Here are a few of the area’s transit misses. Had any of these projects been approved, we would be having a totally different conversation today. Over the last 100-plus years there have been many attempts to improve regional transit. Most transit agencies figured out their funding fifty years ago, but here in Southeast Michigan, we’re still trying to come to an agreement. But they’re typically overseen by one transportation authority, just like our Regional Transit Authority. Some cities have a mix of buses, subway, light rail, heavy rail, and even ferries.
Having several different transit providers in a city or region is not uncommon. So why don’t we still have good public transit today? Detroit transit has faced a myriad of setbacks over the years: disease, labor issues, political agendas, franchise disputes, competition from automobiles and buses, maintenance issues, lack of funding, lack of regional cooperation, and urban sprawl.Īs such, Detroit went from having one of the largest public transit systems in the world to a fragmented one composed of several independently operated transit agencies: DDOT, SMART, the Detroit People Mover, and the QLine. In 1922, Detroit purchased the streetcar lines from the Detroit United Railway, a privately owned company, making Detroit the first large American city to own and operate its own transit system. By the 1890s, all lines were electrified which sped things up significantly.
The first streetcars, which were pulled by horses, began service in 1863. It was slow going on Detroit’s muddy streets until rails were built. Although Detroit is known the world over as the Motor City, it has always had public transportation and it used to be really good.
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