Occupy Detroit Transit

Demobilized Detroit - JARC failure

2016-07-26T05:30:00.001-04:00

Has Detroit been intentionally demobilized?

There have been numerous attempts made at Detroit City Council meetings in 2012 asking for JARC (Job Access Reverse Commute) to be implemented and delays investigated. But it seems true to "Motor City vision" that mass transit would not be taken seriously. Detroit's legacy is with personal transit in automobiles. The Detroit Free Press exposed a long standing problem, one which has sapped Detroit residents of their ability to get to and from work opportunities up to 30 miles from their residence. This was exposed in February 2015 when stories regarding James Robertson's 21 walking mile commute to work was exposed.

The Detroit Department of Transportation received a total of $17.4 million in federal and state transportation funds in 2004-12 to start the program, called Job Access and Reverse Commute, that gives cheap door-to-door rides to work for Detroiters who lack cars. ^[1]

The cost per ride is $1.50, the same as fixed fare bus service on DDOT. This makes it cheaper than $2.00 on SMART and the cost for transfer tickets of $0.25 and $0.50 on these fixed service bus routes. They are also scheduled at the time you need service, that means no standing in the cold or walking blocks through drifts of blowing snow. There are low income requirements to be part of JARC program, however these don't take into account for the high rates for automobile insurance in the city of Detroit, driven by redlining over decades.

Detroit has been receiving federal and state grant dollars for over a decade on a poorly implemented system that should have HUGE demand.

"In essence the money was sitting there and the city never started the program," said DDOT Director Dan Dirks, who began in early 2014.^[1]

Detroit ranked 40th of 70 cities in the Innovative Transportation study in 2014 by Pirgim. 6 services out of 11 surveyed determined the ranking.

We have: ride sourcing through Uber, Lyft; round trip car sharing with ZipCar; peer to peer car sharing with RelayRides; open data through Google, Hopstop, gtfs; real time information through Moovit, a transit app; and multi-modal app RideScout.
Missing were: one way carsharing; ride sharing; taxi hailing; bike sharing; virtual ticket info.

The survey suggests governments can offer services that we've seen riders bring up during DDOT community meetings:

Expanding access to cellular networks, wifi, and electric outlets.
Creating access to technology-enabled services in transportation “hubs” near transit stations helping riders make “first mile/last mile” connections.

Currently Rosa Parks Transit Center has wifi, but it is closed to public access, it has also opened a single location for cell phone recharging. Given the structure was recently built limiting access to these services is particularly odd as it appears to be intentionally implemented to disable riders. Other hub locations have no building and some no shelter for public access. There has also been a reduction in the number of shelters along bus routes, some through planned removal others subjected to vandalism. Federal grant programs exist specifically for creating bus shelters and equipping them.

Enabling ticketing through smartphone apps. This was available in 6 of 70 communities surveyed.
Adjusting zoning and planning to accommodate changing modes of transportation - such as easily accessible (reduced fare) space for ride/bike sharing near transit hubs.

Current JARC Information

Detroit JARC Brochure

References

^[1] DDOT sat for years on millions in ride service funds, Detroit Free Press, February 5, 2015

Greener Urban Spaces

2015-01-15T17:10:00.000-05:00

There's a wonderful initiative to cover the Autobahn in Hamburg Germany. It's called the "Hamburger Deckel". 3.5km of roadway is going to be covered, turning it into green space and reducing noise in the neighborhoods. There's a great review of the project in English at Streets Without Cars.

If It Was In Detroit...

Inside the tunnel - a concern of handling air pollution from emissions and fresh air circulation. Our freeways are a major contributor to air pollution, especially during rush hour when each curve in the freeway brings traffic to a stop and go nightmare. There would be a fortunate consequence that a tunnel could gather emissions to be managed better. Air circulation into these spaces is required and is likely built into the Deckel's plans.

Outside the tunnel - one benefit is the mitigation of air pollution through creating green spaces to offset carbon emissions with fresh air.

Another benefit in removal of divides in the city caused by the impassable chasms of freeways intertwined around the city. Bringing neighborhoods together through common green space would improve access for those living in the area.

Public Spaces

Since these areas would be built upon public land these should be put into a community land trust with representatives from the neighborhoods enabled to control the destiny of the property created. It could serve as community market, education spaces, and gardening initiatives. Keep the spaces in the public, that will be needed as the freeway beneath will need to remain in service to the public.

Detroit does have a lot of vacant land... bringing all the chunks together makes it more appealing and usable. Back in 1960s the Black Bottom neighborhood running up Hastings Street was demolished to construct the Chrysler Freeway the people were told something good would be coming in return. This is from the Detroit Historical website:

In the early 1960s, the City of Detroit conducted an Urban Renewal program to combat what it called "Urban Blight." The program razed the entire Black Bottom district and replaced it with the Chrysler Freeway and Lafayette Park, a mixed-income development designed by Mies van der Rohe as a model neighborhood combining residential townhouses, apartments and high-rises with commercial areas. Many of the residents relocated to large public housing projects such as the Brewster-Douglass Housing Projects Homes and Jeffries Homes.

Doing this with an eye toward restorative justice in our communities - bridging the gaps of a century of road divide - would bring Detroit together.

SMART Passing Detroiters In The Cold

2015-01-12T08:36:00.000-05:00

The lines are sadly drawn by law - SMART doesn't pickup passengers in Detroit unless it is during the very limited rush hour window of time, and destinations are supposed to be outside city limits. We stand and wait for DDOT buses caught in bus bunching. There are five buses assigned on the major routes - Woodward, Grand River, Gratiot, Michigan. From about 3pm until 6pm those buses become focused on the shuttle of people out of the city - the exodus at the end of the work day.

The Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation is under pressure to support changing its boarding policy in the city limits to help ease the burden on Detroit residents who sometimes wait for hours, especially in bad weather.

SMART officials say they can't stop for stranded riders, citing a 50-year-old ordinance that prohibits them from picking up passengers within the city limits.

"I don't like the policy at all. (The bus) should stop, you know," said Murdock, 28, of Detroit, while he waited for a Detroit Department of Transportation bus. "It should stop for everybody who lives in Detroit. But it just goes right past."

--- Detroit News, January 11, 2015

Service Denied

SMART buses aren't allowed to pickup passengers that commute within Detroit city limits and the route hours headed into Detroit for pickup are limited to hours from 5am-8am and 3pm-6pm. It is hard to watch Detroit residents stand in the cold, with few shelters in the city, waiting for bunched up rush hour commutes to be unsnarled with personal passenger vehicles. SMART buses on their rush hour routes into/out of the city passing by, leaving a warm trail of exhaust in the bitter cold.

Is the flow being monitored centrally through tracking GPS broadcast signals from the buses or on the street by supervisors? DDOT would say both apply. However those on the ground waiting wonder why the pattern of disservice hasn't been met with additional buses launched on segments experiencing need. There are times it happens, but it also seems far too many times it doesn't.

