Westgate

Seva is a nice addition to the retail selections on West Stadium. We have the best independent bookstore (Nicola’s Books), the best hardware store (Stadium Hardware) and arguably the second best hardware store (Ace). We have great food stores (Plum market and Arbor Farms). We also have a wonderful brew pub (Wolverine).

A great thing about visiting west side businesses is that you get free parking.

But the downside is I can’t walk there for lunch anymore, and that is when I usually went to Seva.

Although I will be voting “yes” for the transportation millage in May because I approve of the bus service expansion in general, the proposed service will be less convenient for getting from downtown to the West Stadium shopping area (Westgate, Maple Village, Stadium Hardware, etc.) It will require two buses instead of the current one. This is unfortunate as many people who currently ride the #12 bus are going shopping on West stadium – including me.

Ms. Estabrook, route 9 will continue to run directly from downtown (Blake Transit Center) out Huron/Jackson to Westgate and Maple Village, and route 8 will loop from Blake out to Stadium via Pauline and Liberty, so right past Stadium Hardware.

Re: (3). I understand your frustration with our bus service. My bus stop in on South Maple Road, near Scio-Church Road. Westgate Shopping Center, where Seva is now located, is a short drive north on Maple, but there is no bus service that directly connects my end of Maple Road with all of the retail operations around Maple and Jackson Roads.

As I mentioned, Seva now has plenty of free parking for those of us who are not well served by our transit routes.

Re (4) For those of us living in the neighborhoods north of Miller, a bus that runs along Pauline or even Huron is not very usable. The #12 buses run along Miller and have been important to that area.

At the October 2013 public meeting (Peace Neighborhood Center), at least one area resident vigorously protested the substantial changes in #12. He lives on North Maple and is also being inconvenienced by the #12 changes.

It appears to me that the changes in #12 are mostly to make it more convenient for Park & Ride customers.

West siders would have much better bus service if they could convince Scio Township to get on the bus.

Re (4) Mr Hammond – I shouldn’t have said “from downtown”. You are correct. The 9 and the 8 would be convenient for getting to West Stadium/Maple if you are starting from downtown but I live just north of Miller and east of 7th, near Mack School. I would have to go downtown (walk or take the 12) in order to get either the 9 or 8. I could get the 9 by walking almost a mile from my house across West Park to the bus stop on Huron across from the Y – not as convenient as getting the #12 1 1/2 blocks from my house as I do now.
Re (5) Mr. Eaton – Free parking is irrelevant to my situation since I don’t have a car.
Re (6) Ms Armentrout – Could you elaborate on how the proposed changes in #12 will benefit primarily Park and Ride customers? The #18 serves them now.

Re (7) Scio Township has successfully resisted any entanglement with the bus system that would cost its citizens a tax. Good strategy – we will now have at least one route that runs into Scio Township, apparently supported by Ann Arbor taxes. As shown on material passed out last fall, it has the temporary designation of “B” and replaces 9. It will run all the way along Jackson to Zeeb Road/Meijer’s, which will doubtless be very convenient for many people, but Scio is not picking up the bill.

Re (8) I was making a surmise about convenience to Park and Ride customers, but the reconfigured 12 (replaces 18), shown as D on the preliminary maps, is a straight shoot both directions from the Miller P&R to downtown. It cuts the loop that did allow travel from Miller down Maple (12A) but perhaps lengthened travel from the P&R. A little difficult to tell from the maps how that 12A/12B loop worked for P&R users.

Which is fine for people who park and ride, but what of those of us who do not? Some people just walk and ride.

Are all of those routes permanently designed at this point? I am thinking that people who want the 12 to go to Westgate can lobby for it and maybe that will change.

Re (11) worth a try but this has been the result of a lot of reworking, especially because they created two new routes. I think the local public participation was supposed to take care of that.

re Comments 8 and 9.

The new plan includes a route 12G, the “North Maple Connector” that will run along Maple, from Skyline High south, stopping at Maple Village and Westgate shopping centers, ending at Pinelake Village Co-op housing, on Maple about half way between Liberty and Pauline. So from your neighborhood north of Miller you would take the 12D out Miller to Maple, and then get the 12G down Maple to Westgate.

The AAATA has done individual documents for each Ward of the city showing the new routes that would pass through them. Here’s the one for Ward 5, which covers their area Ms’s Armentrout and Estabrook are referring to: [link]

Here’s the page for for the whole Plan, with links to the info for each ward: [link]

There is a public meeting about millage/proposed changes hosted by League of Women Voters on April 7 at the A2 dtn library, 7pm. I don’t know if there will be any AAATA representatives there. There is also a public meeting about this on the Eastern MI univ campus on April 2. I don’t know who sponsors that one or the time or place. Also, an AAATA board meeting at 6:30 PM Thurs April 17 A2 dtn library. Vivienne may be correct in that this is a bit late after all the planning.

Re (13) I think the original point (3) was that this trip now requires two buses. I haven’t tried to look to see what the times the two different routes run. There would be coordination issues for people waiting to transfer from one to the other. (The referenced flyer only gives routes, not schedule times.)

Re (14) if the LWV forum is typical, they’ll allow questions to be submitted in writing from the audience but no other public participation. Best bet is to go to the AAATA board meeting and put in both a request for service and for clarification. Sometimes this board is a little more informal than other boards and a question might get answered.

Thanks for the suggestion, Vivienne

Re 13 – Thanks for the links. Yes, I have seen the plans for the various wards. That is what made me realize that I would have to take 2 buses to do my shopping whereas now I take only one. If the 12G connector is scheduled so that it is waiting for the 12A and 12B that would make it easier. That is not clear on the plan handouts