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Detroit’s Public Transportation Problem
Kyle Swirtz
WRT 1060: Composition 2
Professor John Freeman
February 5, 2023
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Abstract
Detroit is a city that has been decimated by population loss and economic decline over
the last 6 decades. Factories, retail work and the large majority of financial opportunities left the
city for the surrounding suburban ring. This forces many of the remaining residents to travel to
work which can be almost impossible for those without a vehicle. The public transit system in
Detroit fails to connect the residential areas to work areas outside of city limits. This paper
proposes the connection and expansion of bussing routes through Detroit and the tri-county
areas. Along with this, a large-scale rail system connecting all of the major hubs of the tri county
area would help to provide cheap reliable travel for citizens of suburbia and the inner city.
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Intro
The city of Detroit was once a thriving metropolis with countless job opportunities and
amenities located within city limits. However, companies began filtering into the suburban ring
surrounding the city taking jobs and money with them. This trend would continue due to the riots
in the late 60’s followed by mass urban decentralization that took place through the late 1900s.
With fewer jobs in the city, residents were forced to either move or travel longer distances for
work. Widespread public transit was not implemented during the decentralization period which
created the requirement for a personal vehicle in order to work. This extra requirement led to
further exodus from the inner city as well as an increase in the levels of poverty for residents that
remained within the city. This can be solved with the implementation of a rail system that
connects the surrounding suburban ring to the inner city. Bussing routes would also have to be
expanded with the Detroit city bussing system being integrated into a larger all-encompassing
transportation network connecting the major hubs of the tri county/motor city area.
Current Transportation Outlook
Detroit is unique among other large metropolis due to its distinct lack of widespread public
transit. Professor Grengs of the University of Michigan stated, “Inner-city residents in Detroit
are not disadvantaged by their location, but rather are disadvantaged by a lack of cars and poor
transit service.” (Grengs, 2012) The Q-line, a small scale rail system, was recently implemented
in an attempt to address the poor transit options within the city. However, this transportation
system is small in scale and isolated from the surrounding areas allowing only for short distance
transit within city limits. Detroit’s busing system is also separated from the surrounding areas
forcing residents to take buses to the edge of the city before getting on a separate bus to enter the
suburbs. This lack of consistent busing and a widespread rail system leads to a requirement of
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vehicle ownership to efficiently travel to work daily. Professor Grengs stated, “studies point to
large divides between employment accessibility levels for travelers with and without access to
automobiles in Detroit” (Grengs, 2012).This leaves the citizens with no personal vehicle at an
inherit disadvantage in employment accessibility and economic mobility in comparison to those
with access to a vehicle.
Urban Decentralization
The decentralization of factories and work centers was one of the main reasons this lack
of transportation became a large problem. After the riots in the 60’s, companies quickly began
moving their factories into the suburban ring surrounding the city. Retail stores soon followed
with larger malls opening in Oakland county. This leaves Detroit in a unique situation according
to the Brookings Institute and Harvard University. “Detroit is among just a few metropolitan
regions that show extreme decentralization in employment, with four out of every five jobs
located beyond 10 miles (16 km) of the central business district (CBD).” (Glaeser et al, 2001;
Lang, 2000). With a large majority of the job market located away from the city center, residents
are forced into longer distance travel which reduces their economic prospects as well as their
access to groceries and other necessities. Professor Jieun lee of the University of Northern
Colorado stated, “Longer distances between dispersing destinations, resulting from urban
decentralization, negatively affects the mobility of socially disadvantaged groups, including
women, minorities and lower-income populations.” (Lee et al., 2017) This decentralization
creates a need for public transit that connects the central business district with the surrounding
areas where the large majority of jobs exist.
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Previously Proposed Solutions
The Q-Line was introduced in 2013 as a rail system meant to connect busy areas of
Detroit. The issue with this system is how and where it was implemented. The Q-line is a transit
service covering a straight line down the center of the city. It does not have branches reaching
into larger residential areas leaving it mostly unused for daily transit. The People mover was put
in place in the 80’s to serve a similar purpose and has continued to run till this day. The problem
with the people mover is its lack of cars, and small size. It also fails to connect the residential
areas to heavy work centers and instead serves as a way to move around downtown. Prior to
covid, there was a proposed rail network that would connect the Ann arbor commuter rail system
to the city of Detroit. This proposed system would allow for cheap travel throughout the state for
inner city residents. The problem with this system is that it is large scale and not centralized
around work and residential centers. None of these proposed/enacted solutions address the core
issues facing working Detroiters. They do not connect residential areas to work centers in the
suburban ring, they do not provide consistent reliable travel throughout the city, and they do
nothing to bring suburban residents into the city.
