As I have read alot of comments about how people here Detroit feel about light rail going through the city and reigon I have noticed ALOT of people not really realizing the benefit to them and their pocket books form having a light rail system. I have lived in Portland Oregon for 5 years and I never had a car. It was much more affordable to spend a couple dollars to get to where I need to go (work, play, friends, grocery shopping,ect) than to pay 50 bucks for a tank of gas, car insurance, upkeep on a vehicle, or car payments. Its helps to keep the roads nicer because there are fewer cars on the road so less wear and tear on the roads and that means we don't have to pay for road improvements as often which is a savings. Since there is not as many cars on the road there is not as much carbon dioxide being pumped into the atmosphere which is better for all our healths. The redevelopment of the radius around a light rail line tends to be very phenominal for the neighborhoods that they border and that trickles down the and revitalizes those blighted neighborhoods. It isn't to bring in white people which is something I have noticed being said by the African American community. Its to help all of us get our quality of life back to a safe and prosperous state.
If we are going to move forward we totally need to make changes in ourselves and accept things like light rail. And not even just accept it, but embrace it. If all we are going to do is put down things like light rail based on no real evidence for why we are against it when its been tried not just once but many many times and everytime its tried its successful in revitalizing the areas that it is built, then we have no right to complain that our neighborhoods are filled with crime, blight, and decay. It also is not just the local government that is needed to make it a reality. It is also us as citizens that need to support the system in everyway we can. The defeatist attitude where people say It will never happen or Why put this in so we can take it out in 10 years? is exactlly why nothing happens here in Detroit. That unsupportive of the much needed action and underminds the efforts. And negitive emotion is like cancer and it spreads just like it. So if you have a few people saying how horrible this Light Rail line is then that just gonna spread causing a city full of grumpy gus's and all hope dies.
"Two decades after Portland, Ore., built one of the nation's pioneering light rail systems, mass transit there continues to expand, with 50% more track expected in the next 18 months. Encouraged by ridership numbers -- one rail line attracted 76% more users than the bus line it replaced -- city leaders are adding streetcars and commuter rail to the public-transportation mix. Each of Portland's four light rail lines came in at or under budget, and some $6 billion in development has sprouted along the rail corridor."
"Though it is still six months from completion, a new light rail system in Phoenix has already sparked a development boom estimated at $6 billion. New condos, offices and mixed-use developments are rising all along the rail line"
The Economic Benefits of Public Transit:Essential Support for a Strong EconomyData from the American Public Transit Association, Summarized by Transportation Riders United(Sources and additional resources below)The evidence is clear: to develop a sound and vibrant state economy and to enhance Michiganders' quality of life, Michigan must increase its investment in public transportation. Through increased jobs, income, profit and tax revenue, dollars invested in public transit provide an economic stimulus far exceeding the original investment. Studies estimate every dollar invested in public transit returns between four and nine dollars in economic benefit.
Public transit creates jobs.Every $100 million invested in public transit creates and supports roughly 4,000 jobs.According to US DOT director Norman Mineta, every $1 billion invested in the nations’ transportation infrastructure supports approximately 47,500 jobs. Transit capital investment is a significant source of job creation. In the year following the investment 314 jobs are created for each $10 million invested in transit capital funding. Transit operations spending provides a direct infusion to the local economy. Over 570 jobs are created for each $10 million invested in the short run. Tri-Rail of South Florida expects its five-year public transportation development plan to spawn 6,300 ongoing system-related jobs. New York’s East Side Access project is expected to generate 375,000 jobs and $26 billion in wages. Public transit enhances productivity and reduces costs. Americans living in public transportation-intensive metro areas save $22 billion annually in transportation costs. The Altamont Commuter Express from Sacramento to San Francisco can cut annual commuting costs in half, from $5,300 to $2,700 annually. For every $10 million invested in public transit, over $15 million is saved in transportation costs to both highway and transit users, including operating costs, fuel costs, and congestion costs. In addition, efficient public transportation enhances access to opportunity, increases productivity, saves money, limits air pollution, decreases traffic congestion and protects personal freedom, choice and mobility.In short, public transportation is an investment in economic development and job creation that Michigan can’t afford to pass up. Public transit benefits local and state tax revenues.A typical state or local government could realize a 4 to 16 percent gain in revenues due to the increases in income and employment generated by investments in transit. The Washington Metrorail system is expected to generate $2.1 billion in tax revenues for Virginia over 30 years. Mixed-use development surrounding the Southwest Station in Eden Prairie, MN, will annually return over $400,000 in residential property taxes and nearly $300,000 in retail property taxes. Public transit boosts business revenues and profits.Businesses often realize a gain in sales three times the public sector investment in transit capital; a $10 million investment results in a $30 million gain in sales.In St. Louis, the public transit system modernization and expansion is expected to bring in $2.3 billion in business sales. Businesses located near the Dallas Area Rapid Transit light rail starter line have experienced a nearly 33% jump in retail sales in one year, compared to just 3% elsewhere in the city.
No comments:
Post a Comment