The Citizens Advisory Committee commissioned by the Regional Transit Authority recently called on SMART to work with DDOT to find ways to change the ordinance and update its policy, especially since drivers have selectively picked up passengers. SMART transports riders into the city from the suburbs and then from designated locations downtown back to the suburbs.

Note: The RTA CAC will hold it's first meeting of 2015 on January 26 @4pm at SEMCOG offices, 1001 Woodward, Suite 1400, Detroit. The public is welcome to attend. Focus subcommittee opportunities will be available. An agenda for the meeting can be found through [ this link ].

DDOT buses break down, because every one that is capable of running is sent out each day with little pause in service for preventive maintenance. On a good day a few might be kept on hold to handle extra service, but there's a gamble as to which route, where, and when will the extra buses be needed.

Transfers Between Systems

For those needing to transfer between systems the rules, costs, processes differ. SMART has an FAQ section for reference.

	DDOT to SMART	SMART to DDOT
Base fare	$1.50	$2.00
Transfer fee	$0.25, if 2 SMART destinations add $0.25 when boarding SMART	$0.25
Regional pass transfer fee	$0.50	$0.50
Duration transfer valid	4 hours	3 hours

If transferring through SMART's flexible service, Dial-A-Ride, and Connector service it is best to check the FAQ for your situation as there are many potential situations.

SMART Isn't For Detroit Residents

If the ordinance changed, "we could probably pick up a few people" but wouldn't be able to meet the large demand. Detroiters are not covered by the SMART millage.

"We also realize that our first responsibility is to the people who are paying our bills," Hertel said. "No one has ever said that if the ordinance changed that we wouldn't pick people up. If I have to make a choice between providing service to someone who has paid for that service and providing service for someone who hasn't, I have to provide it to the person who's paid for it first. That doesn't mean that if I've got the ability I won't also do the other. "

It really all gets down to servicing those whom have had tax dollars put into the system. When money matters more than people's needs, service is generally denied, even on a public mass transit system.

"It's very difficult," Murdock said of the boarding policy. "It's real cold and you're ready to get on the bus to go home and they just pass you right up. And you've got to wait for the DDOT bus to come. And they're always late."

New & Repaired Buses

December 2013 Detroit was awarded $52 million for improvements on 60 vehicles, purchasing security equipment, improving facilities and installing bus shelters. Therefore, an April 2014, RFP 48223 for Mid-life Overhaul of DDOT buses was sent out by DDOT. You can view the RFP and Detailed Price List through the links here. The service life for buses (according to FTA) in DDOT's system most likely hits the 500,000 mile threshold before 12-15 years. As far as improving facilities / installing bus shelters... let's ask some questions for Dan Dirks. (See below for the questions being sent in.)

Seven buses in the allocation of 80 through a grant from the FTA were put into service this week, the remainder to be in service by Memorial Day.

Mlive reports:

Funds to purchase the buses at a cost of nearly $500,000 each come from a $13 million federal air quality grant and $25 million in Federal Transit Authority monies.

The Michigan Department of Transportation is matching 20 percent of those grants.

Seventy of the New Flyer buses are slated to be 40-foot clean-diesel coaches; 10, costing about $715,000 each, will be 60-foot buses intended to service the high-demand routes.

Two of the buses are electric hybrids.

Each will be equipped with GPS devices and seven surveillance cameras. The camera configuration includes two external cameras, one looking forward from the windshield and another recording passengers as they enter and exit; and five on-board cameras.

The addition of cameras is expected to yield fewer crashes, on-board assaults and frivolous lawsuits, said DDOT Director Dan Dirks, the former head of the suburban SMART bus system

The buses usually take 2.5 years to order, however DDOT was able to jump forward in the line of deliveries based on FTA requirements for implementation on grant funds. These buses have a lot of surveillance but with the length of service there are few embracing green renewable energy.

How to Embrace Green Energy

One of the proposals we would like to make is harnessing the wind and possibly solar encountered through travel and storing it into a bank of batteries. Why can't the fleet be generating energy as it is being consumed? Think of a few turbines such as this StormBlade (technology from 2006) mounted close to the roof on buses that aren't passing beneath low-clearance bridges. The onboard battery bank could be used on the bus or discharged once at the terminal for maintenance.

New Smart Phone App - "DDOT Bus App"

If you have an Android or iPhone there is a new app available - search for "DDOT Bus App" and you can install the app.

Since this is a new app I haven't yet had a chance to see how well it tracks real arrival times or scheduled arrival times. Today I'll get a chance to test it out further.

Text-My-Bus

For those without a "smart phone", if your phone is able to text - you can send a message to 5-0464 or 313-499-0937. Simply send the cross streets you desire and you'll get back a list of routes serving that location to select from, then a list of next arrival times as calculated. One thing to note ... if a bus is broken down the time to arrival will not change. So it might be a good idea to check a couple times if waiting for a bus to make sure that one you're waiting for is still moving.

Shortcuts - each intersection and route servicing it has a number which can be entered. That saves going through a couple screens of selection. On the example shown 163 is the shortcut code.

Note the short span of times between these arrival times shown on the example screen... this is an indicator that bus bunching is happening or a bus has broken down still transmitting.

Ditched By DDOT

Recently the people at Ditched By DDOT indicate Dan Dirks would take questions from them. They have in turn offered to submit questions from the public. Ditched By DDOT has a voicemail taking in calls and posting them online. Their phone number is 810-882-1302. When you call speak clearly with little background noise, so the transcription service Google offers gives the best possible result.

Questions for DDOT (Dan Dirks)

If you have a question you can send it through DitchedByDDOT@gmail.com. These are the questions we're sending in:

The FTA lists the life expectancy for a 40 foot bus as a minimum of 500,000 miles or 12 years. Since Detroit covers a lot of distance, what is the average life span within our current fleet? Which two systems are the most common to contribute to retiring a bus?
The Mid-Life Overhaul was to include improving facilities and installation of bus shelters, how was this achieved? Does DDOT have a list of bus shelters and their status, along with those which are planned?
Are there hybrid buses in the fleet? Since these have different systems is maintenance on them more or less difficult and are these preferred over traditional diesel power?
New Flyer offers full electric buses through the Xcelsior line - when do you anticipate DDOT would purchase these? What conditions would be needed?
Will there be any changes with bicycle racks on the buses? Most seem to have racks now, but a few don't. Do you get reports on how frequently bikes are loaded to the buses?
What sort of metrics are being published for the public to see and where would they find them? Do you think there could be a link to that information from the new smart phone app?
Any chance of hooking up wind or solar power collectors to the buses with a storage battery bank?
Finally our perennial question - 24 hour service needs to be restored, what is it going to take? This will enable job opportunities for Detroit residents working odd-shift jobs. Today, most basic employment jobs take place outside the traditional hours of work.

SMART’s Hertel Hurt by Rider Requests for Restored Service (Motor City Freedom Summer)

2014-08-29T18:43:00.000-04:00

This bulletin in from Motor City Freedom Summer, a MOSES focus project.

