Taylor’s Southland Center orders SMART bus stop removed, sparking accessibility concerns

• SMART says it's served Southland Center since 1982.
• Removing the bus stop will affect more than 170 people who use the bus stop each day at the mall in Taylor.

Taria Sims doesn’t want to rely on her mother for trips to Southland Center in Taylor.

She’d rather get to the shopping mall on her own by riding the SMART bus as she’s done for years. Busy thoroughfares nearby, such as multilane Eureka Road, make getting there by bike feel like not such a good choice to her, and she’s unable to drive herself.

“There’s too many cars,” she said.

But mall management is demanding the SMART stop be removed as of Monday, Nov. 10, and that’s leaving riders like Sims, 32, who has a cognitive impairment, in a challenging spot. That’s especially true because her job is to teach other people with disabilities how to use transit, and this particular bus stop functions as a key connection point for three bus routes − 160 Downriver, 275 Telegraph and 125 Fort Street – that serve a host of Downriver communities and Detroit Metro Airport.

Tiffany Gunter, SMART’s general manager, described the situation as a nightmare, given that the mall contacted SMART just in October, initially expressing concern that buses were damaging the parking lot. Mall management declined SMART's efforts to shore up the parking lot or make a payment, she said.

“They said no. We started to try to offer suggestions for what could be done … but it was clear there was no interest in allowing the bus stop to stay,” she said, noting that it serves more than 170 people per day.

SMART has been advising riders they'll need to board buses at modified stops along Pardee and Eureka roads, where getting to the mall would be more of a challenge and take longer for riders. Transit advocates warn that raises significant safety concerns because it means crossing large open parking areas and dodging traffic. A reporter who visited the mall found a relative lack of clear pavement markings in many areas. SMART said it's served the mall since 1982.

Southland Center management did not respond to requests for comment, including after a visit to the mall office. The Detroit Free Press reported in January that the mall was sold to Greenwood Global, a private equity firm based in Glencoe, Illinois. The firm's leader, Alex Berman, said in an email that "this is a local matter that is being handled by the mall management, which I am certain is working closely with SMART and evaluating all implications."

John Waterman is executive director of a nonprofit organization called PEAC that works with disabled residents, and he's been doing his best to raise awareness that this bus stop change would pose a major challenge. That included drafting a letter to mall management, saying the move would be a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. He said Sims, whom he works with, had also filed a complaint with the State of Michigan Department of Civil Rights over the issue. The Free Press has reached out to the department.

PEAC offers travel training programs in area schools for people with disabilities, which is where Sims helps. Having people with disabilities teach others with similar experiences to use transit so they can lead independent lives cuts through issues of translation and leads to a better learning outcome, Waterman said.

Waterman is frustrated by the situation at Southland Center, noting the impact the bus stop closure would have on students who rely on their familiarity with specific landmarks to chart their way and for how mall management has reacted to outreach from him and others. He likened it to being patted on the head. He’s also skeptical of any stated reasons that mall management has given for the decision.

“I do believe there's a perception that people who use the bus are troublemakers and shouldn’t be allowed access and are second-class citizens,” he said. “Students with disabilities have spent their whole lives being shoved aside, not being listened to and this is what Southland mall is doing.”

During the recent city council meeting, officials discussed some of what they’d been told by mall management as the reasons for demanding the closure of the stop, some of it related to safety and having to shift resources to deal with that as well as buses arriving during hours when the mall might not be open. Police Chief John Blair said mall management wanted a camera installed by the stop. He referenced a stabbing that had just happened at the mall as well but noted that he did not know if there was any connection.

The stop itself has an overhead shelter and is at what would likely be considered the rear of the mall, near JCPenney. On Friday, Nov. 7, a reporter watched as numerous buses dropped off and picked up riders.

A couple of riders indicated the change wouldn’t affect them, although one had been unaware the stop was slated to close permanently. While the reporter spoke to the bus riders, a white security vehicle pulled into a nearby parking spot and remained there.

For Steven Poynter, 30, of Westland, the change would be a major disruption as he is at the stop every day of the week.

“If they take this out, it’ll heavily, negatively affect me,” he said, noting that he’s been using the location as a transfer spot since he started working after high school. He currently works at a car wash in Southgate.

“It’s going to hurt everyone,” he said, describing a walk to a stop outside the mall as adding significant time.

He also said he feels the decision intentionally penalizes people who don’t drive.

“I just don’t think they want people without cars here,” he said. “They want to make you invisible.”

Inside the mall, Michael Drew, who works at his brother’s shop, PMA Designer Oils, pointed to concerns he’s heard voiced about homeless people coming to the mall as the real reason for the decision, which he dismissed.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” he said of closing the bus stop. “Times are hard. They're doing what they've got to do to survive.”

Eric D. Lawrence is the senior car culture reporter at the Detroit Free Press. If you've got a tip or suggestion, contact him at elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters.