Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Detroit

Man Walks 21 Miles to Commute Each Day Because of Detroit’s Awful Transit

A piece in the Detroit Free Press about 56-year-old factory worker James Robertson and his 21-mile round-trip walking commute to the Detroit suburbs is going viral this week. It is both an amazing story of individual perseverance and a scathing indictment of a failing transportation system.

Robertson's total commute is actually a 46-mile round-trip, split between different buses and a marathon walk. He has been taking this route to reach his job in Rochester Hills from his home in Detroit since his Honda Accord died 10 years ago, he told the Detroit Free Press. Baldwin can't afford a new car on the wages from his $10-an-hour job.

Despite this formidable obstacle, Robertson has never missed a day of work. "I can't imagine not working," he told the paper.

Readers from around the country who were inspired by Robertson's story have raised $72,000 for him (at the time we published), more than enough to get a car. But a crowdfunded car can't help everyone who's in a similar situation in Detroit.

CeCe Grant, executive director of Americans for Transit, says Robertson's situation is "partially by cruel design." Detroit's suburban bus system, SMART, allows municipalities to "opt-out." That "has always sported a sharp cultural edge, because it nudges up against the notion that some communities don't want 'those people,' be they Detroiters or blacks or bus riders, coming through their locales," she said. "Because Rochester Hills doesn't participate in SMART, Robertson must walk the last seven miles of his journey to work -- after taking a SMART bus as far as it can reach into Oakland County."

Detroit is in the bottom tier of major American metros when it comes to job accessibility via transit, according to the University of Minnesota's Access Across America study, rating below sprawling Sunbelt cities like Atlanta and Tampa.

That could change with the passage of legislation to fund a new regional transit agency for Detroit, which will be on the ballot later this year. But the long campaign for a stable regional transit system will have to overcome some unfortunate timing. Writing for U.S. News and World Report, The Century Foundation's Jacob Anbinder notes that Governor Rick Snyder will appeal to voters in May to raise $1.2 billion in taxes for the state's infrastructure -- mostly roads. Will metro Detroit residents have the appetite for another transportation tax increase when they vote on Detroit's RTA in November?

They'll have to, or else other people like Robertson will remain cut off from jobs by a car-centric transportation system.

"Even if my situation changes, I'll never forget, there are so many other people who are in my situation," Robertson told the Detroit Free Press.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

New Bill Would Block Apps From Deactivating Workers Without Cause

A Brooklyn Council member wants delivery app companies to be more human and less robot.

July 18, 2025

Friday Video: Is Berlin a Great Biking City?

Have recent moves by anti-bike, pro-car legislators ruined the experience in the capital of a unified Germany? Sort of!

July 18, 2025

Eyes on the Street: Meeker Avenue Bike Lane Is a Failure

The Department of Transportation still hasn't finished a critical bike lane under the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway that the agency has been stalling for over four years even after identifying the strip's danger and lack of proper signals.

July 18, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: Cuomo’s Road Rage Edition

Why does Andrew Cuomo drive so recklessly? Plus other news.

July 18, 2025

Fixing Third Ave. Was Once ‘Top of List’ For Eric Adams — But as Mayor He Backed Off

Mayor Adams has delayed a redesign of Brooklyn's Third Avenue despite once saying safety fixes there should be "at the top of our list."

July 17, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines: Jerry Nadler Edition

U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler faced off with Sean Duffy on Capitol Hill. Plus more news.

July 17, 2025
See all posts