After many hours of work getting out the vote to keep SMART buses running, we’d hoped that our requests for SMART to consider bus service improvements would be considered in good faith, even if not accepted outright. Unfortunately, we were disappointed.

Yesterday, we went to the SMART Board of Directors meeting to celebrate the metro region’s overwhelming vote of confidence for transit in the August 5 election. We also asked SMART to consider using some portion of the additional $28 million they’ll be getting each year to bring back some level of bus service between Detroit and surrounding suburbs. Outside of morning and evening commute periods, this service was eliminated in December 2011, adding countless hours of waiting for those riders who didn’t give up on getting around by bus entirely.

In public comments, we stressed that the lack of transit between city and suburbs was a hardship on either side of Eight Mile. “When I would be spending money in the rest of the region,” said Detroit bus rider Syri Simpson, “I’m not able to get out there.” Oakland County resident Tom Zerafa said he’d given up attending Tigers night games since SMART cut evening service into Detroit. “I come down to Comerica Park,” he said, “and I can’t get home.”

However, SMART General Manager John Hertel did not think the possibility of restoring service should be discussed.

[ Read the full story ]

If you could, please share your concerns with SMART at postmaster@smartbus.org or call them at 313-223-2110.

Dan Dirks as New DDOT Director

2014-05-09T21:20:00.003-04:00

February 16, 2014 Mayor Duggan brought in a former working partner from his days at SMART as the new director for the Detroit Department of Transportation. The press conference acknowledged things aren't working well with DDOT. Dirks related waiting 35-40 minutes for a Woodward bus, which according to schedule should be every 15 minutes. Detroit is going through bitter cold temperatures with wind chills 30 degrees below freezing - since the bus shelters have been removed in so many places those waiting are quite upset and its let to violence against several bus drivers in the past few weeks. ATU 26 held a rally around the Coleman A Young Municipal Center requesting safe working conditions for its drivers and assistance for the riders.

Things to do as soon as possible:

Take care of uploading scheduling information to Google, Bing, Mapquest and other mapping services. This ensures riders can plot a ride route that likely is to include connecting between buses and estimated times for travel and waiting.
Maintenance contracts and parts suppliers need to be paid and orders change from delayed to expedited.
Hire more mechanics or bring those laid off back if still available.
Check on supervisors to ensure their job of regulating the flow of buses to serve rider needs is being performed.
Calibrate GPS tracking systems on buses so we don't have invisible buses or ghosts tracked early or late through Text-My-Bus
Make sure Text-My-Bus is available not only through the dial code 50464, also make it a local phone number for cell phone service providers that haven't linked up the code or don't offer dial codes.
Ensure public notices of meetings are very visible on all buses at least a week in advance, so riders can schedule attending.
Stop any planned removal of bus shelters and go back to INSTALLING rather than removing. Funding for shelters is available through State and Federal funding - reference FTA SAFETEA-LU Discretionary Grants (5309)

Eligible capital projects include the purchasing of buses for fleet and service expansion, bus maintenance and administrative facilities, transfer facilities, bus malls, transportation centers, intermodal terminals, park-and-ride stations, acquisition of replacement vehicles, bus rebuilds, bus preventive maintenance, passenger amenities such as passenger shelters and bus stop signs, accessory and miscellaneous equipment such as mobile radio units, supervisory vehicles, fare boxes, computers and shop and garage equipment.

Additional press:

"New DDOT Director: Dan Dirks", Transit Riders United
"Building on the Heart and Soul of Detroit", Model D / Real Detroit Weekly, February 27, 2014
"We've got to get the buses running on time", Detroit Free Press, April 13, 2014
"Transit officers start riding Detroit buses, targeting violence and disorder", The Detroit News, May 7, 2014

M-1 Rail Alters DDOT Service Along Woodward

2014-05-09T20:56:00.000-04:00

This notice of bus pickup and drop off changes has been post at a number of locations around downtown along Woodward. We've been continuing to encounter people standing waiting for a bus at disconnected stops, especially on Woodward at Campus Maritus and at John R northbound. What can / will DDOT do to inform those that have waited for hours of these immediate changes to service?? Is it sufficient to post a notice on a street lamp pole and expect people to read it and comply?

The text from the notice posted is shown. The size of the text is very small on the notices posted, even with the paper size at 12"x18".

M-1 Rail Detours

During the M-1 Rail construction period, we will be rerouting all boarding and drop offlocations on Woodward South of Grand Circus Park as follows:

#7 Cadillac – Harper

Boarding: Rosa Parks Transit Center; Washington Blvd. @ Michigan Avenue; Larned @ Woodward
Drop Off: Congress @ Bates; Congress @ Woodward; Rosa Parks Transit Center

#16 Dexter – Weekday service to Griswold @ Jefferson

Boarding: Griswold @ JeffersonMichigan @ CassWoodward @ Elizabeth
Drop Off: Cass @ Fisher Fwy.Washington Blvd. @ Grand RiverWashington Blvd. @ MichiganGriswold @ Jefferson

#16 Dexter – Nights and Weekends to R. P. T. C.
Boarding: Rosa Parks Transit CenterWoodward @ Elizabeth
Drop Off: Cass @ Fisher Fwy.; Rosa Parks Transit Center

#18 Fenkell

Boarding: Rosa Parks Transit Center; Washington Blvd @ Clifford; Woodward @ Elizabeth
Drop Off: Fisher Fwy. @ Second; Rosa Parks Transit Center

#23 Hamilton

Boarding: Rosa Parks Transit Center; Washington Blvd @ Clifford; Woodward @ Elizabeth
Drop Off: Cass @ Fisher Fwy.; Rosa Parks Transit Center

#25 Jefferson – Fort - Eastbound

Boarding: Rosa Parks Transit Center
Drop Off: Griswold @ Grand River; Larned @ Woodward

#25 Jefferson- Fort - Westbound
Boarding: Jefferson @ Randolph
Drop Off: Griswold @ Grand River; Griswold @ Jefferson; Rosa Parks Transit Center

#31 Mack

Boarding: Rosa Parks Transit Center; Woodward @ Columbia
Drop Off: Woodward @ Henry; Rosa Parks Transit Center

#49 Vernor

Boarding: Rosa Parks Transit Center; Woodward @ Columbia
Drop Off: Fisher Fwy. @ John R; Rosa Parks Transit Center

#53 Woodward – Weekday service to Beaubien @ Jefferson

Boarding: Beaubien @ Jefferson; Jefferson @ Brush; Jefferson @ Randolph; Griswold @ Larned; Woodward @ Columbia
Drop Off: Woodward @ Henry; Washington Blvd. @ Grand River; Washington Blvd. @ Michigan; Larned @ Woodward

#53 Woodward – Nights and Weekends to R. P. T. C.
Boarding: Rosa Parks Transit Center; Woodward @ Columbia
Drop Off: Woodward @ Henry; Rosa Parks Transit Center between Van Dyke/Warren and Van Dyke/Harper through November 2013 due to reconstruction of the I-94 Bridge

DDOT announces Service Changes due to M1 Rail construction 2014 by Stephen Boyle

M-1 & M-2 Rail Operating Licenses - Public Hearing January 22

2014-01-16T18:59:00.002-05:00

Michigan Department of Transportation and Detroit Public Works will be reviewing and discussing the M-1 Rail Operating Licenses with a presentation and public comment period on January 22, 2014 at the Detroit Public Library Main Branch, most likely in the downstairs auditorium.

