The
House proposal would transfer
$36 million from public transit
to fund roads. While fixing our
roads is a mutual priority,
doing so on the backs of our
region’s seniors, disabled,
youth, and our most vulnerable
residents is not a viable
solution. (Photo by HB
Meeks/Tell Us Detroit)
House
Transportation
Committee
Budget
Prioritizes
Potholes
over
People
Joint
Statement
LANSING,
MI - The
FY 2020
House
transportation
budget
proposal
passed
by the
Transportation
Subcommittee
of
Appropriations
jeopardizes
transit
and
mobility
services
state-wide,
including
service
provided
across
Southeast
Michigan
by the
TheRide
(Ann
Arbor),
Detroit
Department
of
Transportation
(DDOT),
and The
Suburban
Mobility
Authority
for
Regional
Transit
(SMART).
The
House
proposal
would
transfer
$36
million
from
public
transit
to fund
roads.
While
fixing
our
roads is
a mutual
priority,
doing so
on the
backs of
our
region’s
seniors,
disabled,
youth,
and our
most
vulnerable
residents
is not a
viable
solution.
How
would
the
House
proposal
impact
transit
services
in metro
Detroit
and Ann
Arbor?
Bus
services
provided
more
than 40
million
rides in
2018
across
Macomb,
Oakland,
Washtenaw,
and
Wayne
Counties.
•
Under
the
House
proposal,
state
operating
funding
would be
reduced
to the
lowest
amount
since
2005.
Southeast
Michigan
would
lose
millions
of
dollars
in state
funding.
State
funds
are used
to match
local
investment
and are
a
critical
part of
annual
operating
budgets.
•
The
House
proposal
also
reduces
capital
investment.
State
funding
helps
keep
vehicle
fleets
and
facilities
in
working
order.
Cuts to
the
transit
capital
budget
puts
federal
funding
at risk
if there
are
insufficient
funds
available
to
“match”
the
federal
grants.
MDOT
reports
that,
under
this
proposal,
they
will be
approximately
$3
million
short of
meeting
all
available
federal
funding
for
urban
bus
systems.
Further,
transit
agencies
would
not be
able to
access
federal
discretionary
funds if
matching
funds
are
unavailable.
• The
House
proposal
discourages
innovation
by
cutting
new
initiatives
funding
by 77%,
funds
that can
be used
to
implement
new
mobility
projects
across
the
region.
•
The
House
proposal
also
cuts
“specialized
services”
by 70%,
resulting
in more
than
348,000
rides
lost for
seniors
and
individuals
with
disabilities.
The
cuts
affect
riders
state-wide;
in
urban,
suburban
and
rural
communities.
Likely
impacts
in our
region
include:
•
TheRide
(Ann
Arbor):
The
proposed
operating
cuts
would
eliminate
service
for
about
300,000
annual
trips
which
Michiganders
rely on
to get
to jobs,
doctors,
schools,
and
grocery
stores.
This
could
increase
traffic
and wear
on our
roads
while
leaving
the most
vulnerable
stranded
without
access
to
opportunity.
Loss of
capital
funding
would
stall
investment
leading
to
shrinking,
unreliable
bus
fleets –
mirroring
the
impact
of
under-investing
in
roads.
• DDOT:
The
proposed
cuts to
capital
funding
could
jeopardize
the
matching
funds
required
to
access
federal
grants
DDOT
uses to
maintain
its
assets
in a
state of
good
repair.
In 2018,
DDOT was
able to
leverage
$2,384,000
in state
funding
to
access
$9,536,038
in
discretionary
federal
funding
to
support
a
necessary
facility
rehabilitation
project.
If DDOT
loses
access
to
federal
formula
or
discretionary
funding,
it would
mean
deferred
maintenance,
and
reductions
in
service.
•
SMART:
The
proposed
package
of cuts
would
reduce
SMART’s
operating
budget
and
grant
match
revenues
by close
to $7
Million
annually.
This
reduction
in
funding
would
require
cuts in
services
for
fixed
route,
connector
(primarily
senior
and
disabled)
service,
and
specialized
local
services.
The loss
of state
revenue
affects
communities
that opt
into the
full
services
of the
SMART
system
as well
as those
communities
that opt
out of
SMART;
the
Specialized
Services
program
alone
funds
over
400,000
rides
annually
through
39
individual
programs
all
across
Wayne,
Oakland,
Macomb
and
Monroe
Counties.
In
addition,
fewer
state
matching
dollars
would
jeopardize
$4.5
million
in
Federal
grant
funds
that are
essential
to
maintaining
safe and
reliable
equipment
and
facilities.
Recently,
national
and
regional
business
leaders
have
acknowledged
that
Southeast
Michigan
needs to
invest
in
public
transit
to make
the
region
and the
State of
Michigan
more
competitive
in a
global
economy.
This
latest
House
Transportation
Committee
budget
poses a
risk not
only to
the
region’s
transit
dependent
residents,
but also
to the
businesses
where
they
work and
shop,
and to
future
economic
growth
in our
region
and
state.
In
its
current
form,
this
proposal
jeopardizes
existing
transit
service
across
the
state
while
not
generating
enough
revenue
to
actually
fix our
roads; a
lose-lose
proposition
for
everyone.
We ask
that the
Legislature
at a
minimum
maintain
current
state
funding
levels
for
transit
services
across
the
state as
it seeks
to
develop
a
balanced
budget.
The
people
of our
Great
State
and
Southeast
Michigan
deserve
and need
both
good
roads
and good
transit;
not one
or the
other.