Get on board

If News Hits has not yet convinced you that public transit is the way to go, think about this: Americans spend more on transportation than on health care, education or food, according to the national report, "Driven to Spend," released last week by the Surface Transportation Policy Project and Center for Neighborhood Technology. The report shows that family transportation costs are higher — by thousands of dollars annually — in sprawling metro areas with little or no public transit or safe biking and walking routes.

Our burgeoning metropolis — where public transit is nearly nil and sprawl is spreading — ranks fifth in the nation for high transportation costs. According to the report Detroit-Flint-Ann Arbor area residents spend an average of nearly 19 cents of every household dollar on transportation annually — about $6,700. Housing is the only cost that tops transportation for Detroit-Flint-Ann Arbor area residents — by a whopping $100.

To find out more about this report check out www.transact.org and then tell MDOT that metro Detroit needs public transit. Ann Mullen contributed to News Hits, which is edited by Curt Guyette. He can be reached at 313-202-8004 or [email protected]