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E-M:/ WJR 760am interview re I-94 expansion in Detroit TONIGHT

TONIGHT, THursday March 22,2001. from approx. 9:20 pm to 10 pm, David Newman  of WJR, 760 AM will be interviewing Karen Kendrick-Hands, President of Transportation Riders United concerning MDOT's expansion plans for I-94.

There will be time to call in questions to 800.859.0957.

Here are some thoughts to help you frame questions for calling in:

I-94 needs repair but there’s no need to expand it to 20 lanes - as wide as a football field is long.  We don’t need to spend $20 million a block to fix the potholes.

MDOT’s proposed design would squander $1,300,000,000 taxpayer’s money on concrete but not a dime for current public transit needs.

MDOT won’t even consider public transit to manage congestion during the 5 to 7 years it would take to complete construction. MDOT ignores air toxic and noise impacts.

MDOT used suburban air pollution monitors for its analysis. If they used Detroit Levels, the project could not be built. MDOT has not discussed the environmental impacts for other segments of I-94 as the law requires it to do.

More traffic means worse health
Detroit’s children suffer from Asthma at three times the national average
American Lung Association of Michigan

Traffic controls imposed during the Atlanta Olympics decreased in morning peak traffic counts by 23%.  During this period, Medicaid-related emergency room visits and hospitalizations for asthma dropped by 42%.
Journal of the American Medical Association.

Transportation Riders United says it’s highway robbery!
“MDOT’s proposed I-94 expansion:
·       Harms people’s health and increases asthma, cancer and premature death due to increased car and truck pollution.
·       Increases noise, air pollution and contaminated storm water run-off
·       At the obscene cost of $1,300,000,000, expansion on this scale drains public money from transit investments.
·       Misses the opportunity to add capacity through a cost-saving transit component as part of the project
·       Will require Detroit to spend 8.25 million just for preliminary engineering.
·       Creates an ugly, polluting moat wider than a football field, twice its currently width to further divide neighborhoods
·       Burdens minority communities to benefit foreign trade.
·       MDOT’s offer of center space for transit is fraudulent, it’s really for future truck lanes.
Fix I-94 first and add capacity through transit and rail improvements.
TRU’s vision is cheaper, better, faster, cleaner, and fairer.

Karen D. Kendrick-Hands, President
Transportation Riders United
1067 Devonshire Road
Grosse Pointe Park, MI 48230
313.885.7588, fax 313.885.7883
kdkhands@voyager.net
Check out TRU's web page at http://www.marp.org/tru.htm
Try the Motranzit site, too - http://www.hometown.aol.com/motranzit
Also check out www.transitdetroit.freeservers.com &
http://www.detroitmasstransit.com/
If you don't ask the right questions, you will never get to the right answers . . .