Metro Detroit has the chance of finally establishing a true regional transit system. We better not blow it again.

Historically, we have failed miserably at providing reliable mass transit, and everyone shares the blame -- both political parties, Detroit, suburbs, state and federal governments. We have had entire generations come and go, and we have not been able to supply them with reliable transit options. Shame on us.

We may finally be ready to take meaningful action on this issue. And it would be one of a string of game-changing moves for the city and the region.

In the state Senate, there are five bills that will create a mass transit system. The bills have bipartisan support and are supported by the governor. The only things standing in the way of these bills being passed are fear and negativity from the past.

There are Democrats and Republicans, Detroiters and suburbanites who are opposed to moving forward on a transit authority. When I talk to them, I hear the echoes of history telling me why we can't do this. Some don't want "them" in their communities, others argue government should stay out of the problem, and some even rely on Detroit's moniker as the Motor City as a reason not to move forward.

To all the naysayers, I say stop! We must move forward. We cannot allow our negativity, our fears and our past to tie our hands. Metro Detroit is no longer competing with just Chicago and New York for jobs. We are competing with Paris and Johannesburg and Tokyo. No one is going to solve our problems for us, and no one is going to wait for us to get our acts together.

We are adults. We have had serious problems handed to us. It's time we take a step out of our comfort zone and act like adults. Leaders across metro Detroit have proved we can cooperate when it matters.

We are on the verge of rebuilding Cobo into an exhibition center that will compete with the best in the nation. Downtown Detroit hasn't looked this good and created this much positive enthusiasm in generations.

That success is due to numerous leaders, businesspeople, local entrepreneurs, and government on many levels coming together to rebuild Detroit from the waterfront to Midtown. That success is spawning development and housing in other parts of the city.

Soon, the state will issue a request for proposal to redevelop the former State Fairgrounds, and I hope that valuable and underused piece of property will become a magnet for much needed retail for Detroit and the surrounding suburbs.

Today, we have the opportunity to take that first crucial step to provide reliable transportation in metro Detroit. We cannot allow negative forces to win and crush this plan. We cannot allow fear to guide us.

It's time for the entire region to work together to improve southeast Michigan. I'm a proud sponsor of one of the transit bills, and I am working every day to win votes for their support. I urge the Legislature to move these bills and give Gov. Rick Snyder the opportunity to make history and create a mass transit system that will move us into the 21st Century.

Virgil Smith, a Democrat from Detroit, represents the 4th District in the Michigan Senate.