GETTING AROUND THE GREAT LAKES STATE:

A BRIEF HISTORY OF TRANSPORTATION IN MICHIGAN

Mike Unsworthunsworth@msu.edu

OUTLINE• Focus of the Talk• Basics• Types of Power • Michigan Developments• The Future• Citizen Participation• Wrap-Up• Questions

Focus of the Talk:Ground Transport

BASICS

• Efficiencies of Various Types of Transport

• Costs & Benefits: Greatest Good to the Greatest Number

• Building & Maintaining Transportation Infrastructure Takes Time and Is Expensive

MUSCLE- & CURRENTS- POWER FOR TRANSPORT

MUSCLE- & CURRENTS- POWER FOR TRANSPORT

• Grow most of the fuel and material

• Greatly affected by weather & geography

• Waste products are relatively minor & local

MACHINE-POWEREDTRANSPORT

• Fuel and materials extracted

• Reduces impact of weather & geography

• Waste products are major & widespread

MICHIGAN DEVELOPMENTS

UNTIL 1850s WATER IS THE MAIN FORM OF

TRANSPORTATION

1783: TREATY OF PARIS MAKES THE GREAT LAKES AN

INTERNATIONAL BORDER

Ordinances of 1785 & 1787Set Up State & Local

Governments:

•Counties • Townships

Roads Are A Local Responsibility:

• Expensive to build & maintain

• Leased out to private businesses

• Primitive

CANAL ERA (1825-present)• Erie Canal (1825):

easier access to the Mid-West

• Wabash & Erie Canal (1832): delays statehood

• Sault Locks (1855): opens up the U.P.’s natural resources

IMPACT OF STEAM ENGINE:WATER TRANSPORT (1817-

• Speeds travel on existing routes

• Relies on wood and coal, creating a demand for timber and linking Michigan into the national economy

IMPACT OF STEAM ENGINE:RAILROADS (1836- )

• Brings large numbers of people into the interior

• Expands commerce:– Agricultural– Mining– Manufacturing

• Links communities• Privately run with

much government help

BICYCLE CRAZE (1880-1900)

• Urban phenomenon

• Sparked “Good Roads Movement. “

Electric light rail or “Interurbans”(1900-1930s)

• Traveled within & between cities

• Enables suburbanization

• As with other forms of transit, not always welcome

Motor vehicles:Incredibly Convenient

• Less costly than horses

• Faster• Gets one out of

the weather• Not chained to a

transit company’s schedule

Motor Vehicles:Requires Major Investment for

Infrastructure• Auto Backers Take Over

“Good Roads Movement”

• Responsibility for Roads Are Spread Over All Levels of Government:– Local: Property Taxes– State: Gas & Other Taxes.

Sets standards and policies

– Federal: Gas & Other Taxes. Sets standards and policies

Motor Vehicles: ConvenienceComes With Costs

• Fosters Urban Sprawl

• Expensive and Hard to Maintain

• Negative Impact on Health

WHAT’S NEXT?• Design & Rebuild

Roads to Accommodate More Than Cars & Trucks: Include Pedestrians, Bikes, & Mass Transit

• People Move to More Densely Populated Cities & Towns

YOUR VOICE• Our Democracy

Functions When Citizens Participate

• Decision-making Must Be Public:– Open Meetings Act– Freedom of

Information Laws

WRAP-UP

• We Build Our Infrastructure & Then the Infrastructure Molds Us

• Transportation Is Expensive. How We Pay for It Is the Big Question

QUESTIONS

END