Supporting Documents

Files have been gathered and shared in a collection related to Detroit Transit information.

Public Comments Welcome In Advance

Citizens may complete a written comment form at the hearing or mail, fax or e-mail their comments to: Robert H. Parsons, Public Involvement and Hearings Officer, Bureau of Highway Development, Michigan Department of Transportation, P.O. Box 30050, Lansing, MI 48909; Fax: 517-373-9255; or e-mail: parsonsb@michigan.gov. Comments must be e-mailed, faxed or postmarked on or before January 24, 2014. Additional parties interested in comments include: info@m-1rail.com, and transit@occupy-detroit.us to keep us apprised of comments coming through.

Public Notice and Coverage

Notice of the hearing is posted outside the Mayor's office and on other bulletin boards around Coleman A Young Municipal Center. Articles announcing the hearing and comment period have ran in these publications to date:

Note: due to the location being underground and network signals in that room are poor there is very little chance that a live video feed will be available. There will be video coverage provided after the event, however interaction prior to this hearing through written comments is the best way to have a voice in the proceedings.

!Rare! Bus Shelters in Detroit

2014-01-16T09:58:00.000-05:00

Wayne State University / Cultural Center seems to be the only area with bus shelters at this time.

This location - Woodward & John R - once had bus shelters at the stop. They have been removed.

There was a time when bus shelters were seen along the major routes of DDOT (Detroit Department Of Transportation) within Detroit. They weren't prolific, but when you're standing in the cold with snow and/or rain falling around you they can be vital in those long waits for the bus to arrive. What DDOT has been missing that SMART's suburban service does have are TIMETABLES for the route posted at the stops.

The Federal Transit Authority has funding to ensure bus shelters are present for riders, especially in those areas of low-income at need. The table below lists the grants offered through the FTA since 2009 to Detroit Transportation Corporation, source: ProRepublica Stmulus Tracking for Wayne County Michigan.

Recipient	Amount	Description	Federal Dept./Agency	Date
DETROIT TRANSPORTATION CORPORATION	$56,325	Federal Transit_Capital Investment Grants Invest in public transportation by upgrading a heat, ventilation. & air conditioning (HVAC) system and lighting system in our maintenance and control facility (MCF) that is twenty-four year old. This spending item is part of a $133,125 allocation. See details	Federal Transit Administration	8/21/2009
DETROIT, CITY OF	$37,550,020	Federal Transit_Formula Grants Invest in public transportation by performing preventive maintenance on existing buses, purchasing and implementing a facility management system and asset management system, purchasing new hybrid non-revenue service support vehicles, rehabilitating bus te See details	Federal Transit Administration	3/03/2010

Emergency Management through Created Crisis

What we are encountering in Detroit is a created crisis through the placement of Emergency Management by the State of Michigan. Just as they shut down power to the Coleman A Young Municipal Center on September 11, 2013 - to show the people that they carried the ability to do so. The removal of services and creation of an uncomfortable climate for low-income is the agenda of the EM's team.

Scheduled times for service have grown longer between buses, and supervisors directing the frequency of buses appear to have grown sleepy sitting in their service vehicles along the routes. "Bus Bunching" happens frequently during rush hour traffic along the maor thoroughfares such as Woodward Ave.

Public Evicted from Detroit Transit Center

2014-01-16T09:54:00.000-05:00

The public was evicted from Rosa Parks Transit Center Wednesday January 15 near noon. The temperature was about 20, with gusting wind. The reason was to fix ticket dispensers that had money in them.

Wouldn't this maintenance activity be better performmed at another time of day rather than a peak hour of usage and with poor weather conditions?

A new DDOT Director was installed Wednesday.... does he understand human needs? This is not just maintenance of a system... this is a social service that people depend on for their safety, well-being, employment, and quality of life. Mobility is a human need that must be addressed humanely.

The Mayor's office has been requested to take action in a few areas:

Bus schedules need uploaded to Google for mapping. Plus sending info to Bing maps, Mapquest, and other mapping services needing mass transit information. Can the information be made easy to access in a uniform industry accepted format?
Text-My-Bus (phone 50646) is still not working eight days after requests to have it fixed.
Bus shelters need to be INSTALLED *NOT* REMOVED. Those that were in the city have been disappearing over the past year to the point only a handful remain in very specific locations (i.e. WSU/DIA, City-County Bldg).

Why Fareboxes Aren't Working

2013-07-12T14:53:00.001-04:00

Tuesday I was headed out the door in Northend headed to Michigan and Trumbull for a meeting. I walked over to the bus stop at Woodward and Grand Blvd to wait for a bus. About 5 minutes after standing there I saw two buses bunched headed northbound up Woodward. Another 10 minutes later another headed northbound. I was running late for the meeting so I was grumbling a bit about the "415 Plan" to provide buses every 15 minutes along four major routes: Woodward, Dexter, Gratiot, and Grand River.

Late night at Rosa Parks Transit Center...
getting quieter with fewer buses

I checked at the corner to see if a Dexter bus was coming and there was nothing. Its an interesting spot to catch a bus because two of those routes are within a block from each other from Grand Blvd headed nearly all the way downtown. Waiting grew longer, SMART buses kept driving up dropping off passengers and continuing on their way - they can't pickup in the city until after 6pm and only at select locations (which Woodward and Grand is one, but 6pm had not yet arrived).

One of the people waiting saw a Dexter bus pulling up and started running to catch it. Another person took off running as well. I noticed them headed over and started running as well, but I was carrying a loaded backpack and couldn't make time and ensure my equipment in the bag wasn't damaged. The two of them got on the bus and I was at the corner across the street as the bus resumed its path, leaving me behind.

I headed over to Woodward for more waiting and quickly grew tired of it, started walking down Woodward. Another northbound Woodward bus went by. I got down to the stop across from Mr Mike's in Techtown and two buses were pulling up. Likely the ones I'd seen headed northbound at least 30 minutes earlier. I hopped on and found the farebox was working. I remarked "there must be five buses running on Woodward now". The driver couldn't or wouldn't acknowledge that. I also remarked "the fareboxes are not working on many of the buses so ridership isn't being counted - this is an effort to show minimal ridership so service can be cut again or changed." I said that loud enough for half the bus to hear it. A few people heard it and I saw the expression on their faces change. They connected their "good fortune" with a future catastrophic result - the loss of ridership count foretells loss of service.

Why Break the Fareboxes?

