meanwhile, the SMART and D-DOT bus systems should merge, and coordinate their schedules with the light rail system to act as tributaries to the light rail lines, both in the city and suburbs.

The problem is, these systems cost money. If Detroit’s transit systems improve, then more workers will be able to find jobs, which will mean more money for the city of Detroit. Furthermore, efficient public transportation might slow the sprawl, and encourage population growth and inner-city population density, which will increase property values which would increase government revenue. In the short run, a city budget deficit could be beneficial for the economic well being of the city. However, the city cannot simply improve public transportation, and then sit back and watch Detroit blossom. In order for the city to be well off, improvements need to be made at many in many different areas of the city structure. While a reliable, efficient public transportation system is vital to the economic well being of a city, it will do nothing if people have no where to go. If Detroit were to follow through on a sound public transit proposal, while forcing building owners to develop the abandoned buildings they own, while having a school board that does not embezzle money, while providing basic city services like reliable trash pick up and fixing neighborhood streetlights- Detroit will inevitably experience positive economic growth and become the world class city people have been waiting for it to be.