FAA Draft Environmental Assessment
by lucroe
Today, the Federal Aviation Administration is releasing and making available for public review and comment a Draft Environmental Assessment (Draft EA) for the Cleveland-Detroit Metroplex. The CLE-DTW Project would improve the efficiency of airspace in the Cleveland-Detroit Metroplex by optimizing aircraft arrival and departure procedures to and from the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) and Detroit Metro Airport (DTW) as well as outlying satellite airports. The Project may involve changes in aircraft flight paths and altitudes in certain areas, but would not result in any ground disturbance or increase the number of aircraft operations within the Cleveland-Detroit area.
To evaluate the potential environmental impacts of the CLE-DTW Metroplex project, the FAA has established a General Study Area, consisting of areas around CLE-DTW and outlying satellite airports. The General Study Area will be used to evaluate the potential environmental impacts resulting from changes in aircraft routing proposed to occur below 10,000 feet above ground level (AGL).
Documents and additional information related to this assessment can be viewed here.
AAATA Expansion Coming in May!
by Beth Manuel
If you haven't heard, this May, AAATA will be expanding services with new routes and improvements-the biggest expansion since 1979!
Download this handy-dandy guide or pick them up at your nearest transit center to see what changes are in store. There will be public meetings about these changes on Tuesday, March 15 at 7pm at the Ypsilanti Township Board Meeting & Wednesday, March 23rd at 10am at the United Way, 2305 Platt Rd., Ann Arbor . More informational meetings will be posted on their site. Won't it will be nice to have a route to our Pittsfield Branch? Oh, the places we'll go!
Join the Ann Arbor Commission on Disability Issues
by iralax
If you are an advocate for equal opportunity for people with physical, mental, and/or emotional disabilities you may want to serve as a commissioner on the Ann Arbor Commission on Disability Issues. Public meetings are held at City Hall on the third Wednesday of every month starting at 3:15pm. Meetings are open to the public and can also be viewed on Community Television Network (CTN)-Comcast Cable Channel 16. You can also view CTN videos On Demand by going to a2gov.org.
If you would like an application to apply for a seat on the Commission contact the Mayor’s Office 734-794-6161 or visit our Resource Page. If you desire more information about being a commissioner e-mail us at a2disabilityissues@gmail.com
Michigan Activity Pass - Check Out Free Passes to Michigan Attractions
by Sara W
Looking for adventure? The Michigan Activity Pass (MAP) is newly expanded, offering free or discounted entry to attractions across the state.
The Connector Workshop @ the AADL on June 18th
by prlhw
On June 18th the community of Ann Arbor is encouraged to join together at the downtown Ann Arbor District Library to discuss the lastest news about The Connector project.
The Connector project is "a developing plan for high-capacity transit in an arc from northeast to south Ann Arbor, connecting major destinations including downtown, University of Michigan campuses and medical center, and commercial areas."
Everyone is invited to attend the workshop and give insights, ask questions and provide feedback. The workshop will run from 4:30-8:00 pm will be broken into several portions:
4:30-5:30 pm Open House
5:30-6:00 pm Presentation
6:00-7:00 pm Breakout Groups—Connect The Connector
7:00-7:30 pm Presentation
7:30-8:00 pm Open House
"The open house portion of the workshop will feature displays on the various modes of travel under consideration and route options. Project staff and representatives from the organizations collaborating on the project will be available to further explain the displays, answer questions and record comments. The presentation will provide a brief overview of the project to date. The breakout groups will be an opportunity for the public to review segments of The Connector route and make specific comments and provide input on a variety of options."
For more information about the project please contact Chris White, TheRide/Ann Arbor Transportation Authority, 734-794-1850, cwhite@theride.org.
It's Bike to Work Week!
by prlhw
This week is Bike to Work Week, and this Friday May 17th is Bike to Work Day!
Celebrate with Ann Arbor by riding your bike to work and logging it in the commuter challenge. On your way home from work, stop in the library and check out a book about bicycle repair, building your own bicycle, staying safe while bicycling, the joy of bicycling, or a story about bikes to read to a child!
Ann Arbor's Get Downtown program also has a lot of helpful resources for the local biker, such as tips for commuting, maps of bicycle trails and places to park your bike.
For those of you who prefer to celebrate Bike to Work Week outside of downtown Ann Arbor, the library has plenty of books featuring maps of bike trails throughout southeast Michigan and Washtenaw county.
May is National Bike Month!
by yugure
What better way to celebrate the return of warm weather than hopping on your bike and going somewhere? May is National Bike Month, so get your tires checked and peddle away!
Not sure where to go? Check out Washtenaw County Bike Rides : A Guide to Road Rides In and Around Ann Arbor for local trips. If you're a bicycle commuter, it's important to keep up with maintenance for those daily treks. Essential Bicycle Maintenance & Repair or The Urban Biking Handbook : The DIY Guide to Building, Rebuilding, Tinkering with, and Repairing Your Bicycle for City Living can help you with that. Looking for something comprehensive, covering maintenance, skill, and rules of the road? Try Effective Cycling. For the serious cyclist, take a look at Fifty Places to Bike Before You Die : Biking Experts Share the World's Greatest Destinations.
Commuters, don't forget to get involved with Ann Arbor's getDowntown program!
City Of Ann Arbor 2013 Sustainable Ann Arbor Forums: Planning for Change In Our Community: Transportation Options
by hillary dorwart
Thursday April 18, 2013: 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room
This fourth and final Sustainable Ann Arbor Forum on Transportation Options.
Speakers include:
• John Hieftje, Mayor, City of Ann Arbor
• Erica Briggs, Project Manager, Clean Energy Coalition
• Nathan Voght, Economic Development Specialist, Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development
• Eli Cooper, Transportation Programs Manager, City of Ann Arbor
• Michael Benham, Strategic Planner, AATA
Detroit News Fine Arts Writer Michael Hodges Discusses Michigan's Vanishing Train Stations: Architecture, History And Sense Of Place
by hillary dorwart
Wednesday November 28, 2012: 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room
In this lecture and slideshow, Detroit News reporter Michael H. Hodges discusses the functional and stylistic evolution of the train station over the 19th and early 20th centuries, and the range of styles architects employed to both tame and exalt rail transportation.
Hodges' new coffee-table book, Michigan's Historic Railroad Stations photographs and profiles 31 depots (including Ann Arbor) across the state.
Michael will also sign copies of the book (which will be for sale) following the event.
Bus riders! TransitTime + has added AATA's The Ride to its app
by sernabad
The Ann Arbor Transportation Authority just announced that the award-winning app, TransitTimes + has added Ann Arbor to its list of more than 50 cities that provide details about their transportation modes to this popular app.
Now you can easily locate The Ride's bus schedules, the location of your particular bus and its arrival time, or map out and save a route to a new location.
To see how easy this app is to use, check out TransitTimes' YouTube channel here.
For more information about this app and to see the growing list of U.S. and international cities being added all the time, click here.