The "Golden Triangle" is a proposed plan that would bring a rapid bus route to to three linking counties. Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne, including downtown Detroit, would be linked. Proponents say it would be cheaper and faster to establish than light rail. And that's all well and good. It's an exciting new development, however, transit advocates are buzzin on the Internet, saying light rail is still needed in Detroit.
Excerpt from the
Detroit News:
The "Golden Triangle" -- a proposed rapid bus route that would link Macomb and Oakland counties with downtown Detroit -- got a boost Thursday from local business groups that say it will be cheaper and faster to establish than light rail.
The Macomb County and the Sterling Heights Regional Chambers of Commerce say they support a plan by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) to use buses on dedicated lanes along a 67-mile route.
The bus route need not compete with light rail projects in Metro Detroit, backers say. Rather, it could be a precursor for light-rail systems because it would establish the ridership required to draw federal funding for light rail, officials say.
"It's a practical, functional, fiscally responsible approach to mass transit that serves the whole region," said Macomb County Board of Commissioners chairman Paul Gieleghem, D-Clinton Township. "It will roll like (light) rail and feel like (light) rail."
Read the entire article
here.
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