Associated Press

Major metropolitan areas in Michigan received a failing grade for not turning to mass transit to help cut down on air pollution, the Sierra Club said.

The Sierra Club report of America's 50 largest metropolitan areas said it found a clear connection between state and local investment in public transportation and success in reducing smog from cars and trucks.

``If cities in Michigan invest in public transportation, clean air will come,'' said Anne Woiwode, director of the Michigan branch of the Sierra Club. The club said most large cites failed, but said those which spent more on public transportation suffered from less auto pollution.

``Although cars are polluting less per mile, smog isn't getting better because suburban sprawl forces Americans to drive farther just to pick up a gallon of milk or take the kids to soccer,'' she said.

``If we give Americans more transportation choices, we drive less and breathe cleaner air.''

In the Sierra Club report, the metropolitan area of Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, along with the Grand Rapids metropolitan area, received a D-minus for the amount of smog produced and an F for the amount spent on public transportation.

The Sierra Club said the Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint area produces 94 pounds of smog from cars and trucks per person each year, while the Grand Rapids area produces 96 pounds.

Meanwhile, it said, only $18.90 is spent per person in Michigan on public transportation for every $100 spent on highways.

``When cities build more roads instead of cleaner public transportation, it become obvious why smog and air pollution have gotten worse,'' Woiwode said.

``It's possible to reverse the trend.''