Transportation

Quack! Media’s Al McWilliams is poster child for public transport

By Newsroom

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March 13, 2013

Al McWilliams of Quack! Media takes the bus or bike to whereever he wants to go. And he's not alone. More and more young professionals are choosing to live where they can either walk, bus or take the train to work. Excerpt: "McWilliams represents a growing segment of America that has embraced public transit from coast to coast in communities like Seattle, Dallas, Nashville and Los Angeles. And the numbers are bearing that out. Statistics released Monday from the American Public Transportation Association show that 2012 ranks as the second-highest transit ridership year since 1957. Only 2008 was higher." Read the rest here.

Latest in Transportation

Talking trains with A2’s transportation manager

By Newsroom

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In The News

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February 27, 2013

Eli Cooper has been Ann Arbor's transportation manager since 2005. AnnArbor.com sat down with him to discuss the city's future with regard to rail travel and roads. Excerpt: "Cooper came to Ann Arbor in 2005 after spending two decades honing his skills as a transportation planner in New Jersey, Delaware, Minnesota and Washington. He's worked on initiatives ranging from light rail to statewide transportation planning, and just about everything in between. Cooper said he welcomes the recent news that the Michigan Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration and Norfolk Southern Railway Co. have signed an agreement to transfer ownership of 135 miles of Norfolk Southern's tracks to MDOT for $140 million." Read the rest here.

Cyclists need better street maps

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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February 27, 2013

What do you know, navigating streets and roadways is different for bicycles than it is for cars. Who'd of guessed? Austin is leading the way with mapping out its streets to make info about them safer, more relevant, and more accurate for local cyclists. Hopefully other communities (cough-AnnArbor-cough) will take note. Excerpt: "In other words, the majority of people might want to give biking for transport a try, but they’re worried they might not be able to handle the stress and danger of riding on their city’s roads. That 60 percent is the coveted demographic slice that Wilkes and others want to encourage. And for Austin, a better bike map is a key part of an overall strategy to get those folks out and riding. The city’s map prioritizes rider comfort in its symbology. "We tried to make it real intuitive," says Wilkes, who has been refining the concept for several years now. Bike trails, separated cycle tracks, and what the city terms "quiet streets" – in peaceful, low-traffic neighborhoods – are marked in vivid green. "High comfort" roads are bright blue."Medium comfort" is marked in a darker blue. "Low comfort" is indicated by a cautionary yellow. And red signifies "extremely low comfort," as in, you probably don’t want to go there unless you are one of the rodeo-riding one percent. Directional arrows indicate hills and how steep they are." Read the rest here.

City of Ann Arbor and U-M look to launch bike-share program

By Newsroom

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In The News

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February 20, 2013

Ann Arbor’s Clean Energy Coalition, Downtown Development Authority, AATA and U-M are working to create a bike-share programs that would serve the campus and downtown, tragetting both student and resident users. Excerpt: "The idea for the bike-sharing program began with University President Mary Sue Coleman’s sustainability address last year. In her remarks, she touched on her wish to bring a bike-sharing program to Ann Arbor similar to the ones that had been successful on other university campuses. Students have advocated for the program in recent years as well. Stephen Dolen, the executive director of Parking and Transportation Services, formed a partnership with the CEC, the Downtown Development Authority and the AATA to launch the program. Dolan said while the groups have all committed to working on the project, some technical aspects are still being negotiated." Read the rest here.

Is car sharing the way of the future?

By Newsroom

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In The News

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February 6, 2013

Ann Arbor is just one of many cities embracing such car-sharing programs as Zipcar. With more than 750K members, car-sharing programs are becominga vianle alternative, particularly for a younger generation with different transportation priorities than their parents. Excerpt: "In the case of car sharing, a few factors have contributed to its rise. "Re-urbanization is a big trend," says Mark Norman, president and chief operating officer of Zipcar, based in Cambridge, Mass. "Lots of people are staying in cities, raising their kids there. Empty nesters are returning to walkable communities." "We're dancing around the issue of young buyers," says Bruce Belzowski, an assistant research scientist at the University of Michigan's Transportation Research Institute in Ann Arbor. Young adults have "different priorities than having a new vehicle," he says. Millennials aren't buying cars in the volumes their counterparts once did. Adults ages 24 to 31 bought just 27 percent of vehicles sold in the United States in 2010, down from a peak of 38 percent in 1985." Read the rest here.

Bus from Ann Arbor to Ypsilanti faster, more frequent

By Newsroom

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In The News

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December 5, 2012

Ridership is growing on local buses and new route planning is helping to make the system better for all. The bus from Ann Arbor to Ypsilanti along Packard will be 8 minutes faster now that it's traveling a straight path. Excerpt: "On the branch from downtown Ypsilanti, the number of trips will continue to be two per hour, but the trip time will be reduced by 18 percent by providing a more direct route along Packard. On the other branch, the number of trips will increase from two to four per hour." Read the rest here.

