Random Thoughts

July 23, 2003

BATA is our future -- give it your support

It would be nice if critics of BATA would spend more of their time riding on its buses and reflecting on our future and the needs of those who aren‘t as fortunate as themselves.
Perhaps they‘d put more of their energy into making a good thing even better, rather than running it down.
Perhaps they‘d even start riding the bus on a regular basis.
Cities all over the world are charging ahead with mass transit plans to handle the needs of more people, aging populations, and the growing expense of driving a car.
Coincidentally, we have some of the same problems shared by London, New York and Paris.
Do we have more people moving here? Yes, indeed, we are “blessed“ with some of Michigan‘s fastest-growing counties.
Do we have an aging population in need of alternatives to automobiles? Yes, Northern Michigan is one of the retirement capitals of America, touted in magazines such as Modern Maturity and Parade.
Is it getting more expensive to drive a car? All I know is that my last tank of gas cost $1.62 per gallon and fuel in general is going up as supplies go down. Expect another $150 or more on your natural gas bill this winter.
So it seems rather odd that here in Northern Michigan that anyone would want to roll backwards on mass transit in Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties by strangling BATA in its crib before the bus system reaches its full potential.
You may not ride BATA today, but perhaps you have an elderly parent, a child in school, or an unemployed or disabled friend or family member who relies on the bus service as a lifeline in a world that is hostile to pedestrians. The July 29 vote on a 0.25-mil would keep BATA alive for these folks, retaining the Cherriot bus service around town, a “dial-a-ride“ service which is used largely by seniors and persons with special needs, and some outcounty bus services.
A separate millage offers an opportunity to improve BATA. The approval of 0.10 mils would provide new routes to connect the villages of rural Leelanau and Grand Traverse counties. It would also help those who live far from fixed bus routes with an expanded dial-a-ride service. BATA‘s fleet would also be improved with the addition of new electric buses and smaller buses.
What‘s not to like? The cost of keeping BATA on the go is negligible. As John Tune noted in a recent guest opinion in the Express, “The owner of a $100,000 home, who has been paying $8.42 in taxes a year to support BATA as part of the millage that expired, would face an increase of just $4.08 a year. If the 0.10-mill measure also passes, it would represent an additional $5 increase.“
That‘s about how much money it costs for the average family to go out for soft-serve ice cream on a summer night. A small price to pay to maintain what the vast majority of people all over the world perceive as a resource beyond value.
There‘s an ugly and unfortunate political philosophy in our country today which preaches a doctrine of “I‘ve got mine and that‘s all I care about,“ which is perfect for the well-off and the privileged. If that‘s your mindset, then no amount of reasoning is likely to change your views on the value of a bus system to help those who aren‘t as fortunate.
But most people do care. We want to see our communities progress and realize that when the less fortunate among us suffer -- the young, the disabled, seniors, the unemployed and the working poor -- then in some way we are all harmed as a community.
A vote for BATA on July 29 is a vote for those among us who aren‘t so fortunate. It‘s also a vote for an alternative to the huge traffic problem in Traverse City. And it‘s a vote for the only sensible future we‘ve got -- we need more mass transit, not less. Take a bus to the polls on July 29 to celebrate the good thing we‘ve got with a yes vote on both millages.

Mass Transit Elsewhere:
• Currently, the city of Athens in Greece is constructing a 20-mile-long subway system in anticipation of the 2004 Olympics. With 21 stations, the system will move 450,000 passengers daily in a city of 4 million people.
• The average speed of an automobile moving through central London is less than 10 mph. To compensate, London has 205 km of dedicated bus lanes, serving 4.5 million daily. It also has 329 km of subway lines, serving 3 million riders daily.
• Paris has 15 subway lines operating on 124 miles of tracks witih 368 stations. The subway‘s 3,500 cars transport 6 million people each day.
• Detroit is building a new high-tech bus system that provides easy on-off service for riders on state-of-the-art buses.
• In Traverse City/Leelanau, ridership on BATA has increased yearly. In 1992, BATA provided a total of 157,282 rides. That number grew to 418,065 rides in 2002.