The Arb for example has little connectivity to the border-to-border trail, unless you count illegally crossing the railroad tracks.

Re: “There’s all kinds of work to be done with NCRC. It was a huge acquisition and it’s going to take some time to digest.” Exactly. When you have a big job to do, you order the to-do list by priority. The top priorities, like vehicular access and parking, get done right away, before the facility even opens. Lower priorities get done later. Things that are considered completely unimportant, like the pedestrian connection, aren’t even on the list, and don’t get done until someone complains.

Any claims by the University that they encourage alternative transportation are a blatant deception.

I take it the point there is that the UM’s payments in connection with the commuter service are tied to and limited by the number of employees who use the service, whereas AATA uses local millage money to cover the gap between revenues and expenses – whatever that amount might turn out to be.

So here’s what it turns out to be. Revenues for commuter express for the first half of FY 2012 (through March) showed $54,138 in passenger fares (some portion of which UM paid) and $42,313 in state operating assistance for a total of $96,451. Expenses for commuter express over that period were $138,053, leaving a total of $41,602 that was covered by Ann Arbor taxpayers.

As for walking/biking between NC and NCRC, *shrug*. There’s all kinds of work to be done with NCRC. It was a huge acquisition and it’s going to take some time to digest. I can’t blame the U for not making bike connections the highest priority. Nevertheless, there *is* a pedestrian/bike connection between Hubbard and NCRC, a fairly recent one, I guess.

North Campus is somewhat sequestered by design. The lack of “amenities” is something we all grumble about, but short of putting a strip mall on campus, I’m not sure what else to do. There are at least seven places to get food on campus and two convenience-ish stores that I can think of–not fine dining, admittedly, but it’s not the wasteland it once was. I’d be curious to hear your recommendations.

Re the article: I’m curious about the status of the old Kroger shopping center parcel. Is there anyone looking at a project there or is it completely in limbo? It seems like that will ultimately be the biggest factor in the livability and walkability of Lower Town.

1. The main entrance to the Hospital faces away from town. It couldn’t be any farther away without actually being in the river. There is almost no bike parking by the entrance, and what’s there isn’t covered. There is no bike parking at the Emergency entrance, or at most of the other entrances. There is a small amount at the back door of the Med Inn but it’s on the side of a hill and not covered. It’s not at all obvious how to walk to the hospital from town, and if you do manage it, you’ll end up at a back door with no reception desk that’s locked at night.

2. A year after the Pfizer purchase you still couldn’t walk or bike conveniently between there and neighboring North Campus.

3. The Cardiovascular Center was built without bike parking. After I badgered them for a year they finally put in about three spaces, again not covered.

4. Palmer Commons and Life Science were built with about six short-term bike spaces, not covered.

5. 50 years after North Campus was started, there still is no good way to walk or bike there.

6. Unlike the City, which allows bike parking anywhere that it isn’t in the way, the University impounds any bikes not in a bike rack. Which wouldn’t be so bad if they weren’t so stingy with bike parking.

7. The University continues to move operations out of town. Arbor Lakes, Wolverine Tower, NCRC, and even Turner Geriatrics are all in places that are hostile to pedestrians and bicyclists.

8. The University bus system is actually not too bad. But it doesn’t connect well with AATA. There is no direct bus from downtown to North Campus, Arbor Lakes, Wolverine Tower, or Turner Geriatrics.

9. While North Campus is fairly walkable, there are few amenities there. The nearest group of bars, shops, and restaurants is at the top of the hill on Plymouth, in a pedestrian/bike hostile strip mall.