Changes to the University of Michigan 2050 Plan for an Automated Transit System

The University of Michigan 2050 Plan for an Automated Transit System

Recently, the University of Michigan has been sharing their plans for massive campus changes, improvements, and infrastructure to set the University up for growth and sustainability for decades to come. One of the most exciting parts of the plan is the Automated Transit System (ATS) that will connect the North and Central Campuses. This post is a series of suggested changes for the University and the City of Ann Arbor to consider in order to maximize the benfits for the University, the City, students, commuters, visitors, and residents.

What is the Automated Transit System (ATS)?

The Automated Transit System (ATS) is a proposed system of automated vehicles that will connect the North and Central Campuses of the University of Michigan. The system will be a network of small, electric, driverless vehicles that will transport students, faculty, staff, and visitors between the two campuses. The system is expected to reduce travel times between the two campuses, reduce congestion on city streets, and improve the overall experience of getting around campus.

From a transit perspective, the ATS means a couple of different important things. First, Automated Transit Systems do not have drivers and instead are controlled automatically on a fully dedicated right of way. This means that in order to bring the ATS system to any area of campus or the city, a fully dedicated elevated guideway (or tunnels) will need to be built such that there are zero conflicts with pedestrians, cyclists, or other vehicles. This is an extremely significant up-front investment as the most expensive part of a new rail-based transit system is the right of way it runs through. Usually this is through property acquisition, but since the plan for the ATS will primarily run on UM campus property, the cost will be in the construction of the guideway itself.

Some other aspects of an ATS:

• ATS systems are usually designed to be high capacity, high frequency systems that can move a lot of people quickly and efficiently.
• ATS vehicles can run extremely close to one another, meaning very short times between trains for those waiting at stations. (Many ATS systems globally run at 30-50 second headways).
• Depending on the ATS system, the system itself can be propriotary and require a lot of maintenance and upkeep. Rather than usuing off-the-shelf parts, the ATS system may require specialized parts and maintenance that can be more expensive and time consuming.

Too much capacity and frequency?

ATS systems are especially usefully in incredibly high density areas / cities that require the movement of lots of people at one time. This is because the trains can run at extremely high frequencies, as close together as 30-60 seconds, meaning almost not wait time for anyone waiting at a station. This is great for moving a lot of people quickly, but it also means that the system is designed to move a lot of people quickly.

Ann Arbor just is not that big, nor is campus that dense. An ATS system is a massively overbuilt solution to the mobility problems that the University and the City are facing. The University of Michigan has a student population of around 50,000 students, and a faculty and staff population of around 30,000. This is a lot of people, but it is not a city. The University of Michigan is not a city. The City of Ann Arbor has a population of around 120,000 people. This is a lot of people, but it is not a city like New York, Chicago, or even Detroit.

In its currently planned configuration, the ATS that UM proposes will go from essentially the Central Campus Transit Center, past the Hospital, and then to North Campus. A very useful transit connection for gettting to that 8am class on North Campus where the current bus system is overwhelmed by the number of students trying to get to class. But the ATS system is not a bus system. It is a high capacity, high frequency, high speed system that is designed to move a lot of people quickly. Perhaps... too quickly.

Problems with the ATS Plan

1. The ATS is a massively overbuilt solution to the mobility problems that the University and the City are facing. The University of Michigan has a student population of around 50,000 students, and a faculty and staff population of around 30,000. This is a lot of people, but it is not a city. The University of Michigan is not a city. The City of Ann Arbor has a population of around 120,000 people. This is a lot of people, but it is not a city like New York, Chicago, or even Detroit.

2. The ATS system will never be extended to Downtown. In order to extend the ATS system to Downtown Ann Arbor (and beyond) additional elevated guideways would need to be built through Downtown. This is not feasible due to the historic nature of the Downtown area and the cost of building elevated guideways. The ATS system will never be extended to Downtown Ann Arbor. Either by cost or by design, the ATS system will never be extended to Downtown Ann Arbor. And as much of a pro-transit advocate as I am, I don't think that's a bad thing. The context of Downtown Ann Arbor does not lend itself to an elevated guideway system where the vehicles are 1/2 or 3/4 as high as the buildings they are passing by.

