Arbor Update

Ann Arbor Area Community News

County-wide Transit Plan meetings this week

18. October 2006 • Murph
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'The long and winding tracks...' from Flickr.com user nonsooth.The Washtenaw Area Transportation Study has five upcoming public meetings for their County-wide Transit Plan.

WATS study will include all forms of transit in or desired in the County, ranging from fixed-route service, such as AATA, to longer-range commuter lines, to door-to-door paratransit service. The plan is currently in the visioning and goal-setting stage, and will be developing over the next year.

Meetings are scheduled for:

Wednesday, October 18, 2006, 2:30-4:00pm
Ypsilanti Senior Center
1015 Congress St.
Ypsilanti, MI
To get there by AATA: #6 to Recreation Park stop

Wednesday, October 18, 2006, 6:00-8:00pm
Washtenaw Community College – 101 Morris Lawrence Building
4800 E. Huron River Drive
Ann Arbor, MI
To get there by AATA: #3 to Washtenaw Community College stop

Thursday, October 19, 2006, 2:00-4:00pm
Ann Arbor DDA Offices
150 S. Fifth Ave, #301
Ann Arbor, MI
To get there by AATA: Basically all routes, to downtown.

Wednesday, November 1, 2006, 2:00-4:00pm
Washington Street Education Center
500 Washington Street
Chelsea, MI

Wednesday, November 1, 2006, 6:00-8:00pm
Washington Street Education Center
500 Washington Street
Chelsea, MI



  1. Apologies for the late notice; for some reason I thought I’d already posted this.


       —Murph    Oct. 18 '06 - 04:59PM    #
  2. I encourage everyone to attend these meetings so your voice and opinions can be incorporated in the overall plan.


       —Nancy Shore    Oct. 18 '06 - 05:42PM    #
  3. I wish I could attend these. But three of the five meetings are during working hours—even the one I’m most interested in about the Ann Arbor lines to downtown.


       —Young OWSider    Oct. 18 '06 - 05:51PM    #
  4. OWSider – the routes mentioned are not the topics of the meeting; those are “how to get there by bus”. I should clarify that. All the meetings are about all imaginable transit topics within Washtenaw County.


       —Murph    Oct. 18 '06 - 06:13PM    #
  5. It is really odd that they are held during the middle of the day. Perhaps they are seeking an even higher percentage of retirees than already tend to attend such things.


       —Brandon    Oct. 18 '06 - 07:10PM    #
  6. Doh! Thanks, Murph. But I’m still concerned that so many of the meetings are just impossible for me or other folks who work during the day to attend without taking vacation time.


       —Young OWSider    Oct. 18 '06 - 08:18PM    #
  7. Oh, the complaining! :)

    The original public meeting schedule that I saw just included the two evening sessions, at WCC and in Chelsea. The additional sessions were added later. Meaning that the daytime sessions are a good thing, increasing access to the meetings. (Besides, Brandon, afaict, you wouldn’t be able to make the meetings no matter what time they were held.)

    WATS doesn’t have anything on their website yet, but I assume they’ll provide some materials and contact information for providing feedback by phone / e-mail.


       —Murph    Oct. 18 '06 - 08:25PM    #
  8. I’m pretty sure Brandon could make it if they put it at a slightly more convenient time, like in between sets of Chris Bathgate and the Great Lakes Myth Society…in Brooklyn.


       —Dale    Oct. 19 '06 - 10:41AM    #
  9. Yesterday’s afternoon meeting was poorly attended; there were apparently some publicity snafus, including an AANews article on the process that failed to run.

    The presentation, survey, and other feedback forms from this series of meetings will be put on WATS’ website in a week or so.


       —Murph.    Oct. 19 '06 - 08:51PM    #