As for demand for mass transit on a light-rail scale, that is something that is very feasible and wanted in SE MI. The fact that there is “not enough density” to allow for it is a poor argument. Transit creates density. If you observe particularly in DC, where a new station is installed, construction begins on a number of buildings around the station. As for the need for density to make transit work, that is silly. Again, for example, the furthest stops out of DC in the burbs are not dense at all. In fact less dense than areas of SE MI. Many stops are among farms. What is dense is the large parking lot that commuters park their cars in to ride into the city.

I like to compare Detroit to DC, because much like our town, DC has its fair share of troubles and was a place where the capital area was the only destination to visit for many years. With transit, DC is beginning to improve. Neighborhoods are stabilizing around transit stops and people are moving back into the city.

Unfortunately, there’s just not enough demand for mass transit in Detroit. There are very few parts of town that are even dense enough to support it. Perhaps in the next 10-20 years we’ll see an expansion to New Center but I doubt we’ll even see a grand scale mass transit system in metro Detroit. The price of oil would either have to skyrocket or the population density would have to increase dramatically.