September 24, 2014
Mr. Palombo,
The Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) Chair delegated to the Policy Committee the
responsibility of compiling comments from CAC members for the scope of the request for
proposals (RFP) for the regional transit plan. The Policy Committee, in turn, delegated to me and
my team the task of reviewing the scope of the RFP and preparing the following list of
recommendations. Given the time constraints we were under when drafting the comments, it is
important to note that they represent the collected comments of a select group of CAC members,
brought to you under those time constraints, rather than an official document that has been
commented on and adopted by the broader CAC. If any of the comments need clarification,
please let me know and I will respond as soon as possible.
1. Under 1.0 Background - Page 2, please include non-motorized transportation in the document
by adding a bullet under the objectives for the Master Transit Plan (MTP):
*Plan for and coordinate the development of a non-motorized regional network
2. Under 2.0 Project Summary - please ensure that the vendor is expected to create a visionary
document that is beyond the existing regional transit plan (RTP). Take out the language "At a
minimum"... and state the MTP must:
A) Provide the vision for the future world class transit system in Metro-Detroit
B) Include a Transit Service and Facilities Plan
C) Include Implementation Strategies
Also, expand the number of corridors for transit capital projects to include rigorous evaluation
criteria based on current usage and future projects including employment centers, recreational
attractors, retail centers, government centers, and other attractors. For example, the previous
regional transit plan included more rapid transit corridors than the RTA legislation. These
additional corridors as well as the current and future needs of the Region should be taken into
consideration for transit capital projects.
3. Under 3.0, Transit Needs Assessment, please include the following:
A) Make transit an enticing choice for all residents and visitors by ensuring fast, efficient,
and frequent regional transit lines to serve customers well by improving current service and
creating new projects
B) Measure improvements to regional quality of life through directly through better
transit service and trough indirect means such as cleaner air, improved economy and resilient
infrastructure
4. Under 4.0 Regional Master Transit Plan, please include current land use and future land use
compatibility as performance criteria.
In addition, please provide a time line for a work plan that makes clear when the work is to be
completed and the roles for groups outside of the RTA subgroups.
5. Under 5.0 Funding and Revenue Strategies, please base the design of our transit system on the
needs of the Region rather than a theoretical guess as to how the 85% of the taxes collected are
allocated. Until taxes are actually collected, it is unknown how many taxes will be collected in a
given jurisdiction, particularly when the method of taxation will change the amount of tax that is
collected from each area. In addition, jurisdictions may choose to compromise to place some
service outside of their jurisdiction in attempts to serve their own jurisdictions better or the
Region as a whole. For instance, providing more service just outside of a jurisdiction may serve
that jurisdiction better than routes within the jurisdiction’s borders.
6. Under 7.0 Deliverables - add a bullet under under 1.) needs assessment report
*Develop a regional map of key assets to help guide connections (example: employment
centers, major parks, airport, shopping etc.)
Please feel free to contact me at p_fedewa@hotmail.com or (313)590-2493 to discuss
these matters in greater detail.
Patty Fedewa
Chair, Policy Committee, CAC
CC: Transit Providers