3. ** The ATS Plan is Duplicative of the City's Transit Plan.** The residents of Ann Arbor passed a millage in 2022 to fund a new transit plan for the city. This plan includes a new bus rapid transit system that will connect the city's major trip generators and neighborhoods. The ATS system is duplicative of this plan especially as it relates to the Plymouth Road corridor where the ATS will run just south of this corridor through North Campus. Ann Arbor is too small of a City to waste resources on duplicative transit systems.

4. Missed Opportunities for the City and the University. The planned system is likely a closed system that is unlikely to have major extensions. Because of this, it fails to connect major trip generators in the City and the University. It completely misses the Amtrak Station, most of the Downtown area, the Big House, all of the park and rides, and the major commercial corridors in the City (State, Washtenaw, Plymouth kind of, and Stadium/Jackson). This is a missed opportunity for the City and the University to work together to create a transit system that benefits everyone.

5. Connections to the Bus Network Required Full North/South connections on the ATS will require a transfer at the CCTC from the Bus Network onto the ATS (this is in the UM 2050 plan). This is not a bad thing, but it is a missed opportunity to create a seamless transit system that benefits everyone. Connections / transfers can be massive detriments to a transit system. Especially in a small city like Ann Arbor where an extra 10 minutes waiting could mean the difference between taking the bus or driving.

Suggested Changes to the ATS Plan

(Now)

1. Switch to standard light rail (Future)
2. Extend the system to Downtown Ann Arbor via William Street (see downtown circulation study)
3. From Downtown, extend the system south past the Athletic Campus and down State Street to the Briarwood Mall area (Far Future)
4. Add a second line that goes from Ypsilanti Transit Center down Washtenaw Avenue. Intersect the first LRT line at Central Campus Transit Center and parallel it to Blake Transit Center along William Street. Then turn North on 5th Avenue and connect to the train station.

These are actually somewhat simple to implement in the near term as the suggestion is primirily to switch from an ATS system to a standard Light Rail Transit (LRT) system. This would allow the University to still have a high capacity, high frequency, high speed system that can move a lot of people quickly, but it would also allow the system to be integrated into the City's transit system.

The plan to utilize elevated guideways through the Arboretum / Huron River Valley (think East of the Hospital over Fuller to North Campus) is not a bad idea; albeit very expensive. There are no existing rights of way through the area and it would allow the project to keep the park area relatively untouched. However, the vehicles running on this guideway do not need to be automated... they can be simple Light Rail vehicles that are used in cities all over the world (and therefore easier to maintain, cheaper to build, and more reliable).

Picturing the system from East to West starting at the Hospital, the elevated guideways would likely end somewhere near the hospital and begin their street-running phase. This is not to say the vehicles will "share the lane with cars" but instead they will have their own dedicated right of way within the road (similar to the fully protected bike lanes downtown). This allows the vehicles to move quickly through the area and not be slowed down by traffic but saves the massive expensive of elevating or tunneling through the area.

Once the system reaches Downtown at Blake Transit Center (from CCTC, following North University, William Street), it would turn southbound on 5th Avenue towards the Athletic Campus.

Moving Towards an Ann Arbor Light Rail System

Creating this North/South connection from the Park & Ride on Plymouth (and the Plymouth TC-1 Corridor), through North Campus, the Hospital, Central Campus, Downtown, the Athletic / South Campus, State Street TC-1 Corridor, and to the Briarwood Mall area would create a system that connects the major trip generators in the City and the University. This system would be a huge benefit to the City and the University and would be a major step towards creating a transit system that benefits everyone.

The Ask

The University of Michigan, the City of Ann Arbor, and the AAATA should work together immediately to create a transit system that benefits everyone. The current ATS plan is a missed opportunity for the City and the University to work together to create a transit system that benefits everyone. The University should switch to a standard Light Rail Transit (LRT) system and extend the system to Downtown Ann Arbor and beyond. The City should utilize some of the funds from the 2022 millage to help fund the portions of the system that fall within the City's control.