That amount of time saved in such a short distance is interesting, and I am sure it will feel even faster. With another bus coming by the station every eight to ten minutes will it seem like a very reliable system and I think it will get people out of their cars, and travel to other neighborhoods to eat and shop, maybe even during their lunch hour. I hope they start it sooner than later, maybe they should just turn Michigan Ave. into a gravel road until then. It would be a smoother ride.
Not quite BRT, but noticed today that, if the Trulia maps are right, quite a decent number of Lansing folks commute by public transit. (Note that I'm not exactly sure how the data was processed.) A few numbers...
The darkest green (e.g. MSU) means over 50%. MSU itself at 88%.
The lighter green seems to mean 25-50%, most sections are around 30%.
The yellow means 15-25%.
The lighter orange means 5-15%.
The dark orange is less than 5%.
Keep in mind the national average is about 5%. (So... maybe you should find these numbers a bit suspect, anyway there you have it.)
I just looked at the Cincinnati area for comparison, just because we have a lot of family living there, and that map (especially outside the downtown core) is a lot more light and dark orange. So that comforts me a little about the data actually meaning something true.
So, apparently, they held another meeting in Okemos, tonight, and that community continues to flip out over this. It's not going to get CATA to scrap this, but I've always thought Meridian Township was a slightly more progressive community than it's displayed itself during this whole planning stage. Kind of makes me look back and wonder why we didn't just propose a light rail line if they are going to act this immature over a BRT line.
The funny thing is that Lansing and East Lansing have far more legitimate complaints about the line. There really isn't much along the line between the township border and the Meridian Mall, and all they were screaming about is how this is going to kill business along the line in the township. Sure, maybe it'll make things a bit more interesting traffic wise between the township border and Park Lake, but east of that it's not going to mess anything up in any meaningful way.
There is plenty of room at that point to build many left turn lanes like on E. Michigan Ave and MLK . I think that that sort of left in possibly safer and not that difficult. How many years has this been in the planning? I don't think a few business owners should be allowed to mess up this whole thing. It is possible that they may get more business from BRT riders. I have thought twice about making lefts on five lane road like W. Saginaw or E. Grand River as it is now, it kind of dangerous to sit there in the middle, with the boulevard type lefts you are out of the traffic flow much safer.
Took a terrible photo I needn't share, but saw a bunch of "STOP CATA'S BRT" signs along Grand River in Meridian Township today. Kind of ironic. On the one hand you've got people like me who want the BRT, but are skeptical (even absent opposition) that it will actually happen. On the other hand you've got people who don't want it, and are so convinced it would happen that they're going through quite the effort to stop it.
With all of the support from local government, the business community, the transit authority, itself, and everyone else that actually matters in this, the question about the project has never been an "if" but a "when." There are really only two obstacles facing CATA as it relates to this project: It's lack of expertise in doing something like this (and this can be seen in delays of the project), and the super-competitive grants that fund projects like this. The latter is the biggest of these obstacles. And, to be clear, Meridian Township has not come out opposed to this project. So far, it's only been some really vocal NIMBYs and only in Meridian Township. And, even if Meridian Township's board of trustees voted in favor of some resolution against the project, unless they can somehow convince the CATA board to abandon the project (fat chance), this project is going to happen. Ironically, one of the Meridian Townships two members on the board, Julie Brixie, is the township treasurer who has been a vocal supporter of the project, and there other member is currently the chair of the board. The city of Lansing, alone, has four members on the board. Politically, everything is wrapped up.
What CATA needs to make this happen faster are some grant writers who have done this before and that would require some outside help since Lansing has never done this.
I like your post Mich. It would seem that the load mouths out there are shouting too late. If it true that opponents were booing and name calling the supporters it seems to be sadly typical of civil discourse these days. I would like to tell the folks in Okemos that E. Grand River and their town in general are not "all that" as they say now. By that I mean the town and some of the people in it could use some urban and attitude revitalization. What are they trying to protect, a left turn lane? Sorry Okemos but you have been totally swallowed up by Greater Lansing! Is it time to move to Willamston?
I heard today that Meridian Twsp. has rejected the BRT plan. Maybe the there could now be a BRT route would turn up Hagadorn to Lake Lansing RD. past Eastwood and back downtown, with a line going down Saginaw to the Lansing Mall. Just leave Meridian out of the BRT system all together. I wonder about the the townships further to the east. Wasn't this plan going to be expanded all the way to Williamston?
Comments
Not quite BRT, but noticed today that, if the Trulia maps are right, quite a decent number of Lansing folks commute by public transit. (Note that I'm not exactly sure how the data was processed.) A few numbers...
The darkest green (e.g. MSU) means over 50%. MSU itself at 88%.
The lighter green seems to mean 25-50%, most sections are around 30%.
The yellow means 15-25%.
The lighter orange means 5-15%.
The dark orange is less than 5%.
Keep in mind the national average is about 5%. (So... maybe you should find these numbers a bit suspect, anyway there you have it.)
The funny thing is that Lansing and East Lansing have far more legitimate complaints about the line. There really isn't much along the line between the township border and the Meridian Mall, and all they were screaming about is how this is going to kill business along the line in the township. Sure, maybe it'll make things a bit more interesting traffic wise between the township border and Park Lake, but east of that it's not going to mess anything up in any meaningful way.
It does make it seem as though it may come sooner ironically.
What CATA needs to make this happen faster are some grant writers who have done this before and that would require some outside help since Lansing has never done this.