News, May 4, 2016
Batterman Recognized as Unsung Hero at 2016 Regional Transit Awards

Batterman Recognized as Unsung Hero at 2016 Regional Transit Awards

Joel Batterman, founder of Motor City Freedom Riders and PhD candidate in Urban and Regional Planning, received the Unsung Hero Award at the 2016 Regional Transit Awards. The awards ceremony was organized by Transportation Riders United (TRU), a nonprofit transit advocate in Detroit. 

“Joel has worked tirelessly and effectively in advocating for better public transit throughout our region, and especially in service to the many riders who are most dependent on good transit services,” said Joe Grengs, Associate Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, Coordinator of Doctoral Studies in Urban and Regional Planning. “Part of what makes Joel an especially valuable transit activist is that he combines his strong and energetic organizing skills with rigorous analysis and an astonishing talent for providing clear and accessible messages – he is truly both a thinker and a ‘do-er’.”  

TRU hosts an annual Regional Transit Awards dinner to honor those fighting for improved transit conditions in Detroit. Batterman is recognized for his creative and dedicated advocation for improved transit, including a lego rap video he created about light rail alignment and the birthday celebration he planned for the Regional Transit Authority’s first meeting. 

Transportation Riders United has been working since 1999 to improve bus service, remove barriers to rapid transit, and advocate for smart transportation investments.
To learn more about TRU, visit: http://www.detroittransit.org/about-tru/trus-history/
 

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