Great Lakes Bulletin, Spring 1999

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Continued from previous page.
The $420 million South Beltline, a four-lane bypass linking interstates 96 and 196, is under construction. Millions more dollars have been allocated to road and highway projects in the metro area.

© Patrick Owen

"Calling for 'efficient transportation systems' was the compromise language used to quiet the pesky transit advocates who fought like hell to get their visions adopted," Ms. Stoneman added. " They were so dismayed that they became deeply cynical about the whole process. They simply did not want to buy into any part of the Blueprint purporting to change 'business as usual' yet promoting a bypass."
Nearly a decade later, not much has changed. Roads continue to be the concert master of the Grand Rapids transportation system while transit plays a distant second fiddle.
Jim Buck, the chairman of Metro Council, says the organization is unsure about how aggressively it can promote public transportation because some of its members are ambivalent, particularly several suburbs unwilling to support a property tax increase to pay for increased service. Mr. Buck, who also is the mayor of Grandville, said it would be more comfortable to push for transit if the business community were involved.
"To me it's one of the most critical things facing the Grand Rapids area," he said. "Transportation is a weak link. No question. There are enough committees out there studying this thing. I think it's going to take a major push among employers to get it straightened out."
Everyone Pays
Grand Rapids is the nation's 93rd-largest city — and Michigan's second most populous at 188,000 — but operates a public transit system, the Grand Rapids Area Transit Authority (GRATA), that lags behind many smaller cities. Ann Arbor, with half of Grand Rapids' population, transports 10% more passengers. The Lansing bus system levied $6.4 million in property taxes last year, while GRATA has no guaranteed property tax support. Flint's buses run until 11 p.m. on weeknights, nearly five hours later than GRATA's.
GRATA Executive Director Peter Varga, at the wheel since 1997, has one tough job. His fleet of 75 buses last year carried more than 3.6 million passengers and logged about 2.3 million miles. Even so, because of the restricted service there are relatively few riders, who alone don't make a sizable enough constituency to compel local government officials to give the system more support. In late 1996, for example, the Kent County Board of Commissioners narrowly defeated a five-year proposal to raise property taxes slightly to support GRATA.
Since the 1940s the federal government has conducted numerous traffic studies on the causes of congestion, each concluding that new roads do not relieve it. Instead more roads induce demand by providing more access.
Recently, researchers from the University of California at Berkeley studied 30 urban counties in California. They found that every 1% increase in new lane-miles generated a 0.9% increase in traffic over four years.
In other words, no matter how much pavement gets laid down, it very quickly will fill up with cars and trucks. Building more roads in Grand Rapids will have the same effect there that it does everywhere else. The South Belt will increase congestion, raise taxes, and encourage sprawl in the same townships that are seeking tools to halt sprawl.
Underfunding GRATA significantly adds to this problem:

Employers in the Grand Rapids region cannot rely on a convenient, comfortable, and affordable non-automotive way for employees to get to work.
Residents who can't afford or don't want to drive are stuck with a public transit system that fails to serve their needs.
An effective transit system would eliminate the need for several million car trips annually, relieving congestion and saving taxpayers the money required to maintain, widen, and build new roads. It also would encourage development of business and shopping districts near transit stops, reducing the need to build on farmland.

So who is hurt by the region's love affair with roads and the struggling Grand Rapids bus system? Peter Varga prefers to turn the question around and ask, "Who isn't hurt by it?"

The solution to the growing congestion in Grand Rapids is self-evident, say transit advocates: invest in better bus service, plan for light rail to serve the city and the suburbs, and sharply lower public spending for new highways. Here’s an action plan for area residents:

• Metro Council needs to play an active role to build support for GRATA and promote sensible transportation choices. Let them, and your state and local representatives, know that you’ll back them all the way.

Grand Valley Metro Council
40 Pearl, N.W., Suite 410
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Gerald L. Felix, Executive Director
Tel. 616-776-3876
E-mail: <felixg@gvmc.org>
Jim Buck, Chairman
Tel. 616-530-5392

Grand Rapids Area Transit Authority (GRATA)
333 Wealthy Street, S.W.
Grand Rapids, MI 49503-4018
Peter Varga, Executive Director
Tel. 616-456-7514

State Sen. Ken Sikkema
State Capitol
Lansing, MI 48913
Tel. 800-774-1174

• Get involved with “Faith in Motion,” a project of the Grand Rapids Center for Independent Living that is organizing church and synagogue congregations to back improved public transit.

Grand Rapids Center
for Independent Living
3600 Camelot Drive, S.E.
Grand Rapids, MI 49546
David Bulkowski and Kevin Wisselink
Tel. 616-949-1100

• Join the Institute’s work to link
transportation priorities with
better land stewardship.

Michigan Land Use Institute
845 Michigan Avenue
Benzonia, MI 49616
Kelly Thayer,
Transportation Project Coordinator
Tel. 616-882-4723
E-mail: <trans@mlui.org>



Continued from previous page.			The $420 million South Beltline, a four-lane bypass linking interstates 96 and 196, is under construction. Millions more dollars have been allocated to road and highway projects in the metro area. © Patrick Owen
	"Calling for 'efficient transportation systems' was the compromise language used to quiet the pesky transit advocates who fought like hell to get their visions adopted," Ms. Stoneman added. " They were so dismayed that they became deeply cynical about the whole process. They simply did not want to buy into any part of the Blueprint purporting to change 'business as usual' yet promoting a bypass." Nearly a decade later, not much has changed. Roads continue to be the concert master of the Grand Rapids transportation system while transit plays a distant second fiddle. Jim Buck, the chairman of Metro Council, says the organization is unsure about how aggressively it can promote public transportation because some of its members are ambivalent, particularly several suburbs unwilling to support a property tax increase to pay for increased service. Mr. Buck, who also is the mayor of Grandville, said it would be more comfortable to push for transit if the business community were involved. "To me it's one of the most critical things facing the Grand Rapids area," he said. "Transportation is a weak link. No question. There are enough committees out there studying this thing. I think it's going to take a major push among employers to get it straightened out." Everyone Pays Grand Rapids is the nation's 93rd-largest city — and Michigan's second most populous at 188,000 — but operates a public transit system, the Grand Rapids Area Transit Authority (GRATA), that lags behind many smaller cities. Ann Arbor, with half of Grand Rapids' population, transports 10% more passengers. The Lansing bus system levied $6.4 million in property taxes last year, while GRATA has no guaranteed property tax support. Flint's buses run until 11 p.m. on weeknights, nearly five hours later than GRATA's. GRATA Executive Director Peter Varga, at the wheel since 1997, has one tough job. His fleet of 75 buses last year carried more than 3.6 million passengers and logged about 2.3 million miles. Even so, because of the restricted service there are relatively few riders, who alone don't make a sizable enough constituency to compel local government officials to give the system more support. In late 1996, for example, the Kent County Board of Commissioners narrowly defeated a five-year proposal to raise property taxes slightly to support GRATA. Since the 1940s the federal government has conducted numerous traffic studies on the causes of congestion, each concluding that new roads do not relieve it. Instead more roads induce demand by providing more access. Recently, researchers from the University of California at Berkeley studied 30 urban counties in California. They found that every 1% increase in new lane-miles generated a 0.9% increase in traffic over four years. In other words, no matter how much pavement gets laid down, it very quickly will fill up with cars and trucks. Building more roads in Grand Rapids will have the same effect there that it does everywhere else. The South Belt will increase congestion, raise taxes, and encourage sprawl in the same townships that are seeking tools to halt sprawl. Underfunding GRATA significantly adds to this problem: Employers in the Grand Rapids region cannot rely on a convenient, comfortable, and affordable non-automotive way for employees to get to work. Residents who can't afford or don't want to drive are stuck with a public transit system that fails to serve their needs. An effective transit system would eliminate the need for several million car trips annually, relieving congestion and saving taxpayers the money required to maintain, widen, and build new roads. It also would encourage development of business and shopping districts near transit stops, reducing the need to build on farmland. So who is hurt by the region's love affair with roads and the struggling Grand Rapids bus system? Peter Varga prefers to turn the question around and ask, "Who isn't hurt by it?"

		The solution to the growing congestion in Grand Rapids is self-evident, say transit advocates: invest in better bus service, plan for light rail to serve the city and the suburbs, and sharply lower public spending for new highways. Here’s an action plan for area residents: • Metro Council needs to play an active role to build support for GRATA and promote sensible transportation choices. Let them, and your state and local representatives, know that you’ll back them all the way. Grand Valley Metro Council 40 Pearl, N.W., Suite 410 Grand Rapids, MI 49503 Gerald L. Felix, Executive Director Tel. 616-776-3876 E-mail: <felixg@gvmc.org> Jim Buck, Chairman Tel. 616-530-5392 Grand Rapids Area Transit Authority (GRATA) 333 Wealthy Street, S.W. Grand Rapids, MI 49503-4018 Peter Varga, Executive Director Tel. 616-456-7514 State Sen. Ken Sikkema State Capitol Lansing, MI 48913 Tel. 800-774-1174 • Get involved with “Faith in Motion,” a project of the Grand Rapids Center for Independent Living that is organizing church and synagogue congregations to back improved public transit. Grand Rapids Center for Independent Living 3600 Camelot Drive, S.E. Grand Rapids, MI 49546 David Bulkowski and Kevin Wisselink Tel. 616-949-1100 • Join the Institute’s work to link transportation priorities with better land stewardship. Michigan Land Use Institute 845 Michigan Avenue Benzonia, MI 49616 Kelly Thayer, Transportation Project Coordinator Tel. 616-882-4723 E-mail: <trans@mlui.org>