I remember distinctly an experience that I had when walking through Downtown Detroit. My boyfriend and I were coming from the Cobo center located downtown and we were getting hungry. As we left Cobo hall, we saw many people eating subway sandwiches. We thought subway sounded pretty good! As we walked out of Cobo we saw two police officers. We approached them and asked them: Do you know where the subway is?
The police officers proceeded to laugh at us. I quickly realized that they thought we were talking about an actual subway instead of the sandwich shop. I quickly corrected myself and the officers and we were on our way.
On reflection, I realized just how shocking the idea of a subway in Detroit was for people who live in the city. Detroit has a huge lack of public transportation. In other major cities across the country, there is an accessible public transportation system. There is even trains that lead out to the suburbs. However, in the Detroit area, no such transportation system exists.
I firmly believe that public transit is an important part of stimulating Detroit’s economy. In order for businesses to see outside traffic, they need to be readily accessible. Installing an effective subway or bus system would go a long way in making sure residents get the resources they need and outside business comes into the city.
