City officials and staff at the University of Michigan are looking into the construction of a light rail system in downtown Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Detroit Free Press reported that the plan would make use of the already existing roadways to take passengers from Central Campus to downtown Ann Arbor, to North Campus, the Medical Campus, and eventually out to Michigan’s southern athletic campus, and Briarwood Mall south of campus. The rail, named the Ann Arbor Connector, would also allow riders to park their vehicles at the edge of the city and ride into town, dropping them off around the town and connecting bus routes to the new grid.
The projections for the new rail system put it only six-to-twelve years away, which may seem distant to current students, but in reality is not that too far off. Current costs lurk in the $500-$700 million range, coming from a variety of sources, including both federal and state budgets. The new system could be as high as 43% faster than the current bus system, which accounts for more than 30,000 of the 50,000 trips made per day from UofM’s Central Campus to its North Campus. More information can be found on the Ann Arbor Connector website.
A rail system could also be a relief to drivers, because having fewer vehicles on the road lessens the chance of a crash and lessens traffic during rush hour. Utilizing public transportation could be far safer for commuters and pedestrians on the streets of Ann Arbor, Michigan. If projects such as this light-rail can successfully be implemented in Ann Arbor, this could be huge progress for the public transportation sector of the city and University and could really cut down on traffic and accidents, due to less drivers on the road and more on public transportation.
Hopefully, with more and more public transportation system upgrades, the chance of being involved in an automobile accident the likeliness of getting stuck in traffic will decrease. However, car collisions are still always possible. In fact, motor vehicle accidents involving public transportation happen more frequently than Michiganders realize. If you have been injured in bus accident or any other public transportation accident, speak to an attorney at The Michigan Law Firm, PLLC. Our personal injury attorneys are highly skilled in helping victims of bus crashes and automobile collisions receive any compensation they may be entitled to, under Michigan law. Call us today, at 844.4MI.FIRM for a free consultation.