If you've been following the Detroit budget talks, you may have heard about the Detroit City Council veto of Mayor Bing's budget. Among the many cuts expected July 1, 2011:
1. Shut-down of Sunday DDOT bus service
2. Cutting $4.4M from the Detroit Transportation Department, shutting down the People Mover
3. These cuts could jeopardize the Federal Matching grants needed for the M-1 Rail System slated to run from downtown to the state fairgrounds at 8 Mile and Woodward.
There is absolutely no arguing that these are tough times. And yeah - I do understand that the People Mover may be the biggest transit joke in the country as it stands. It was built to be the end of a light rail system that moved *people* (hence the super creative name) into the city. If it closes, it's just another huge step back as it relates to transit in Detroit. Which we really cannot afford.
There is STILL room for compromise - so if you care about transit in Detroit - please contact members of City Council to express your serious concern about these cuts!
For more general info/the contact info for City Council:
http://www.detroittransit.org/
For background:
http://www.detnews.com/article/20110606/METRO/106060408/Detroit-City-Council-overrides-Bing-budget-veto
A timely assessment of alternative transit options in Detroit in light of these budget cuts (and ps - soooo sad to have missed this!):
http://www.modeldmedia.com/features/speakerseriesrecap060711.aspx
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