University of Michigan looks at remaking Ann Arbor transit landscape

The Google effect is starting to ripple out to Ann Arbor’s transit community, too.Excerpt:The University of Michigan is on the cusp of transforming Ann Arbor’s transportation network.Creating more efficient transportation options from U-M’s North Campus, which now includes the 174-acre ex-Pfizer site, to its Central Campus and medical facilities, rose to a top priority this week as part of a new university-driven transportation initiative.The move could fundamentally alter the city’s transit infrastructure:  All options are on the table, officials said, which could mean intra-city rail or trolleys.U-M President Mary Sue Coleman signaled Oct. 5 in her “State of the University” speech that the university would jump into the local transportation mix – beyond an existing proposal to create a transit station at Fuller Road near the hospital.The university’s involvement promises to add a sense of legitimacy, if also a layer of political complexity, to the region’s transportation ambitions.“We are completely intertwined as communities, so it’s going to be very important for us to plan together,” Coleman told AnnArbor.com. “I’m excited about our trying to do a better job on the North Campus-Central Campus connection. Clearly that has impacts on the city and the state, so we want to involve everybody in that discussion as we get some ideas for what we might do.”Read the rest of the story here and here.