  Transitrider Member Username: Transitrider Post Number: 94 Registered: 01-2007 |
SEMCOG maintains a 25-year long-range vision for transportation. They are currently developing a new plan— extending through 2035 — for adoption in October 2009. It will guide transportation investment choices and establish a regional investment direction for years to come. State and local road and transit agencies are in the process of proposing projects for inclusion in Direction2035. Their decisions will be based on information provided by SEMCOG and input from the general public. You are invited and encouraged to participate in this local-level process through the following public meetings: Friday, March 20, 2009, 10:00 a.m. - Noon SMART Advisory Council Royal Oak Transit Center, 202 Sherman Dr, Royal Oak, MI Contact: SMART, Jay Gardiner, 313/223-2352 Wednesday, March 25, 2009, 3:30 - 5:30 p.m. Pontiac City Hall (Council Chambers), 47450 Woodward Ave, Pontiac, MI Contact: Road Commission for Oakland County, Department of Citizen Services, 877/858-4804 Wednesday, March 25, 2009, 2:00 p.m. Livingston County Road Commission, 3535 Grand Oaks Dr, Howell, MI Contact: Livingston County Road Commission, Michael F. Craine, Managing Director, Phone: 517/546-4250 Tuesday, March 31, 2009, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. Road Commission of Macomb County Administrative Building, 117 S Groesbeck Hwy, Mt. Clemens, MI Contact: Road Commission of Macomb County, Sue VanSteelandt, Board Secretary, 586/463-8671 Wednesday, April 1, 2009, 1:30 p.m. or 2:30 p.m. Monroe Urban Area Meeting at 1:30, Monroe County Federal Aid Committee Meeting at 2:30 Monroe City Hall (3rd Floor Conference Room), 120 E First St, Monroe, MI Contact: Monroe County Road Commission, Scott F. Assenmacher, County Highway Engineer, 734/240-5143 Monday, April 6, 2009, 10:00 a.m. Detroit Economic Development Corporation, Guardian Building (Suite 2200), 500 Griswold, Detroit Contact: City of Detroit Department of Public Works, Jose T. Abraham, General Manager, 313/224-3932 Please note - Wayne County’s meeting was Friday, March 13. With questions or for more information, contact: Wayne County Department of Public Services, Jim Visger, 313/224-7692 | ||
Dcmorrison12 Member Username: Dcmorrison12 Post Number: 113 Registered: 02-2009 |
Transit Rider - do you really thing Semcog will take any of our concerns seriously? No matter how many times we scream for mass transit... they'll fund highways. That's the way it goes around here... people and their cars. | ||
Transitrider Member Username: Transitrider Post Number: 95 Registered: 01-2007 |
Is it any more quixotic than going before City Council? If we don't show, then the prophecy is self-fulfilled. | ||
Professorscott Member Username: Professorscott Post Number: 1912 Registered: 12-2006 |
I have to agree with DCM on this one. I have two options: 1. Spend my personal time telling SEMCOG we need better transit (for the eighth or ninth time), then watch them craft a plan to widen and expand our highway system. 2. Spend my personal time watching a hockey game and drinking a Labatt's, or reading an Elmore Leonard novel, or washing my blue jeans, then watch SEMCOG craft a plan to widen and expand our highway system. SEMCOG conducts these hearings because they have to, but I have never seen any evidence that they pay the least bit of attention to what is said. I don't plan to waste my time with this. The way SEMCOG is structured, they will never do anything different than what they've been doing for their entire history. | ||
Transitrider Member Username: Transitrider Post Number: 96 Registered: 01-2007 |
C'mon Prof, that's no example to set  Your pessimism is warranted, but SEMCOG operates under the assumption that because no one is watching, they can continue to do what they've always done. They need to know we're watching just like any other public agency. (It is National Sunshine Week after all: http://www.sunshineweek.org/ ) Public sentiment is changing, and having a federal administration that "gets it" helps too. SEMCOG is often immune to the public because they don't answer directly to the public. They get their money from the feds as the regional MPO, and the member communities "vote" (rubber-stamp) on the agenda. Yes, the structure is flawed, but until we get a new one, it's the one we have to deal with. | ||
Professorscott Member Username: Professorscott Post Number: 1913 Registered: 12-2006 |
Don't get me wrong, TR, I correspond with SEMCOG staff people often enough. They do have some good staff people, but their governance structure pretty much ensures that they can't do anything useful. I will even go to a public workshop if there is information to be presented that I want to see. But for me to participate in one of these "share your opinion" sessions would be a little hypocritical. I don't want to stand there and pretend that someone is actually going to pay attention to what I say. If I want to talk to Alex or Carmine, I'll drop by or send an e-mail. SEMCOG knows some of us are watching, but all we can do is watch and they know that too. | ||
Transitrider Member Username: Transitrider Post Number: 97 Registered: 01-2007 |
Point well taken. The notice (or lack) on these meetings is suspicious too, I got the email from them last Friday (after the Wayne meeting already happened!) then borrowed the text from the Monday TRU email. What do you think can be done about their structure? How do we stop the insanity? | ||
Professorscott Member Username: Professorscott Post Number: 1917 Registered: 12-2006 |
Good to see Trainman on these posts; Train, we had wondered where you were. Transitrider, I participated as an expert witness in a lawsuit a few years ago challenging the structure of SEMCOG, but my side lost. So the only way to remake how SEMCOG works would be for the State to do it, as I believe SEMCOG is a creation of the State. I don't know whether or not that would be possible right now, but if you are personal friends with any state rep or senator, can't hurt to ask. | ||
Trainman Member Username: Trainman Post Number: 784 Registered: 04-2006 |
Professorscott My side lost in Livonia The DARTA agreement did not contain any state funds to be used for revenue sharing which our city council members used to raise money. This is outright illegal without a public vote for alternative funds or to protect existing funds. I won't be around much longer but I will vote and pray that we do get a better mass transit system someday. There is no fight for state funds to protect SMART and DDOT. The most outspoken transit tax advocates are much like the Livonia city council members and SEMCOG in the sense that they have they own agenda AND it is not mass transit for the benefit of everyone. |
