The 2010 Census numbers are in and Detroit’s reported population dropped as expected.

The new Census number is 713,777, however that may rise. After all, SEMCOG’s December 2010 population estimate — a very accurate one the data experts say — was 762,789.

Mayor Bing posted on Facebook, “I am confident our count will be revised. We must confront the reality that Detroit is losing population and commit to operating differently.”

How does this affect bicycling in Detroit?

If there is a positive, this population count reconfirms what we’ve been saying about the city’s urban biking. Detroit’s roads are some of the most bike friendly in America because more motorists are leaving them. The Detroit Census count has not been this low since 1910. And though we have greater car ownership in 2010, we also have many more road miles, not to mention expressways.

That said, there are many downsides to a dropping population.

For one, Detroit stands to lose road funding, which means less opportunity for building Complete Streets.

State road funding is divided up in an overly complex formula based on decades of legislative tweaks. Still, each city and village receives a portion of road funding based in part on their population relative to the others. When a city’s population drops more than the other citys and villages, they get less road funding. We’re not sure how much Detroit will lose, but we know it won’t be welcomed.

And, Federal Surface Transportation Program Urban (STP-U) funding is distributed by SEMCOG based on population. Detroit stands to lose road (and ADA ramp) money here as well.

Fortunately, Census population counts do not affect Transportation Enhancements funding which helps pay a lion’s share of the Detroit bike lanes and greenway projects.

Still, the next Federal Transportation Bill may scale back all transportation funding to match gas tax revenues starting in 2012. If that happens everyone across the board will see cuts.

These are certainly challenging times.

Despite the recent buzz about Governor Rick Snyder’s new state budget, it probably won’t greatly affect bike projects in Michigan. In Michigan, bike infrastructure funding mostly comes through the state law (called Act 51) and the federal transportation bill. It is the latter that caused more concern this week.

On Sunday night, we received the following heads-up from the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy:

Though we do not know details yet, we anticipate a congressional amendment that could do away with or hobble programs like Transportation Enhancements (the nation’s largest funding source for trails, walking and bicycling), Recreational Trails Program and Safe Routes to School. Therefore, we are working with many other organizations to defeat such a damaging amendment.

Transportation Enhancements are perhaps the number one source of on-road and trail infrastructure funding. (The Recreation Trails Program funds trails, but in Michigan, it is focused nearly exclusively on DNR trails, including a mix of motorized and non-motorized.)

So it was welcoming news to read today that those cuts did not happen. Again, from the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy:

This is a heartening development, as our programs have been fiercely targeted in the past and many worthy programs are on the chopping block. We believe these programs were spared because of the groundwork you helped to lay over the past years to foster appreciation of trail, walking and bicycling investments. Thank you so much for your strong trail and active transportation advocacy!

The TIGER, Community Development Block grant, and Americorp programs are still at risk in House. Those funds could also pay for trails and trail workers.

Meanwhile the Whitehouse has released their proposed budget with a fact sheet specific to transportation. Perhaps of most interest to cyclists is the discussion on livability and sustainability.

Helps Communities to Become More Livable and Sustainable. Fostering livable communities—places where coordinated transportation, housing, and commercial development gives people access to affordable and environmentally sustainable transportation—is a transformational policy shift.  The Administration’s reauthorization proposal adopts a multi-pronged approach to help communities achieve this goal.  For example, in the Federal Highway Administration, the Administration proposes a new livability grant program ($4.1 billion in 2012 and $28 billion over six years) for projects like multi-modal transportation hubs (where different forms of transportation converge) and streets that accommodate pedestrian, bicycle, and transit access.  The proposal also seeks to harmonize State and local planning requirements and facilitate more cooperation—and includes competitive grant funding ($200 million in 2012 and $1.2 billion over six years) to improve those entities’ ability to deliver sound, data-driven, and collaboratively-developed transportation plans.  The Budget also includes $119 billion for transit programs over six-years, more than doubling the commitment to transit in the prior reauthorization for both existing capacity and capacity expansion.  This unprecedented increase for buses, subways, and other systems of public transportation will help improve and expand travel options and help make our communities more livable.

If the Whitehouse could get this livability grant program through Congress, there is little doubt Detroit has a number of planning efforts that could take advantage of it.

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder gave a state of the state address tonight that touched on issues related to biking in Michigan, including this:

“I urge the prompt passage of a capital outlay bill that implements the recommendations of the Natural Resources Trust Fund. From the greatness of the land and the resourcefulness of the citizens of the Upper Peninsula to the unquestioned beauty and economic engine as our Great Lakes, natural resources and recreation have always been among our strongest areas. The Fund’s board of trustees has recommended 117 recreation and land acquisition projects totaling more than $100 million. These projects will positively impact every corner of our state from Iron County in the Upper Peninsula to Traverse City to Luna Pier in Monroe County. Also included is a significant expansion of the William G. Milliken Park on the Detroit Riverfront.”

That is excellent to hear and very welcomed. And it was good to see the bipartisan standing ovation it received.

However, it was just last Thursday when West Michigan legislators introduced bills (HB 4021, HB 4028, HJR B) that would raid the Natural Resources Trust Fund. It would divert upwards of 80% of its annual revenues. Twenty percent of the diverted funds would go towards the State Aeronautics Fund while the remainder would go to the Michigan Transportation Fund.

