RTA to unveil regional mass transit planning effort on Tuesday

[marmar]

from Crain's Detroit:


Metro Detroit’s regional transit authority on Tuesday will unveil the initial process of developing a regional master plan to create a public mass transit system for Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw counties.

Details of the process have not been disclosed.

The Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan will explain what it intends to do at a press conference scheduled for noon Tuesday at Campus Martius Park.

“The process will provide the region with the necessary detail to implement a truly regional public transportation system,” the RTA said in a brief statement.

........(snip)........

The RTA has a stated goal of getting a dedicated tax issue on the 2016 ballot to fund what will be laid out in the master plan, which is expected to be a bus rapid transit system that still is in the study phase.

Under a bus rapid transit system, buses operate much like a rail line, with specialized train-like wheeled vehicles with dedicated lanes, priority traffic signaling, and higher speeds. They likely would run along Woodward, Gratiot and Michigan avenues. ..................(more)

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20150508/NEWS/150509858/rta-to-unveil-regional-mass-transit-planning-effort-on-tuesday

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

1. Dedicated Tax Issue?

If it's a "progressive" tax, it might get my vote. Especially if individual cities on the route cannot "opt out".

But, dedicated lanes, priority signalling, and high speed? What could go wrong?