Submitted by Mike, who has a lot of good things to say, much of which I agree with. Hopefully, the official map once the line is up and running will tone down the sponsorship a lot (the way the Quicken Loans logo covers up the label for the Greyhound Bus Station is particularly awful) and focus more on how the line creates vital transportation connections for the people of Detroit.
Here’s Mike’s full submission text:
First, I do not think this is a good map. The focus is on the individual sponsors of the various stops as a way to garner more commercial support for the project instead of it being an actual map. The points-of-interest are faded out or non-existent, the People Mover is thrown in there, and without knowing the city you have no sense of scale for this 3.3-mile stretch of Woodward Avenue.
But I like the map, not for what it is, but for what it represents. Detroit, being the Motor City, has long been the domain of cars with just the laughable People Mover and a horrendous bus system as the only daily mass transit in the area. What this map is is what this map represents: the city moving forward into a future where people will take mass transit downtown, that people will actually want to go and stay downtown for more than just a show or Red Wings game, that the city will once again be a living and vibrant center for arts and industry.
This past Thanksgiving, I ran a 10K downtown with my dad and wife, and the route (like almost all races in Detroit) included a stretch along Woodward. Yes, the same Woodward known for the Woodward Dream Cruise for people to drive their classic cars all week just to show off and burn fuel. Instead of focusing on that aspect of Detroit culture, the race organizers and speakers instead highlighted that we were starting at the southern terminus of the M-1 streetcar line, and what it meant for the city moving into the new century. Sure, it also came with a note to be careful around the extended construction site and on the slippery rails (it had rained that morning), but it was still a highlight.
Growing up outside of the city, I rarely ventured downtown with my family. We’d go to a Wings or Tigers game, or watch my dad run the marathon, but that was it. Now, with work continuing and me being hopeful for plans for expansion, I’ll be visiting downtown more frequently with my wife when we head back to Michigan to visit my family.
I like this map, not for what it shows, but for what it means for the future of Detroit.
Note: the M-1 streetcar was originally planned to the a 9-mile light rail system, stretching closer to the suburbs, but this is a start. Plus, being connected to Amtrak is a plus.