The intent of this Trust Fund is to take revenues from irreplaceable natural resources extracted from public lands and make longterm investments in new public lands and parks. This proposed Trust Fund raid would put most of the money into airports and road projects.

Having a deja vu? Yes, these same bills were introduced in the last session. They died in committee. It’s difficult to say if these bills will move further along given the new Republican control of the House.

Other items in the state of the state

The Governor said the state should reward municipalities that consolidate and share services. Does this mean they would provide incentives for counties governments to absorb their road commissions? Not sure.

It was great to hear the Governor promote wellness.

“We will look to build a system that encourages all of us to have an annual physical, reduce obesity and encourage a healthier, active lifestyle in our state”

As someone noted on Twitter, Complete Streets would help.

And lastly Snyder  threw his support behind the Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC). The DRIC’s current plans are to accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians. This could be one option for getting between Canada and the U.S.

Canada wants this new bridge so badly that they’ve agreed to cover Michigan’s capital investment. Canada’s loan would be paid back through bridge tolls.

The big news is the Federal Highway Administration has agreed to count this loan as Michigan’s match for federal transportation dollars. Without match dollars, the state could lose millions in road funding. This appears to be a huge win which removes some pressure to find transportation money in other places.

Like the Trust Fund.

State Rep. Dave Agema is leading the raid on Michigan's Natural Resources Trust Fund

The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund and Federal Transportation Enhancements are the two main funding sources for biking and trail projects in this state.

Now one, if not both are under attack.

The raid on the Trust Fund is quite clear. But let’s begin by noting what this fund is. From the DNR web site:

The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund (MNRTF) has been in place since 1976. It provides financial assistance to local governments and the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DNRE) to purchase land or rights in land for public recreation or protection of land because of its environmental importance or its scenic beauty. It also assists in the appropriate development of land for public outdoor recreation.

The MNRTF is supported by annual revenues from the development of State-owned mineral resources, largely oil and gas.

In the Metro Detroit are, the Trust Fund has helped buy trails (e.g. Clinton River Trail), build trails (e.g. Dequindre Cut, RiverWalk), and build parks (Milliken State Park.)

Michigan legislators have introduced bills to divert 80% of the incoming funding and spend it on roads and the aeronautics fund. The message is clear: pavement over parks.

Fortunately this attack on our funding will require significant effort. According to the DNRE, “The MNRTF is constitutionally protected, and, therefore, the passage of this law would require a Constitutional amendment (2/3 majority vote of both the House of Representatives and the Senate and then a majority vote of the citizens).”

Who is behind this attack?

There are two bills and one resolution involved: House Resolution NNN, House Bill 6482, and House Bill 6483. Representative Dave Agema (R-Grandville) is the main sponsored the first two, while Representative Bob Genetski (R-Saugatuk) sponsored the latter. Representatives Eileen Kowall (R-White Lake), Sharon Tyler (R-Niles), John Walsh (R-Livonia), Tom Pearce (R-Rockford), and Joe Haveman (R-Holland) are co-sponsors across the board.

This attempt to rob the Trust Fund really began with the Transportation Funding Task Force, which we wrote about in December of 2008. That effort was stacked with road lobby members so it was no surprise when they suggested taking money dedicated to parks, recreational and greenspace.

All bills are in the Great Lakes and Environment committee where they will hopefully die this session. But don’t hesitate to call and let your state representative know how you feel about this raid.

We submitted comments on gubernatorial candidate Rick Synder’s web site regarding his comments on the US23 pedestrian bridge.

We noted that the true inefficiencies in Michigan transportation lie in the structure. There are 50-some communities in Oakland County alone that receive road funding. There is significant room for consolidation.

We also noted that there are 81 county road commissions which are separate from county government, many if not all of which are not beholden to the public.

This is the response we received:

Thank you for your inquiry.  I would like to clarify that Rick does not oppose bike trails.  He is a big supporter of bikeable and walkable cities.  What Rick said during the debate is that we need to prioritize funds better.  Despite the fact that he is supportive of building new bike bridges, he thinks that it is a higher priority to reinforce dangerously crumbling bridges that thousands of people drive over every day.

The point you make about non accountable agencies is an interesting one.  I am not intimately familiar with how Rick’s ideas for transportation reform but I can tell you that he is committed to bringing greater efficiency and common sense to MDOT and transportation in Michigan as a whole.

Please continue to follow Rick’s campaign and let us know if we can be of any assistance to you.

Sincerely,

The Reinvent Michigan Team

There’s a clear need to educate candidates such as Rick Snyder and others on the efficiency benefits of consolidation within Michigan’s transportation funding environment.

One first step would be to make it easier for counties to have their own road agencies and eliminate their county road commissions. This consolidation would eliminate duplicate administration and make them accountable to elected officials. It would also bring together county planning with road planning, which could result in significant savings through proper land use planning.

However, under current state law this consolidation is prohibited for all but two counties — Wayne and Macomb. State law also requires counties to become charter counties first, something that takes significant time and money.

And when Macomb County adopted a charter a year ago, 64% of their voters also chose to dissolve their road commission.

We should make it easier for voters in the other 81 Michigan counties to consolidate and save taxpayer money.