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Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan

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In late October 2014, as CEO of the Regional Transit Authority (RTA) of Southeast Michigan, we embarked on the journey to regional, seamless and accessible transportation mobility for Southeast Michigan.  The charge was to succeed where 20 other attempts had failed. It was a daunting goal and the stakes were high. We also knew the importance of regional mobility to the continued economic growth and the correlating jobs that come with a vibrant economy.

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The timeline was aggressive and as an organization we started at ground zero, with the responsibilities of a start-up, building the small core team, establishing administrative infrastructure and defining the goals to meet the objectives set forth in Governor Snyder’s legislation. Following being selected as CEO by the RTA Board, the goal set laid out like the route of a marathon, but with the required speed of a sprint.  Pull together the team, establish goals and milestones, develop a Master plan, engage the community and within 24 months get a measure on the ballot for November 2016 that will succeed.

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The Regional Transit Master Plan efforts brought together the work underway by SEMCOG, SMART, DDOT, AAATA, The People Mover and the Q-Line project.  We worked with community groups, legislators, elected officials, the business community and with consulting experts in transportation and mobility.  The RTA team was small and the schedule was rigorous, requiring long days, seven days a week of work and extensive travel throughout the four-county region to ensure we understood the needs and to share information as the plan was being developed.  As the plan begin to evolve, we constantly engaged our Board of Directors, regional partners, business leaders, elected officials, making every effort to bring all interests and concerns into the draft. 

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In May 2016, nineteen short months after my arrival, the RTA released the Regional Transit Master Plan to the public for review and comment.  We held dozens of community forums gathering input and providing comprehensive presentation of the complete plan for people to have the opportunity to fully understand what the RTMP would provide to them and making modifications based on feedback.

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Working tirelessly to share the plan and its benefits by listening to the community, regional partners, chambers, elected officials, faith groups, veteran’s groups, elderly and disabled advocates and by traversing the region to attend hundreds of meetings, covering thousands of miles within the four-county region we spread the message. The importance of the RTA and what it meant to every person I met only heightened my resolve to deliver a plan that would succeed not just at the ballot box, but succeed in improving the lives of the citizens of this region.

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Efforts concurrent to the RTMP and impending ballot measure included improvements to existing service through ongoing collaboration with the five regional transit providers.  We met regularly as a group discussing actionable ideas that could be implemented immediately. “RefleX” is the culmination of these efforts, and thanks to the cooperation of SMART and DDOT, citizens are now offered improved service across boundaries and have access to extended service on Sundays that previously did not exist.

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As we worked regionally to gain support, I also worked nationally with colleagues in Transit across the US. Insights gained from other CEO’s on funding mechanisms, technology, what worked in their community and just as importantly, what didn’t work added value to our efforts at the RTA.  National conferences providing updates on pending legislation, FTA requirements and funding opportunities at the Federal level were important factors in the planning of the RTMP.  Technology for fare instruments, scheduling, signal prioritization and related BRT features, provided meaningful inputs into ensuring we consider not just the infrastructure of the system, but the amenities that the public expects now and in the future. 

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The plan presented to the voters was developed and approved with all four counties input, requesting 1.2% millage request over 20 years. The RTMP financial impacts estimated $160 million a year to build out and operate the regional system, yield an estimated 67,800 jobs over 20 years, 6 Billion in additional gross regional product, 4.4 billion in growth and personal income. The expanded service would help people get to 1,147,700 jobs, 85% of the revenue generated from their millage would stay in the individual county and the other 15% to be used to connect and serve as the cross-regional transportation bridge.  $695 Million in federal funds would come to Southeast Michigan, along with $470 million in State funds. 

 

The plan was built not just with extensive regional input, but also technical expertise supplied by national leaders in transit planning and development consulting firms, Parsons Brinkerhoff, (now WSP), HNTB and AECOM. Each firm did extensive work to study the needs and provide alternatives for the corridors of Gratiot, Woodward and Michigan Avenue, the backbones of the system.  We engaged the business and financial community in the formation of a Financial Task force to evaluate and validate all the financial assumptions of the plan and provide support and recommendations that went into the final plan.

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The full Board of Directors was regularly briefed on the corridor studies as well as the master plan to ensure their representative county Executives had the opportunity to review and provide input and support. Working sessions with policy and technical teams which included business, governmental, financial, and social service advocates were instrumental in the development of the RTMP.  A plan that offered Bus Rapid Transit, Regional Rail, cross-County commuter service, Commuter express service, Airport service, local bus services, a plan that would provide additional resources to DDOT, SMART, The People Mover, AAATA, and the QLine, and provide expanded service for the Elderly and Disabled. Consideration of coordination with shared services providers such as Lyft and Uber were factored as well as advancing technologies in autonomous vehicles and how they would complement the foundational regional transportation plan.  

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Despite the valiant efforts by the RTA and many others, the ballot measure suffered a loss by the very narrow margin of 1%.  While the measure did not pass, it garnered the strongest support for Regional Transit in SE Michigan over all 20 earlier attempts.  State and Regional leaders are considering how to proceed as the original legislation and funding is uncertain, and while discussions about reducing the footprint of the regional boundary has been raised, it will take legislative action to modify the 2012 act.

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