When DDOT measures ridership broken fareboxes don't gauge, they have one other sensing mechanism but I doubt that is enabled either. Its been said 15-20% of revenue to run the buses comes from fareboxes. So if 50% of fareboxes are broken it affects the system greatly. I'm not exaggerating about the number not working - that's been what I've encountered in the past two months, half the boxes are disabled.

Citizens around the city have to stand up at meeting with our public officials present and demand accountability. We also have to attend the DDOT customer meetings that happen on 3rd Thursdays at DDOT headquarters, 1301 East Warren. The meeting starts at 5pm and runs roughly 2 hours depending on number of people attending and topics to be covered. These customer meetings are the time to demand accountability and request written documented responses. Get these posted online because proof of how the system is operating needs to be demonstrated.

Some of the press prints the known lie saying DDOT is working GREAT - that's usually from the Mayor's perspective, fabricated based on numerical analysis. Have you seen him or his staff on the buses? Demand accountability and challenge him & staff to ride for a few days. Include the Emergency Manager in that invitation because it seems Mayor Bing has simply become an adviser to the EM and abdicated power months ago. Ethics complaints are appropriate for elected officials that fail to serve and protect the public, its in their oath of office and shown in the introduction to the City Charter. [Ethics ordinance and charter provisions]

Keep looking to alternative press that is watching City of Detroit and DDOT.

Voice of Detroit
Michigan Citizen
Motor City Muckraker
Metro Times
Transit Riders United
more could be listed, but many get weird on coverage as if receiving contributions not to report the truth.

Link to current article on DDOT Disservice in Voice of Detroit.

D-DOT makes changes to bus routes that could effect you

2013-04-27T19:34:00.001-04:00

DETROIT (WXYZ) - Starting Saturday those who ride D-DOT buses will see some changes.

On Saturdays and Sundays because of reconstruction of the Bascule drawbridge bus service will take longer on Fort Street between Miller and Schaefer.

In addition, due to the reconstruction on I-94 bus service will be slightly delayed on Van Dyke between Warren and Harper through November.

Throughout the weekdays, the same delays will be in effect but an eastbound trip has been added at 4:10 a.m. from Middlebelt and Schoolcraft to Woodward and Trowbridge.

However northbound service at 7:30 a.m. from Wyoming and Joy and southbound service at 8:10 a.m. from Wyoming and Eight mile will be eliminated.

Final week for FTA Transit Asset Management dialog

2013-01-13T09:02:00.000-05:00

National Online Dialogue on Transit Asset Management

One of the new requirements in the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) is that of Transit Asset Management (TAM). The purpose of this National Online Dialogue on TAM (December 12, 2012 to January 18, 2013) is to provide the Federal Transit Administration’s partners and stakeholders the opportunity to discuss and provide suggestions on some of the key questions surrounding TAM (standard practices in the industry, framing definitions, etc.) including:

How should FTA define State of Good Repair?
What elements should be included in a Transit Asset Management Plan?
How will I know my Transit Asset Management Plan meets FTA requirements?
What triggers when I have to revise my Transit Asset Management Plan?
Should FTA tailor Transit Asset Management Plan requirements to accommodate different sized transit systems to avoid the “one size fits all” approach?
What kinds of technical assistance should FTA offer to aid transit agencies in meeting these requirements?
How should the requirement for state of good repair performance measures be implemented and integrated with the new MAP-21 performance-based planning process?
Other topics you believe should be considered as we prepare the TAM rulemaking.

Comments will also be taken when the rulemaking is published in the Federal Register.

You can download the informational National Online Dialogue flyer here (link to more detailed flyer or promotional webpage).

Background Material
In response to the establishment of MAP-21, FTA put together a wealth of material on its website, www.fta.dot.gov/map21, to help clarify new or changing programs. A list of frequently asked questions can be found there as well as past MAP-21 webinars, outreach opportunities, summaries, powerpoints and fact sheets. The program fact sheets for TAM and for Metropolitan & Statewide and Nonmetropolitan Transportation Planning in particular will be a useful resource to review in advance of participating in the online dialogue.

PLEASE REGISTER TO GIVE US AN IDEA, COMMENT ON ANOTHER IDEA OR VOTE ON AN IDEA by clicking on the register link at the top right of the page or scrolling down to click on the submit a new idea button.

Once you have registered and logged in:

Please review the Campaign Areas to the left or browse the ideas below.
Pick the Campaign Area or idea of your choice and click on it. Then select the “Submit New Idea” Button to share an idea.
Comment or vote on someone else’s idea.
Encourage other transportation professionals to join the dialogue and share experiences

CHECK BACK FREQUENTLY
New questions and comments will be continually posted so please check back often and contribute.
Need assistance? For questions or problems joining this dialogue contact Crystal.Frederick@dot.gov

January 26 DDOT Service Changes

2012-12-29T20:58:00.000-05:00

DDOT will be making adjustments in several routes beginning January 26, 2013. Please copy, print, and circulate the above graphic. You can download this as a PDF from the RideDetroitTransit.com site.

Monthly Meetings

LAC Meeting

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

DDOT Administration Bldg, 1301 E. Warren Ave., Rm. 107

10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Customer Information Meeting

Thursday, January 17, 2013

DDOT Administration Bldg, 1301 E. Warren Ave., Rm. 107

5 p.m. - 7 p.m.

District 7 Community Meeting with Mayor Bing

2012-12-12T16:07:00.000-05:00

Meeting notice from Mayor's Office

This evening at 7:00 pm Mayor Dave Bing will be holding his last community meeting for 2012 in District 7. We would like to encourage everyone to come out and let him know how well these community meetings have met your needs.

Below are a color and b&w copies of a 2012 Community Meetings Report Card from Free Detroit No Consent. Print off a copy and hand it in at the meeting. Give him a grade from A for ASTOUNDING to F for FAILURE.

If you are traveling by bus the routes to reach are the Grand River, Route 21 and Wyoming, Route 54.

UPDATE: An online version of the Report Card as a survey is being assembled and notice of it will be posted soon. A few changes were made from what was handed out at the meeting. Sequence and wording of the categories is different. The intent of the categories remains the same.

Color for online sharing

Black & White for easy printing

Bing Can't Find The Community Meeting Tonight

2012-12-12T15:42:00.002-05:00

The mapping service on Facebook that is preferred is Bing, a mapping service by Microsoft. Bing doesn't know how to get from the State Fairgrounds to the community meeting tonight.

For a public service that you find to be such a significant achievement, this is a big missing. Will we be missing you at the meeting tonight?

By the way, you can use the location link on this post to get the map to the meeting.

