On Sunday, dozens of residents of Michigan assembled outside the Bay City building to protest against the Bay City Bridge Partners. They made a number of demands and this demonstration has been dubbed as “Our City, Our Bridges” rally.
The group of protesters had a list of demands for the bridge company. Organisers hoped that the bridge partners are going to:
- Reinstate their $15 per month subscription programme for out-of-city commuters
- Bring more affordable options for county residents
- Put a cap on late fees
One of the protesters noted in a statement that the city had already been struggling before the Bay City Bridge Partners got there, but their presence, exploitation of the community and refusal to act in good faith has significantly deteriorated the existing problems.
Bay City has already seen a number of protests already
The Bay City Bridge Partners and its parent company, United Bridge Partners in Colorado, have long been facing criticism from Bay City residents. This issue has been happening since they took over the leases for the Independence and Liberty bridges.
Michigan has already seen a number of protests being held in opposition to the tolls employed by the private company. People are enraged and need their demands to be met. Dozens of people protested during the Sunday rally.
The company had been open about its plans to implement tolls on the bridges it took over from the city in 2019. But the problem started as it reneged on plans to rebuild Independence Bridge, opting instead to renovate the structure. Similar renovations happened on Liberty.
“It should not be this hard to afford groceries”
Multiple political candidates also came to the defence of Bay City residents during their Sunday rally. Take US Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed as an example. He spoke on the injustices faced by people, highlighting the bridge as a metaphor for issues needing to be taken care of.
“It should not be this hard to afford groceries … It should not be this hard to see a doctor, and it should not be this hard to cross bridges” in the community, he noted. State Senate candidate Pamela Pugh has also noted concerns about this situation.
