By Lucian Van Fleet
Special to the Independent
On July 28, the Canton Public Library hosted “Moving Together: Western Wayne County Transit Strategy Town Hall.” This town hall focused on presenting and sourcing feedback on possible public transit changes in Van Buren, among other communities near Belleville.
The meeting kicked off with Supervisor Anne Marie Graham-Hudak of Canton Township introducing herself as well as the five women at the front of the room. Seated at the folding tables were the three panelists, Canton Treasurer and Trustee Dian Slavens, Canton Planner Erin Schlutow, and Project Manager Adrianna Jordan. Ammara Ansari and Tania Ganguly, two moderators and Canton Trustees, probed the panelists with thought-provoking questions before the presentation of findings.
Graham-Hudak went on to explain the purpose of the town hall: to present possible changes to public transit infrastructure that could be made if the Wayne County Transit Authority (WCTA) millage on the Aug. 4 ballot passes. It was mentioned multiple times that this meeting was not about whether voters should vote for the millage or not, but rather to present changes that could be made if the millage did pass.
Through a series of questions from Ansari and Ganguly, the panelists explained how, over the past several months, they have been learning the current public transit system across a consortium of seven neighboring communities. These communities are: Northville, Northville Township, Plymouth, Plymouth Township, Canton, Westland, and Van Buren.
Transitioning into a presentation, Schlutow and Jordan took turns showcasing their findings. They explained how, in the beginning, they started with data-gathering from the locals to find out what people wanted and needed. This was essential in creating an interconnected system that works for everyone, especially those who are elderly and physically or cognitively disabled.
Erin Schlutow presented the data from a community transit survey, revealing the reasons why people do not use public transit. About 23% said it increases travel time, 39% said the stops were inaccessible, 40% said non-catered geography, and 42% said they weren’t aware of public transit, routes, or stops.
In response, Adrianna Jordan presented multiple proposed changes, including new routes, new stops on existing routes, extending current routes to hit key spots previously left untapped, as well as a new and improved bus stop design. Jordan noted that the finer details aren’t worked out yet. The millage still needs to be voted on and would need input from SMART, the public transportation partner in this project.
SMART is, as their website says, “Southeast Michigan’s only regional public transportation provider, offering convenient, reliable and safe transportation for Macomb, Oakland and Wayne Counties.”
It was stressed again that these proposals were simply ideas in need of feedback, not concrete plans. Jordan spoke of interconnecting seven major communities — sketching a picture of safe, fast, and easy travel that will bridge the gap between Ann Arbor and Detroit.
Some suggested future transit destinations include Ford Road, Haggerty Road, Michigan Avenue, Meijer, Ikea, DTW, and the downtowns of Plymouth, Northville, and Ann Arbor to name a few.
“We’re still gathering some information here on what the community members want and what could best serve them,” Erin Schlutow said, “We’ve done a lot of public engagement, a lot of discussions with our consortium members… We’re still in the drafting and finalizing phase, but we’re really proud of the work that we’ve done and a lot of the routes and mobility strategies that we’ve got.”
The mayor of Northville, Brian Turnbull, was also in attendance to show his support for the plan, as was a SMART representative named Jordan. A representative from Wayne County has been asked to attend and answer questions about the millage but did not show.
Throughout the town hall, the planning team emphasized it is asking for specific, actionable feedback from the community. This feedback is necessary before any recommendations that have been made can be finalized.
Anyone with questions or suggestions, you can contact Erin Schlutow at [email protected] or 734-394-5179. A recording of the town hall presentation is also available on the Canton Community Productions YouTube channel.