Driving Excellence Through Nojay's No Show Leadership

2012-11-30T21:10:00.000-05:00

There is little doubt that the 415 plan came from DDOT's COO Bill Nojay. After all as the Chief Operating Officer it would be part of the overall plan to keep things moving, marketed, and measured. It stinks of marketing through performance indicators. A solution that would come from a person who is watching numbers, instead of riding on the buses to know how they are working. Mr Nojay didn't ride the buses. He was busy in one of these ways:

At home in New York state working on details for his radio show
Making public appearances in preparation for his run for state representative in New York's 133rd District, (which was declared May 13 2012)
If in Detroit at his desk Mr Nojay would be going through the performance measures, creating scenarios for change based on those measures, meeting with City of Detroit COO Chris Brown, or Beau Taylor (Chris Brown's assistant handling transportation and public lighting), and perhaps making a visit to the bus terminals to consult with Ryan Gallivan (another Envisurage/TransPro employee contracted to DDOT's executive management team).

At several April Detroit City Council sessions Stephen Boyle asked if they knew Bill Nojay was holding a job in Avon, New York as a Tea Party radio host through WSYL. The information came as a surprise, but was followed up on.

When Bill Nojay was asked at a May 9, 2012 Detroit City Council meeting to be accountable in his position the response was clearly not commitment to the job. The following is from The Michigan Citizen:

Councilmember Ken Cockrel, Jr. asked DDOT Chief Operating Officer Bill Nojay whether he could effectively serve DDOT when he’s only in Michigan part-time.

“Only time will tell,” Nojay, who’s employed by Envisurage, replied.

The conflict of holding the DDOT position was evident before he was even considered for the position. By his principals as a staunch right-wing Tea Party radio host and public presenter he represents a set of interests in system that is clearly against the people of Detroit. The Tea Party agenda of minimal government and advocating free markets is basically the underpinning of being an anarchist. In such a system those that have a defined need for social services (more of a socialist approach) would be diametrically opposed in belief of how a system such as public transportation would operate. The mere fact he is considered involved in public transportation seems problematic, because his belief system would further the direction to privatize social services such as public transportation and place it in the hands of the free market (aka privatization, sold into corporate hands).

Bill Nojay is one of Envisurage CEO Mark Aesch's proteges as it began in May 2011. Mark Aesch wrote a book about using performance measurements to turn around public transportation, called Driving Excellence. The book has had questionable reviews, yet Mr Aesch continues to gain speaking engagements as a self-proclaimed transportation expert. Each engagement offering additional support to future engagements. From the text of Driving Excellence the management delivered at DDOT seems to be very contradictory. The first steps being the elimination of transportation for anyone with need from midnight to 5am on major routes, and 8pm until 7am on secondary routes.

Split Shift with Kansas

2012-11-30T20:50:00.000-05:00

The investigations into Envisurage, which has changed its handle to TransPro needs to be continued. September 13 at the Mayor's District 4 Community Meeting

Stephen Boyle asked the Mayor's administration to justify the lack of investigation into those hired through Envisurage to manage DDOT. He stated "The $2 million dollar contract could balloon to over $4.6 million dollars at completion".

In response COO Chris Brown stated, "The bonuses for Envisurage have not been paid, they will be at the end of the contract."

Getting to know Envisurage thoroughly hasn't been an easy investigation, but additional findings are showing up. I've been looking for an accounting of exactly who are the "5 executive management" contractors assigned through the Envisurage work order brought into the Parsons Brinckerhoff contract.

Contracted To KDOT Too?

I suppose there was little wonder why Mark Aesch was looking over at Stephen Boyle during the Detroit Financial Advisory Board meeting in September with a bit of apprehension, considering Bill Nojay the COO assigned to DDOT was removed pending a Hatch Act investigation. It seems the slippery slope runs in multiple directions.

Ryan Gallivan is one of the people Envisurage brought in to manage maintenance for DDOT's services. I am just beginning to uncover stories that Mr Gallivan has also been working with Kansas Department of Transportation's investigation for Regional Transit Authority in Southeast Kansas, covering 23 counties.

KDOT arranged a meeting February 14, 2012 bringing TeamTech's Kathleen Hornish-Doucet and Joel Wright, along with Ryan Gallivan to meet with Finney County Transit Board.

A subsequent meeting was held March 6, 2012 between KDOT with TeamTech/Envisurage staff was held to discuss serving the growing southeast KDOT RTA communities.

Ryan Gallivan with Florida-based Envisurage, LLC, which is being sub-contracted through Olathe-based TeamTech, Inc., to work on the regional transportation issue, shared some of the findings from the regional study.

Having experience with implementing regional public transportation in Rochester, N.Y., Gallivan said that there were some key differences between there and southwest Kansas. One key difference was that Rochester's area was united under a single transportation entity, while southwest Kansas involves entities that are all separate. He also said that there is a difference between the rural areas he worked with previously and the rural areas of Kansas currently being analyzed.

"One thing I discovered about traveling in Kansas is that there's rural and then there's frontier," Gallivan said.

{Read more}

It seems Envisurage is getting more in the field experience as it places Mark Aesch's transportation team of affiliates through Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority (RGRTA). His staff have started with feeder system experience bringing commuters from locations outside the core of metropolitan cities in, but Detroit is the only interior serving metropolitan system they have worked with yet. One that is difficult because of the dispersed population of the area spanned.

Measuring Performance for Detroit

Here are a few questions worth asking for measurement:

How do you achieve ridership performance measures when riders are scattered around the city?
Are you truly serving the potential rider who would ride if the bus was easier to access?
Are the routes connecting to the feeder system(s) outside the city at significant times? (such as end of extended work hours, end of sporting events, early morning starting hours, airport & train commuting connections)
How about measuring job retention and growth that results from bringing people to their desired destination?
Can you measure attendance at recreation events, and clarity for visitors to the city in using their preferred mode of transit - public transportation.

Public transportation is provided for more than core-hour working commutes. People take care of tasks at all hours of the day, including medical visits, laundry, grocery shopping, and visiting friends & relatives across the city.

Rosa Parks Arrest Vigil and DDOT update

2012-11-30T20:18:00.000-05:00

Saturday, December 1 at 3 pm a candle light vigil will be held at the Rosa Parks Transit Center. The event commemorates 57 years since Rosa Parks was arrested for failing to sacrifice her seat on a Birmingham Alabama bus to a white passenger. We need to bring awareness up of the history to present of the fight for Human Rights.

The 2nd floor lobby will have the vigil and recognition, awareness on the street at the transit center needs to be increased. This isn't a time for peaceful recognition of a key moment in the struggle. It is time to show there is still progress to be made.

DDOT Update

Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) has been routinely discussed as a public service that Mayor Bing's administration believes should be privatized. The people spoke up at the November 19 and 20 City Council sessions. We questioned the wisdom of entering into five contracts spanning five years for $58 million to provide "engineering services" which morphed into management services last year through closed door meetings of the Mayor's administration and a turnaround team.

The vote on November 20 turned down the contracts and requested an emergency interim contract be drawn not to exceed nine months for critical engineering services. This leaves DDOT without a senior management team as the Envisurage/TransPro contract fizzles out today, November 30. An audit of service provided by the contracting firm needs to be conducted by the Auditor General prior to payment of bonuses that are part of the contract.