Connect bussing routes
The first proposal that will be argued is the connection and expansion of the bussing systems of
Detroit and the counties surrounding it. Oakland County just passed a millage that would greatly
expand public transit access for the county. A millage similar to this would help expand busing
frequency and routing in the city of Detroit. The problem with this is that the counties have a
separate Department of Transportation to Detroit. This leads to a disjointed busing system that
leaves Detroit stranded. The DDOT (Detroit Department of Transportation) would have to be
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absorbed into the MDOT (Michigan Department of Transportation) to allow for cohesive action
and change. Following this change, busing systems would be connecting allowing routes that
cover all of Detroit and the surrounding suburban ring. The frequency of buses would have to be
greatly increase to make up for this which would expand the transportation industry and create
more low requirement jobs for the community. While expensive, this plan would also allow for
mobility from suburbia into the cities entertainment districts helping businesses and bringing
work/money back into the city. The Absorption of DDoT into MDoT would massively improve
mobility and accessibility for both Detroit citizens and suburbanites.
Implement a large scale rail system
The Q-Line falls short of a reliable transit system due to its small scale. An all encompassing rail
system should be implemented that allows for cheap quick transit when the busing system is
not available. For starters, connecting grocery stores, and work centers to residential areas
would greatly increase mobility and quality of life for inner city residents. “Accessibility gauges
the potential for interaction—the fundamental reason for the existence of cities to begin
with” (Hansen, 1959) Giving the residents of Detroit greater access to necessities and job
prospects through this rail system would drastically improve the economic prospects for the
cities future. Following the expected economic growth, the rail systems could be further
expanded along the plans of the already proposed Ann Arbor rail project. Ideally this rail system
would eventually be expanded to allow for quick and reliable travel throughout the state.
Reintroduce blue-collar jobs to the inner city
The final part of the proposed solution would be the reintroduction of blue collar and retail jobs
into the city. With improved mobility into the city, companies would benefit from moving back
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into the central hub of Detroit. With no transportation limitations, employees from suburbia
would be more inclined to take work in the city and vice versa for city residents. This would also
open up more job opportunities in and around disadvantaged neighborhoods and would bring
travel and business into these areas.
Conclusion
The city of Detroit has been in constant decline since the late 60’s. Factories and retail stores up
and left causing many affluent residents to follow. This forced the cities remaining residents to
travel longer distances to work limiting their economic opportunities and mobility. Detroit is
unique among Decentralized metropolises due to its lack of widespread public transportation.
This leaves residents with unreliable means of transit like the Q-Line and the awful busing
system. The absorption of DDoT into MDoT would be the first step in solving this long-standing
issue. Following this, Oakland, Macomb, and Wayne County bussing routes can be connected to
Detroit to allow for easy travel throughout the tri county area. Following this, A large scale rail
system should be implemented to connect all of the busy residential, entertainment, and work
centers within the city itself. Eventually this will be expanded to a tri-county wide rail network
allowing ease of travel in and out of the city. Companies will be able to return once transit
becomes less of a problem and the city of Detroit will slowly recover after implementing these
proposed transit networks.
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References
Grengs, J. (2012). Equity and the social distribution of Job Accessibility in Detroit. Environment
and Planning B: Planning and Design, 39(5), 785–800. https://doi.org/10.1068/b36097
Lee, J., Vojnovic, I., & Grady, S. C. (2017). The ‘Transportation Disadvantaged’: Urban form,
gender and automobile versus non-automobile travel in the Detroit Region. Urban Studies,
55(11), 2470–2498. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042098017730521
Hansen, W. G. (1959). How accessibility shapes land use. Journal of the American Institute of
Planners, 25(2), 73–76. https://doi.org/10.1080/01944365908978307
Glaeser, E., & Kahn, M. (2001). Decentralized employment and the transformation of the
American city. https://doi.org/10.3386/w8117
Kotval-K, Z., & Vojnovic, I. (2015). The socio-economics of travel behavior and environmental
burdens: A Detroit, michigan regional context. Transportation Research Part D: Transport
and Environment, 41, 477–491. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2015.10.017
Alfaro, F., Paredes, D., & Skidmore, M. (2022). New public transportation infrastructure and tax
delinquency in shrinking cities: The case of Detroit. International Regional Science
Review, 016001762211458. https://doi.org/10.1177/01600176221145875