CATA to Develop BRT

Lead in: A LOCAL ROAD MAY SOON HAVE A NEW FORM OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION. VICTORIA MARZEC (MARS-ECK) REPORTS FROM MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP.

(Nat Sound: CATA bus pulling away)

THE CAPITAL AREA TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY, COMMONLY KNOWN AS CATA (CAT-UH), IS DEVELOPING A FASTER FORM OF TRANSPORTATION BETWEEN DOWNTOWN LANSING AND MERIDIAN MALL.

CATA PRESENTED TO THE MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP BOARD DURING A JOINT MEETING WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS, THEIR PLAN FOR A MODIFIED BUS RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEM, OR B-R-T, TO SERVE MORE RIDERS.

CATA ASSISTANT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DEBBIE ALEXANDER, SAYS THE B-R-T WILL RUN LIKE A LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM.

(Soundbite #1)- “You’d be issued a ticket; you then would scan that through a controlled access point. Once you get through the controlled point, then you would stand and wait at the platform. You simply, when the bus comes, doors open, people get off, get on and it’s 20 seconds and away we go.”

ALEXANDER SAYS THE B-R-T WILL INCREASE RIDERSHIP BY ONE-THOUSAND TRIPS PER DAY AND WILL INCREASE EACH TRIP’S SPEED BY SEVEN MINUTES.

CATA ESTIMATES THE PROJECT WILL COST 194-MILLION DOLLARS AND IS STILL DETERMINING HOW TO FUND THE PROJECT.

REPORTING FROM MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP FOR U-P-I-U, I’M VICTORIA MARZEC.

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