My Take: Lack of transportation in Emmet County deprives residents in many ways

Martha Lancaster
·3 min read

The Emmet County Board of Commissioners has a chance to make a positive difference in our lives for decades to come.

On Sept. 29, the commission will hold a special meeting on public transit where they could establish the county-wide transit system that residents need and have been requesting for decades.

The question is: Will they make the right decision?

There is no question there is a need for transit. While decades of studies and surveys have attested to the need for transit in Emmet County, it is also the right thing to do. Having reliable public transit will allow residents to access essential services and get around our community. The pandemic has impacted our access to healthcare, housing, and the workforce, and having a public transit system will help connect us to these services and drive our local economy.

Emmet is one of only two counties in the region that lack a public transit system, so there is no question that public transit in rural Michigan is viable. One need look no further than neighbors such as Benzie, Charlevoix and Wexford counties, which have sustainable transit systems that serve all areas in their counties. It’s not expensive. In other counties, transit millages cost homeowners only about $50 to $75 per year.

Luckily, there’s already some guidance on how to make public transit a reality here. The Emmet Transportation Authority proposal presented to the commission last year provides a road map, based on best practices in similar communities.

To really work, the plan must:

  • identify a long-term funding source and plan;

  • establish an advisory board that with meaningful input from key stakeholders, including the Little Traverse Bay Bands and Friendship Center;

  • employ an experienced county transit manager to coordinate services and contracts, implement technology for dispatching, and seek grants for busses and other equipment;

  • provide a significantly robust level of service to be consistent, reliable, and reach areas where people live; and

  • and integrate transit services with housing and other sectors.

The current lack of transportation in Emmet County deprives residents in many ways. We cannot solve the problems our community faces with affordable housing, healthcare, and employment without public transportation. Being able to reliably move through our community is a necessity. Emmet County residents recognize this need, which is why a survey of residents ranked transportation as the third most pressing issue that county government should tackle when spending our American Rescue Plan Act funds.

The commission must address this pressing need by fully funding a transit system that can serve Emmet County residents. Doing nothing is not an option, and neither is implementing minor transit services that only get us halfway there.

You can guide the decision. Please attend the Sept. 29 special commission meeting on transit at 6:30 p.m. at Petoskey Middle School (801 Northmen Drive) and make a short public comment in support of a comprehensive, sustainable public transit system. If you cannot attend, please contact your county commissioner. You can connect with the commissioners here: bit.ly/emmettransit.

— Martha Lancaster is a resident of Harbor Springs.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: My Take: Lack of transportation in Emmet County deprives residents in many ways