Mass transit grabs more federal funds for rail, bikes

A pocketful of money is creating big changes to mass transit in Metro Detroit.

First, SMART is installing $20,000 worth of bike racks away from its bus routes across the metro area. Of that, $16,000 is coming from federal Transportation Enhancement funds. The idea is to provide another amenity for bicyclists who ride its buses so they have a safe place to lock up their bike at their final destination.

"A place a rider might take their bike off the bus and ride it to a specific location," says Beth Dryden, director of external affairs marketing and communications for SMART.

Some of those locations could vary between big-name destinations like Comerica Park in Detroit or smaller, every-day use places like the Wal-Mart/Meijer commercial center on Maple Road in Troy. SMART expects to spend about $500 per bike rack, which could mean about 40 new places for bicyclists to lock up their bikes across the metro area.

That's on top of $25 million in federal stimulus funds the M-1 Rail project received from the U.S. Dept. of Transportation. That money is expected to go a long way towards bringing light rail to Woodward Avenue between the Detroit River and New Center. The funds will be primarily used for road improvements along the corridor.

Source: Transportation Riders United and Beth Dryden, director of external affairs marketing and communications for SMART
Writer: Jon Zemke

Mass transit grabs more federal funds for rail, bikes

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