If you could fix one thing about metro Detroit, what would it be? (sales, buy)

[Rwarky]

If you had the power, influence and resources to fix one thing about metro Detroit, what would would it be?

[leroythelion]

Originally Posted by Rwarky

If you had the power, influence and resources to fix one thing about metro Detroit, what would would it be?

The roads. They are a disgrace. It is the first thing visitors see when the drive away from the airport. It leaves a very bad (first) impression.

[iNviNciBL3]

Build on the surface lots Downtown

[animatedmartian]

Originally Posted by leroythelion

The roads. They are a disgrace. It is the first thing visitors see when the drive away from the airport. It leaves a very bad (first) impression.

Agreed. It seems like all road funding goes into the interstate freeways. Unfortunately, there's still a good deal of us who don't have to use the interstate to get around town.

[PosterExtraordinaire]

Let me ask a question to those who live in metro detroit:

Would you vote up or down a bill to expand public transportation throughout metro Detroit

[animatedmartian]

Originally Posted by PosterExtraordinaire

Let me ask a question to those who live in metro detroit:

Would you vote up or down a bill to expand public transportation throughout metro Detroit

Yes.

But...the city of Detroit will want to own the whole system. Therefore, it will be a horrible system that would never have enough money to function properly, let alone entice people to use it.

Actually, I'd vote for eliminating DDOT and expanding SMART into Detroit. But...that'll never happen...

[Arthur Digby Sellers]

Originally Posted by PosterExtraordinaire

Let me ask a question to those who live in metro detroit:

Would you vote up or down a bill to expand public transportation throughout metro Detroit

Down. Metro Detroit is way too spread out to have effective public transportation.

[zthatzmanz28]

Originally Posted by PosterExtraordinaire

Let me ask a question to those who live in metro detroit:

Would you vote up or down a bill to expand public transportation throughout metro Detroit

Where would the transportation go to? Are there any destinations that would benefit from a transit system that covered merto Detroit?

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by animatedmartian

Agreed. It seems like all road funding goes into the interstate freeways. Unfortunately, there's still a good deal of us who don't have to use the interstate to get around town.

I agree, roads are a huge issue.

There are a lot of problems with road funding.

Roads are funded through a fixed tax on gasoline (18.2%). The sales tax on gas does not go to roads. None of it. When gas prices go up, the amount of tax revenue goes down. People buy less gas use more efficient cars, carpool, etc. This results in less money to repair roads.

For years Michgian has failed to adequately fund rodas. As a result, they just do band iad repairs that do not last rather than really repairing the roads. The longer you postpone repairs, the more it costs to fix when they completely fail. Thus, it can cost smethng like 6 times more to fix a completely failed road over the cost of fixing a road that is only worn and has not failed.

Road funds are distributed based on the miles of road in a given entity's jurisdictin. Plus there are way too many different entities responsible for reparing and maintaining roads.

As a result of the first issue, a place with a lot of road that serve few people end up with outstanding roads and maybe even a road budget surplus. A place withthe same number of roads, but far more traffic, will get the same amount of money, but needs to do multiple times more work to keep up with the greater wear.

Multiple layers of agencies responible for repariing roads is inefficent. A lot of moeny gets wasted or caught up in local politics. Some agencies do a terrible jb and are horridly inefficeint and some are much more efficient and produce better results.

There is going to have to be some new tax structure to pay for roads. We are way behind. There also needs to be a new system for distributing the money. They should distribute the oney based on usage of a road. A road with more traffic needs more attention and the users of that road are generating more funding for road repair. Further, something should be done to reduce the number of agencies responsible for road maintenaince and repair and/or inefficent agencies should be told to get efficient or have their funding cut to a percentage that the work would be done by a more efficent agency.

The bad roads are actually costing us more moeny than it woudl cost to fix them. Studies of the cost estimate an average of about $370 per car in damage per year due to bad roads (this does nto count reduced MPG, increased accidents, stress, or economic losses to business or due to business locating elsewhere with better roads). For me, I know it is a lot higher than that. Between Alignments, tie rods, control arms, and tires we probably spend $1000 per car due to bad roads.

Althogh I hate the idea od addtioanl taxes, I do not think there is any choice. Sure they state can make cuts and become more efficient (especially in prisons), but it is not going to be anough to make a significan impact in the needed fuding. The problem is that this state postponed road repairs and now we are geting stuck with the bill for years and years of deferred maintenance and repair.

However I would also want to fix up Detroit's riverfront. There is nothing there. I went for a long walk on riverwalk at lunch yesterday and there were literally thousands of people out walking. It was a solid line of people in both directions. However it does nto go anywhere. You walk along parking lots and an occaisional park or plaze with nothing in them. You look at the backs of abandoned buildings in the distance. While it is pleasant enough, there is nothing to go to, no reason to stop, no vendors of any kind. For a City waterfront, it is dismal. I would not rip out the areas wiht natural beauty, but in places, there shold be some shops cafes, and the like. Something of interest to go to rather than just going for a walk.

Once we have servicable roads, we need more things worth driving to.

[Arthur Digby Sellers]

Coldjensens,

I think freeway tolls would solve a lot of the problems you detailed.