Best solution at Arborland is to let AATA buses use parking lot again

For nearly 30 years, city buses picked up and dropped off passengers at
Arborland Center, and the arrangement worked well enough for everyone
involved - except the current owners of the shopping mall.

AmCap Inc. took the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority by surprise last
summer when it announced that buses would no longer be allowed in the
Arborland parking lot.

The result has been hardship and ill will all the way around. It’s been bad for bus passengers. It’s been bad for Arborland shoppers and employees. It’s been bad for Arborland merchants and the mall itself. The shame is that this mess could have been prevented, and still could be resolved if only the mall ownership could be persuaded to sit back down with AATA.

This month, AATA boss Michael Ford and Mayor John Hieftje made another
appeal to AmCap to re-open discussions. We join them, and welcome the
community to join them, in urging the mall ownership to understand the
seriousness of the problem and to help find a solution.

Until AmCap’s action, some 1,000 people a day were getting on or off a bus
at Arborland, including about 150 people who parked there and used the bus
to commute downtown. These commuters raised some concerns among mall
merchants, who said the commuters were taking choice parking spots meant for
customers. But AATA officials say they addressed that problem.

Click here to view a PDF of the letter that AATA and Ann Arbor officials sent to AmCap
Click here to sign an online petition in support of AATA's request to meet with AmCap to discuss possible solutions

AmCap also has said that it had national retailers reject Arborland because of the presence of the buses in the parking lot, and that limited access inÂ and out of the mall needs to be addressed in order for it to considerÂ allowing the parking lot to be used as a transfer location again. These concerns, while legitimate, are hardly insurmountable, and addressing them in a way that allows AATA to again use Arborland offers a far better and less costly solution than any other alternative.

While this issue awaits a solution, the hardship it’s caused has been
considerable. Passengers have been forced to cross the heavily trafficked
five-lane Washtenaw Avenue in order to transfer buses, creating a serious
safety issue for them and for motorists. It’s become harder for mall
employees who use the bus to get to and from work, and harder for shoppers
who use the bus to get to Arborland stores and restaurants. Forcing buses to
stop on Washtenaw also has added to traffic snarls, making it harder to get
in and out of Arborland, exacerbating the very problem the mall owners were
trying to reduce.

Earlier this month, AATA was forced to detour one of its key bus routes
along Washtenaw Avenue because of safety concerns. The change has improved
the situation, but is another stopgap measure.

At this point, if buses can’t use the Arborland parking lot, the long-term
solution will most likely involve constructing bus pull-off spots on
Washtenaw Avenue, and changing traffic lights to allow buses to re-enter
traffic after they stop. This will require time and money, and is infinitely
less desirable than the arrangement AATA used to have.

We have not given up hope that AmCap will see the opportunity to be a good
corporate citizen, and engage city and AATA officials in discussions that
allow buses back into the Arborland lot. That would be the best outcome for
both bus riders and Arborland, and a welcome reversal of the lose-lose
situation that mall ownership has currently created for itself and the
community.

(This editorial was published in today's newspaper and reflects the opinion of the Editorial Board of AnnArbor.com.)