Getting around Metro Detroit and reaching key locations tends to be easy if you have a reliable car. But if you’re part of the 12% of the region’s households that depends on transit, accessing key locations like grocery stores, medical care, and schools gets a lot harder.
That’s the main takeaway from “Transportation Access to Core Services,” a new report the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) has put out. It’s the first time in 10 years SEMCOG has done this type of analysis, and the report’s authors say there’s been some marginal improvement in overall regional mobility during that time — but not nearly enough.
“Driving is by far the most dominant mode of reaching core services throughout Southeast Michigan,” the report found. “Across nearly all core services measured, shifting from driving to non-driving modes — walking, biking, or fixed-route transit — substantially reduces accessibility.” Not surprisingly, it concludes that “a road and freeway network developed in support of the car has resulted in the car becoming the most practical travel option for most trips.”
The report investigates access to transit both by geographic location, as well as by demographic groups including transit-dependent households, households with children or seniors, and low-income households. It found that virtually every household in the region can access core services within 30 minutes by car — but that changes dramatically if you’re unable to drive, or rely on transit.
“Things get a lot more challenging,” said SEMCOG planning director Kevin Vettraino. “Our transit network has gaps. Our biking and walking networks have gaps.”
But the hope is that this analysis can provide a guide for filling those gaps, according to its authors: “The findings of this report underscore the importance of coordinating land use, housing, and transportation planning to build a connected, multimodal transportation system that supports access to opportunity for all residents—regardless of where they live or how they travel.”
SEMCOG planner Beheshteh Makari added that the document can serve as “a data foundation for future regional planning — what we want our communities and region to look like. And this is a snapshot of what the current situation is."
SEMCOG also debuted a new online tool alongside the report. It’s an interactive map that shows how transportation access and the ability to reach key places vary across southeast Michigan, broken down by demographic groups.
