Getting There Together Weekly: The They're At It Again Edition

June 12, 2009
(Blog editor's apology: I missed posting this when it came in, but it is still extremely important.)

Folks,

They're at it again. Our elected officials are demonstrating what they "don't want to do" but are doing anyway.

Yesterday, June 11th, the Michigan Senate voted to cut the Local Bus Operating program by $4.28 million and the Amtrak rail passenger operating grant by $2 million.

Many bus systems around the state have been getting slammed on the expense side of their budgets due to rising fuel and healthcare costs among other things. On the revenue side of their budgets, the percentage coming from the State has been steadily shrinking. As an example, The Rapid has gone from nearly 50% of its budget coming from the bus operating program to under 30%.

And all the while, bus ridership continues to hit new records across the state. We continue to make progress on the local and regional scenes but funding remains the challenge and this budget cut will make the realization of quality systems that much harder. Check out what's happening in Metro Detroit.
For Amtrak, this is devastating. It will result in the loss of either the rail services along the Port Huron to Chicago route or the Grand Rapids to Chicago route--that's our Pere Marquette run. Worse case scenario maybe both would disappear!

So, when Governor Granholm is in Washington talking with the President about a high speed rail link between Detroit and Chicago, the Senate votes to gut the service we have. And, don't forget that the legislative task force exploring a high-speed rail link between Detroit and Lansing has scheduled its first meeting for June 15th at Michigan State University's Kellogg Center with a subsequent hearings set to come to Grand Rapids. I've been meaning to write about the need to get west Michigan on the high speed rail map and now it looks as if the senate wants us off the rail map entirely!

Fast, frequent and dependable trains, combined with local buses, are important tools for dealing with our economic, environmental and energy crises. With businesses looking for expanded transportation options for their employees and customers and with more Michiganders unable to afford personal vehicles, Michigan should expand passenger rail and transit, not cut.
The ball now heads over to the Michigan House of Representatives. From there, a conference committee will be formed to iron out the final details.

For today, contact your representative and urge them to restore the funding!
E-mail them or give them a call.

Talking points:

• Restore Local Bus Operating Funding. The Michigan Senate on 6/11/2009 slashed Fiscal Year 2010 Local Bus Operating funds from the Governor's recommended $166,624,000 to $162,340,600 - a $4.28 million cut. What this means in real life: Significant route cuts. "Please restore Local Bus Operating funding to 2009 levels in this year's transportation budget."
• Restore AMTRAK Funding. The Michigan Senate on 6/11/2009 dramatically slashed Fiscal Year 2010 AMTRAK funds to the extent that two of the state's three train routes will cease to operate before this time next year. "Please restore AMTRAK funding to 2009 ($7.1 million) levels in this year's transportation budget."
  

All for today.

Dave
David Bulkowski, J.D.
Executive Director
Disability Advocates of Kent County
Empowering Independence
3600 Camelot SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49546
(616) 949-1100, ext. 228; dave.b@dakc.us