Updates proposed for DDOT rider Code of Conduct

The Detroit Department of Transportation is updating its expectations for passenger behavior.

DDOT unveiled changes to its Code of Conduct during a Jan. 15 community input meeting before the policy is submitted to the City Council for review. It serves as a list of expectations for riders, off-limits behavior, disciplinary procedures and an appeal process.

The City Council adopted an ordinance nearly a year ago that gave DDOT the ability to implement rules around prohibited conduct and suspend passengers from riding the bus.

Two tiers of inappropriate behavior are defined:

• Level 1 conduct constitutes smaller issues like fare evasion, eating or drinking, playing music or interfering with a bus operator. Those infractions result in a warning, but repeated infractions can result in expulsion.
• Level 2 conduct includes more severe behaviors like assault and sexual harassment, drug and alcohol consumption, vandalism or disrupting bus operators. Those infractions can result in riders being immediately excluded. 

Multiple Level 1 infractions could result in a seven-day suspension from DDOT facilities, which can increase in duration with repeated future violations.

DDOT Deputy Director Jennie Whitfield said the goal isn’t to hand out violations that could lead to people being incarcerated or unfairly penalized.

“We are trying to find peaceful resolutions, if at all possible,” she said during the virtual meeting. “That would be our number one goal: To make sure we can de-escalate.”

Overheard in CAYMC

Here’s your weekly breakdown of other points of intrigue from the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center. 

Council Member Gabriela Santiago-Romero says she hopes to meet with Mayor Mary Sheffield in the next week to finalize plans to protect Detroiters from ICE. Santiago-Romero said the killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis by a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officer shows “none of us are safe.”

Mayor Mary Sheffield nominated the chair of her mayoral transition committee to serve on the Public Lighting Authority Board of Directors. Butch Hollowell was among three candidates for City Council consideration, including Andre Brown and Michigan Democratic Party Black Caucus Chair Keith Williams. The council is required to select and confirm one person from the group.

At-large Council Member Mary Waters wants to know whether Detroit can pay members of the Tenants’ Rights Commission. She requested a legal opinion from the Legislative Policy Division on whether it’s legal to provide a stipend.

Council Member Gabriela Santiago-Romero requested a list of parks and public spaces with accessible bathrooms and whether they are in working condition. She requested a status report on each bathroom in a memo that sought other information on the cost of maintenance and upgrades, what zoning changes would be required to put public restrooms in downtown stadiums, and whether the city could expand public restrooms by partnering with other organizations. 

Council Member Scott Benson asked for a legal opinion on whether the Detroit Public Library could issue bonds worth $200 million to cover the cost of capital improvements and add new branches.

The City Council was invited to a town hall with young adults hosted by We The People Action Fund. It’s scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 17 at Developing KIDS. Kamau Clark said it’s meant to provide a space for young people between the ages of 18 and 35 who can’t come down to council sessions on Tuesday mornings.

Detroit DJ Kyle Kentala voiced frustrations with the city for failing to enforce rules on dogs being left outside in extreme cold. Kentala said Detroit Animal Care and Control is slow to respond to reports of illegally chained dogs and dangerous strays, arguing there’s a “lack of accountability” that is affecting neighborhood safety.  

Michael Zubas had a novel idea for making Gratiot Avenue safer: Make every intersection a roundabout. Zubas said the state trunkline is a dangerous highway that cuts directly through the city’s grid-based street network.

Council members were warming up to the idea before reminding Zubas that Gratiot is state-controlled, but also noted a federal grant aims to improve safety along Gratiot.