Spring Semester 2013

Houghton/Hancock Transit Sustainability

This Transit project is funded by a Ford Foundation funded College Community Challenge Grant with the objective of improving the local bus transit system in the surrounding communities of Houghton and Hancock. The Transportation Enterprise students have been working cooperatively with the cities of Houghton and Hancock, the Automotive Computing Enterprise (ACE), and the Western Upper Peninsula Planning and Development Region (WUPPDR) to develop an action plan to consolidate and expand the local bus transit systems. The team has held community forums to better understand the community use and perception of the existing transit. They have also conducted surveys of students and community members to gather ideas for improving the system. They have designed a new transit system that utilizes the existing physical and human resources as well as anticipated additional facilities to interconnect Michigan Tech’s campus with the two city area. They are proposing a new system consisting of 6 new fixed routes as well as on-demand service in both cities. They are currently actively promoting their plan which asks students to pay a new $40/semester fee to help fund the proposed system. For additional detail on their plan and activities, visit the Transit Website.

Bike Friendly University

The Biking team has developed a ten-year action plan to improve biking conditions on campus. As part of their efforts, they have formed a campus Bike Advisory Committee to provide advise and feedback to the Michigan Tech Facilities department. The team has recently submitted an application to the League of American Bicyclists for Bike Friendly University status for Michigan Tech. The application is currently in review and the team expects to hear back on their application in April 2013. The team is currently working on developing a plan for a bike connector trail from the Houghton regional waterfront trail up to the main core of central campus. For more information on their activities please visit the Biking Website.

Michigan Tech Today, April 22, 2013—
The League of American Bicyclists has named Michigan Tech a bronze-level Bicycle Friendly University. [more]

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