City Council approves regional transit study

Tue, Jun 17, 2008    to del.icio.us

Grand Haven City Council voted Monday to support the $110,000 West Michigan Transit Linkages Study.

The study will determine if a commuter transit bus service connecting Grand Haven with Holland, Muskegon and Grand Rapids is feasible.

Grand Haven Mayor Roger Bergman, Grand Haven City Manager Pat McGinnis and Harbor Transit Director Tom Manderscheid are part of the 27-member transit study group. Ferrysburg Mayor Jeff Stille, Spring Lake Village Manager Ryan Cotton and Spring Lake Township Supervisor John Nash are also part of the group.

Bergman came up with the idea for a bus system connecting the urban areas of West Michigan after talking with local businessmen about their struggles with getting employees to work.

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires bus systems to stray from routes to pick up disabled riders, but McGinnis said existing systems such as Harbor Transit would be required to take pedestrians to centrally located bus stops.

Officials said the study, funded by the Michigan Department of Transportation, will be completed in 2009.