"Reform Agenda" To Remove Detroit Department of Transportation

Can we shake free of the "Reform Agenda" put forth through the Financial Stability Agreement. Since Public Act 4 and 72 were repealed November 6 this agreement and operations under its guise need to be halted. In the plans according to the September 2012 Financial Advisory Board meeting:

Create a new governance model by January 2013 to overcome challenges such as:
- Collective bargaining agreements
- Civil service bumping rights
- Financial information systems
- Divided responsibility and authority
Timeline of outsourcing operations and management
- Feb 2013 - Release of RFP
- Mar 2013 - Formation of new authority
- Jul 2013 - Outsource management vendor selected
- Sep 2013 - New authority board approves selected vendor
- Jan 2014 - New vendor begins management of DDOT

These plans would remove public transportation and replace it with privatized public service. Do you believe the public will be better served by a private entity? What manner of public discourse will they be required to have?

The next Financial Advisory Board meeting is scheduled for December 10, 2012 starting 2:00 pm at McGregor Conference Center on Wayne State University Ferry Mall, across from the Law Library. The State of Michigan needs to stop holding meetings and advancing an agenda that is not supported by law. Likewise City of Detroit administration (Mayor Bing, et al) need to step forward and assume responsibility to provide service to protect the people as their oath of office requires.

State & Region Transportation Update

November 27 the State Senate passed legislation (SB909, SB911, SB967) to create a regional transportation authority for South East Michigan. Additionally SB912 was passed regarding zoning of land for use by the regional transportation authority. The pressure was on from the Federal Transportation Authority as US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has promised $25 million for construction of the M-1 Light Rail project provided a regional transportation authority was created.

These bills are to be discussed at the State Transportation Committee meeting on December 5, 2012 at 10:30 am in Room 307 of the House Office Building in Lansing. Once approved through the House the bills would go to Governor Snyder for approval into law.

Troy Transit Center Underway

The Troy Transit Center (partially in Birmingham as well) began ground breaking on Tuesday November 28. Opposition was from the now-recalled former Mayor Janice Daniels.

The 28,000 sq-ft center replaces an old Amtrak station on a 2.4-acre site at Maple Road and Coolidge Highway.

When's The Next Bus?

2012-09-17T21:27:00.001-04:00

I've been using the text messaging system a few months. It's been interesting to see more clearly how the buses are flowing. Finally I noticed the sign in the bus showing the system.

The system works with the Automated Vehicle Locator that buses have been delivered with for the past decade or more. Thankfully this is a low technology solution enabling people with basic phones access to the information.

I would suspect the delay in utilizing the technology simply was a matter of neglect, which would be made worse through lack of maintenance.

There are more technologies that would be very easy to implement, it takes people saying it matters. For what it's worth - I'd like internet access on the buses.

Transportation Advisory Commission

2012-09-15T10:49:00.003-04:00

Applications are being accepted by the Mayor's Appointee Division from residents interested in serving their district's transit needs.

At this time it is known that...

The contact person is Eunice Hayes in the Executive Department of the Mayor
You will have two weeks to return the application with the following included:

Resume
Copy of photo ID
Two letters of recommendation

Districts of the city are shown in the map below.

City of Detroit Boards & Commissions

Individuals interested in seeking an appointment to a City of Detroit Board or Commission shall comply with the Appointment Process. Boards and Commissions may be created a number of ways, such as by federal, state, or local laws, by action of Council, or by the Mayor. The applicant should consult the enabling document that created the Board or Commission in which the applicant is interested, to obtain the terms and conditions for the appointment. Please review the following information regarding the application process and meeting procedure for Boards and Commissions.

Application

An application is required to be submitted prior to appointment to a board or commission. The form may be obtained from the Office of the Mayor. Attach copies of your resume and/or letters of recommendation, and your Drivers License and Voters Registration Card. Please complete the form in its entirety as incomplete applications will not be accepted.

Background Review / Verification

Information submitted on the application may be subject to verification by staff as determined by the Mayor and/or at the request of the appointing authority.

Residency Requirement

City residency may be required to serve on a particular Board or Commission.

Submission of Application

Completed and signed application packets are to be submitted to the Appointments Division.

DDOT Google Maps Service Unavailable

2012-09-04T23:22:00.000-04:00

I was just checking bus directions via Google Maps today and the only buses listed were those from SMART. It isn't the first time this year I've found DDOT missing from the system. I've found it usually coincides with pending changes or even recently past changes in scheduling. Around the time of the April changes access through Google Maps was down for 3-4 days.

Insight Leads To Pending Schedule Changes

SEPTEMBER 29, 2012 SCHEDULING CHANGES

As mentioned above system changes tend to be the instigator of Google Maps integration being unavailable. A quick check of the DDOT website and there are a few announcements that I've missed.

I am wondering if there were public hearings about the changes or if these are simply being made without consideration of that legal requirement. Public Service Announcements have been very poor out of Mayor Bing's administration. The good news is the information was *found* earlier than normal (being about 1-2 weeks prior). Click here to view the announcement at right to view larger and for print.

DDOT's Usual Monthly Meetings

The next DDOT Local Advisory Council Meeting is September 18 from 10am-12pm at DDOT Administration, 1301 E Warren, Room 107, Detroit - between I-75 and Russell St.

The next DDOT Customer Information Meeting is on September 20 from 5-7pm at DDOT Administration, 1301 E Warren, Room 107, Detroit - between I-75 and Russell St.

Support Nate Shinagawa (D-NY)

2012-07-09T02:05:00.001-04:00

Perhaps it is odd to find a post in a Detroit transit blog about a candidate running for State Representative in New York. An explanation is needed...

DDOT's current Chief Operating Officer, Bill Nojay is not a resident in the Detroit area, nor Michigan. He resides in Avon, New York and is a political radio show host at WYSL 1400AM. His show is a demonstration of his conservative teaparty Republican outlook. It is also a platform from which he is engaged in a campaign for State Representative in New York's 133rd District.

NO SHOW NOJAY

Lets ask Mr Nojay about those days absent from his contracted position with DDOT offering a salary over $200,000, plus bonuses that will amount to the same amount or more.

A Bigoted Attack By Nojay

The news that you might also find interesting is Mr Nojay's confusion during a racist attack on Nate Shinagawa, a Japanese American whom has been active in New York legislature since he was 21 years old.

Support The Opposition

Get to know Nate Shinagawa (D-NY 23rd District) on the Down With Tyranny blog through his guest post. You'll get to know that his family settled in California and his grandfather went from being placed in an internment camp during World War II to serving in the Marines and Air Force afterward. His family are the kind of citizens this country needs. Nate begins his introduction saying he is a 6 year member of People For the American Way's Young Elected Officials program, so he's a YEO.

Bill Nojay's run for NY State Assembly 133rd District is against:

Randy Weaver (D, Steuben County), from Hornell, NY
Richard Burke (R, Livingston County), former Mayor of Avon, NY

The Republican primary will be September 13, 2012.

