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It's back to the drawing board for public transit in SE Michigan

 bus
flickr user Matt Picio
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http://j.mp/1SPGCl0
The Regional Transit Authority millage was defeated Tuesday.

 

If you favored the Regional Transit Authority millage, you saw a big step towards the connected, regional transportation system that’s never existed in Southeast Michigan.

If you opposed it, you saw a tax hike for services you likely don’t need or care about.

The opposition won. Southeast Michigan voters said “no” to the RTA millage.

Megan Owens of Transportation Riders United spoke with us today.

Owens told us she wasn't overly surprised at how counties in the region voted.

"Washtenaw County supported it, Oakland and Wayne counties were roughly split … and Macomb County opposed it. When push came to shove, that’s where all of the counties were heading,” she said.

“I think there’s still a lot of questions about where we go from here,” Owens told us. “What we need to do is look at how do we both develop a plan where people can see and understand their benefit, whether they’re in Macomb County or anywhere else in the region, and make sure … we can come up with something that works better for more people to understand.”

Listen to our conversation above for more.

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Stateside is produced daily by a dedicated group of producers and production assistants. Listen daily, on-air, at 3 and 8 p.m., or subscribe to the daily podcast wherever you like to listen.
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