Historic Ypsilanti Freighthouse shoots for spring re-opening

By Tanya Muzumdar

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Arts and Culture

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December 5, 2012

The long-awaited next chapter for the Ypsilanti Freighthouse is coming, very possibly by May of 2013. The circa-1850 building, originally part of the Michigan Central Railroad Complex in Depot Town, has been closed for the past eight years. At this point over $1 million has been raised and spent on an extensive rehabilitation of the structure to make it eligible for occupancy and re-open it for public use. The funding came from a combination of federal, state, and city of Ypsilanti funds, as well as auctions, sales, and private donations. The Friends of The Ypsilanti Freighthouse (FOYF), the group managing the project, is raising the final $75,000 needed for the last few punch-list items, according to FOYF co-founder Linda French. The funds are needed to install new bathrooms, a heating system, and a fire suppression system. The property has a new metal roof, steel structural supports, and a large rain garden. It retains its original brick interior walls and wood floor. The Freighthouse, which measures about 5,000 square feet, will contain a train kiosk for planned commuter train service, a gathering room for community events, and a café. "Once we get it open, we're going to put out RFPs throughout the community to see what it is the people in the city would like to see in there, and then have RFPs from different groups that might want to run it," French says. "We envision it going back to being a public domain, where you have jazz shows, you have antique shows and farmers markets, just bits of things that the community can be involved in." She adds: "We did a very extensive business plan so that we would make this a sustainable building so the city doesn't have to pay money to keep it going." The intent is to charge rental fees for occasional private events, such as weddings, although by and large, the building will remain open to the public. "It is Greenfield Village quality. It's just a wonderful building and now that it's fixed, we'd like to return it to the city of Ypsilanti and have it be used by the citizens." Source: Linda French, co-founder, Friends of The Ypsilanti Freighthouse Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Ann Arbor’s The Connector plan seeks input on mass transit options

By Tanya Muzumdar

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Development News

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December 5, 2012

In the near future, car-clogged Ann Arbor could get some relief if The Connector, a plan for a high-capacity mass transit service route covering an arc from the city's northeast to its south end, gets some traction with the public. A feasibility study conducted by the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (AATA), the city of Ann Arbor, the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority, and the University of Michigan found sufficient demand for such a service exists in that portion of the city, the service could be supported, and four options exist: bus rapid transit; streetcars; light rail; and elevated guideway, perhaps akin to Detroit's People Mover. Now the partnership has started on the next project phase, a Federal Transit Administration grant-funded alternatives analysis to be completed over the next 14 months, with a final report to be issued in early 2014. Accordingly, community input is being sought at a series of public meetings to be held later this month and in 2013. The community will have a say on a locally preferred alternative, which would outline the preferred transportation mode or combination thereof, service level, station locations, route alignment, and estimated costs. "Right now the U-M bus system carries about 30,000 people a day between North Campus and Central Campus. Just on that little spur, there's that kind of ridership, and we're talking about a bigger corridor that goes from northeast Ann Arbor down to Briarwood," says Chris White, manager of service development for AATA. In a best-case scenario, The Connector could be up and running by 2020, although White says such projects typically take longer to develop. The public is welcome to drop in and offer input at these Ann Arbor locations: Mon., Dec. 10 8-10 a.m. at the Blake Transit Center 1-3 p.m. at Busch's Market, 2020 Green Rd. 6-8 p.m. at Briarwood Mall Tues., Dec. 11 8-10 a.m. at Sweetwaters, 123 W. Washington St. 1-3 p.m. at Sweetwaters, 3393 Plymouth Rd. 6-8 p.m. at Briarwood Mall Source: Chris White, manager of service development for AATA Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

U-M installs new electric car charging stations

By Tanya Muzumdar

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Development News

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November 28, 2012

Electricity may steadily displace gasoline for powering cars, and the University of Michigan is supporting this newer technology while shrinking its carbon cloud. Last month, six new electric car charging stations were installed in campus parking areas: the South Campus lot at Hoover and Greene streets, the Ann Street parking structure on the Medical Campus, and the North Campus lot on Murfin Street. "We have had requests from faculty, staff, and students about the opportunity to have these on campus," says Stephen Dolen, U-M's executive director of parking and transportation services. The stations are of the Level 2 (208-240 volts) variety. Faculty, staff, and students may use them free of charge, while the public need only pay the standard parking rates. The project was funded through a U.S. Department of Energy grant administered by the Clean Energy Coalition. Equipment and software costs were approximately $28,865, according to Dolen. The stations are quickly being utilized, Dolen says. Usage is recorded and the university is building future electric charging capacity into its plans. "For instance, in the new Wall Street parking structure that we'll be building, starting early next year, we're putting in the infrastructure to be able to add up to 30 EV (electric vehicle) stations in that building, if there is that kind of demand...We'll see how this works and what kind of usage [we're getting] and then consider expanding." Source: Stephen Dolen, U-M's executive director of parking and transportation services Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Double decker rail cars tested for Ann Arbor commuter line

By Newsroom

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In The News

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November 28, 2012

Inch by inch the development of a commuter rail system between Ann Arbor and Detroit... well, actually Jackson and Detroit, becomes a reality. Excerpt: "Officials say they hope to hear next week whether the cars passed the test to enter into service. If so, the public could have a chance to take demonstration trips next year. Tuesday's test used an Amtrak engine to take the cars on a run that began in Pontiac and included stops at Birmingham, Royal Oak, Detroit's New Center area, Dearborn, Detroit Metropolitan Airport, Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, Dexter, Chelsea and Jackson." Read the rest here.