Lets say NO to NOJAY

Keep Quiet and It Will All Change (for the worst)

2012-07-04T10:58:00.001-04:00

We Have Been Too Quiet

Detroit Department of Transportation held eight public bus hearings in four locations around Detroit between August 24-27, 2009. This video is a compilation from over 60 video clips. The people were given 3 minutes to speak, not 90 seconds. The locations were well placed in areas served well by buses to enable people to attend. There were over 200 people that gathered at Rosa Parks Transit Center on the evening of August 25, 2009. Coverage by the mainstream media was extremely limited, the People cried out.

The direction DDOT was looking at going into this meeting was to:

Eliminate four routes
Eliminate weekend service between Saturday 6pm to Monday 5am - wiping out Sunday service
Eliminate night service on many routes between midnight and 5am.

Resolved after the meeting was to retain Sunday bus service on many lines, but runs times were extended offering perhaps half the service that was previously available. Night buses were also reduced but not eliminated.

Recent Bus Hearings

February's hearings were announced without much notice by the mainstream press. The Mayor's Press Secretary and Chief Operating Officer would rather not have many people at public hearings. Meeting the bare necessities on timing, number of meetings, and format for the meetings ensures limited involvement by the public -- which works well when the agenda is to privatize public transportation.

Meetings were scheduled at the Northwest Activity Center, and Wayne County Community College East campus. Neither of these routes is well served by buses, and two meetings were scheduled at the same time on the same date to take care of all the meetings in a single day.

The hearings had little if any impact on the route changes - literature was clearly marked as changed service. There was nothing "proposed" about the changes going into the meetings. Public meetings are used to find areas that changes proposed may need adjusting.

Printed materials following the meetings was very limited. Occupy Detroit has footage showing a single desk copy of March service changes in the office at Rosa Parks Transit Center. Offering material in Spanish and Arabic, both large population groups in the city was not available for months. Updates to schedule tables on Google Maps were incorrect for a week, and changes since have been sporadic.

Mayor Dave Bing

Source: NY Times (Sept 2009)

What kept DDOT from executing the original plan? Many say it was the election campaign for Mayor Dave Bing. Things have changed in 2012. The Mayor is approaching the end of his term and looking at running for another term as Mayor. His platform of change is evident through the campaign branding of videos on the City's YouTube channel MyDetroitCable. The branding of videos in this manner is a violation of Detroit City Charter
Section 2-106.7.

The Mayor, City Council members and City Clerk are prohibited from soliciting appointees, appointive officers and employees to work on political campaign activities using City property or during working hours.

Six Months of Recent Change

January 2012 the top management positions in the Department of Transportation were contracted through a work order under contract 2605317 prepared by Parsons Brinckerhoff to bring upstart Envisurage (est May 2011). This work order is performance based and runs 11 months until November 2012. The base amount through the work order is $2,068,000. If all incentive bonuses based on performance measures were maximized, bonuses would add $2,585,000, topping out the work order at $4,653,000.

If this work order was to be terminated in July performance bonuses would still be paid of $675,000 as a "parting bonus". City officials agreed to bringing in 5 people from outside the state with experience managing transit systems in major cities. Those that we have have worked on commuter designed systems bringing people into cities, their experience is minimal for a city that supplies workers to its suburbs through an external transit provider (i.e. SMART). Detroit has a 24 hour need for transportation that was seen as the first "cost saving" area impacted on March 3rd. It wasn't just about cost... it was about metrics that work into performance measurements. Wipe out service that they can't manage to work into performance measures effectively.

One of the performance measurements being number of riders per mile served. Eliminating the number of buses and forcing people into a limited schedule is the easiest way to see that measure improved. What it cost was jobs for thousands of people and a lack of revenue for late evening activities around the city and suburbs.

Transfer and arrival time doesn't connect in time for start of work hours. People that have to wake up and use the bus at 3-4am to get to work by 5am and start service at 6am. Even bus drivers that relied on taking the bus to get to work were sacrificed.
Night and afternoon shift workers were no longer able to get to jobs working in hospitals, grocery stores to stock shelves, janitors, restaurant workers, barbacks and waitresses at nightclubs, and more.
If a person uses SMART for after hours work their bus would pick up and deliver them at a stop along the boundary of the city without bus service. Waiting until it would resume between 5-8am according to the schedule of the route being served.
Festival attendance and working opportunities have been sacrificed. It wasn't possible for bus riders to see the Detroit Fireworks because the last bus for many routes leaves downtown before 10pm, and the fireworks started at 10:06pm. Riders wanting to attend Detroit Tigers evening games can't leave at the normal end of game, the last bus has left downtown for most routes. 10pm is the scheduled end for 7pm games and extra innings would extend it later.

Bus service to serve core business hours is the agenda, but the typical 8am-6pm hours even by the US Office of Personnel Management can be modified. But if transportation doesn't get you to and from work, then it doesn't work and the system of providing transportation for job seekers fails. This disregard is a violation of DDOT's commitment to receive funding under the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) grant programs: New Freedom (5317), and Job Access Reverse Commute (JARC) (5316).

North End Woodward Community Coalition has filed a Title VI complaint with the FTA and more can be filed. The FOIA requesting a copy of the Envisurage work order was not received within federal guidelines for compliance.

What is going on now for Mayor Dave Bing?

The Mayor takes a look at the present and future with Charlie Langston on May 31, 2012.

FREE Detroit - NO Consent: New Detroit Corporate Empire

2012-06-24T12:38:00.001-04:00

Today we bring your attention to the larger problem being faced by City of Detroit residents and visitors. The emerging New Detroit Corporate Empire. Please subscribe to the posts from Free Detroit No Consent, there are critical actions happening in the next week that we need as many people attending as possible.

FREE Detroit - NO Consent: New Detroit Corporate Empire

The threat that Mayor Bing is going to carry out would wipe out 80% of union contracts in the city on July 1st. Detroit's labor movement has fought for worker rights for over a century.

June 26 - Protest Governor Snyder's visit to Detroit at 9:30am
June 27 - Come early to the Free Detroit Rally 5pm in Hart Plaza at the Labor Monument. Discussion will come to an end at 6:15pm bringing everyone across the street ...
At 7pm Mayor Bing's Community Meeting begins across the street in the Erma Henderson Auditorium.
June 28 - Protest at the Court of Appeals at the Cadillac Building in New Center if the Repeal of Public Act 4 has not yet been placed on the Nov 6 ballot by the Board of Canvassers

More actions are coming up, more news and details in the posts on the Free Detroit website.

M-1 Light Rail Held in Check by FTA

2012-06-22T07:56:00.002-04:00

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood did not feel the M-1 Light Rail project has a sustainable life beyond the initial start-up period. Of the problems listed:

Credible financing for short & long term - it simply doesn't look like a sustainable plan for 25 years and beyond.
Plans need to include provisions for cost overruns.
Assurance that whatever organization that received grant monies will control M-1 and be able to manage its needs daily, weekly, and longer term.
A regional transit authority is required to serve needs to the greater area.

The plan will also run into resistance when acquiring the land along the route and delays it will create for business and residents.