Kohl's to Add Electric Car Charging Stations at Stores

Thursday, September 06, 2012

From an article in BizTimes:

"Menomonee Falls-based Kohl's Department Stores today announced the company will expand its electric vehicle (EV) charging station initiative with 36 new stations across 18 additional Kohl's locations by the end of fall 2012.

The expansion spans three new states, including Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin, and adds additional locations to the company's Texas EV program.

With the expansion, Kohl's shoppers will be able to take advantage of a total of 101 charging stations at 52 Kohl's locations across 14 states. Each of the participating Kohl's locations will have two or three parking spaces reserved for EV drivers to charge at no cost while they shop.

The new locations in Wisconsin will include: one station at Kohl's headquarters in Menomonee Falls; two stations at the Menomonee Falls Credit Center; two stations at Bayshore in Glendale; three stations at Madison West; and two stations in Johnson Creek."

Read more

Madison needs a central transit hub

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

A letter to the editor in The Capital Times:

As a frequent visitor to your city, I have a message for Madison and UW-Madison leaders: The Memorial Union was never intended to be a bus terminal. The Tuesday before Thanksgiving there were eight buses in front of the Union at 1 p.m., clogging the street in addition to the city bus traffic that came by.

With the demise of both the Badger and Greyhound bus stations, and the cuts to air service at the airport, Madison should develop a Downtown transit hub for Metro and inter-city buses.

I am surprised UW-Madison tolerates letting the Memorial Union be a bus stop and station for non-students. Further, there is no room on Langdon Street for all these buses.

— Bill Malcolm, Indianapolis

Let's get new RTA bill done

Wednesday, July 06, 2011

From an editorial in the Wisconsin State Journal:

The same Republicans who just killed the Dane County Regional Transit Authority say they're willing to allow RTAs in Wisconsin if they're more consistent and accountable.

OK, then let's get moving on just such a bill.

Dane County needs an RTA to encourage regional cooperation on transportation planning to avoid gridlock.

Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald, R-Horicon, and Rep. Robin Vos, R-Rochester, played key roles during the recent state budget process in nixing the legal status of several RTAs including Dane County's.

Yet they told the State Journal editorial board recently that they'll encourage more study and a compromise bill that can be approved as early as next year or by 2013.

We intend to hold them to that pledge.

Southeastern Wisconsin leaders ask state to restore mass transit funding

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

From an article in BizTimes Daily:

A coalition of southeastern Wisconsin civic, educational and business leaders is asking the state Legislature to restore state funding for mass transit in the region.

The coalition sent a letter to state senators and Assembly members Monday, calling on legislators to refrain from making the cuts outlined in Gov. Scott Walker’s budget repair bill. The letter said mass transit is vital to the economic future of southeastern Wisconsin economy.

The letter was co-signed by Kenosha Mayor Keith Bosman; Cudahy Mayor Anthony Day; St. Francis Mayor Al Richards; South Milwaukee Mayor Tom Zepecki; Racine Mayor John Dickert; Oak Creek Mayor Richard Bolander; Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele; Greater Milwaukee Committee President Julia Taylor; Racine Area Chamber of Commerce President Michael Kobylka; South Suburban Chamber of Commerce President Barbara Wesener; KenoshaArea Business Alliance President Todd Battle; University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Chancellor Michael Lovell; University of Wisconsin-Parkside Chancellor Deborah Ford; Milwaukee Downtown Executive Director Beth Nicols; Devin Sutherland of Downtown Racine Corp. BID #1; Mike Fabishak of Associated General Contractors Greater Milwaukee; and Tom Rave of The Gateway to Milwaukee.

The letter stated:
“In the current economy, creating, maintaining, and connecting people to private sector jobs is a top priority. The state budget proposal to drastically reduce state funding for already severely strained transit systems in SE Wisconsin would threaten economic growth by making it harder or impossible for workers to get to jobs and discourage employers from locating or expanding in Wisconsin. . . .

Beyond the Bus-vs.-Rail Debate

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Beyond the Bus-vs.-Rail Debate: Cultivating Transit Discussions that Take Us Where We Need to Go

A talk by Jarrett Walker, international transit consultant and author of the weblog HumanTransit.org

Tuesday, May 31, 2011, 7:00 p.m.
UW Pyle Center, Room 313
702 Langdon St., Madison, WI

Like many cities, Madison has spent years debating rail and other ideas for improving area transit. Yet few of these proposals have moved forward, and new threats to transit funding could undo what progress has been made.

Why are debates over transit often so frustrating and contentious? Can we frame them differently to foster more productive conversations and stronger consensus, both about the kinds of transit systems we want and about the value and benefits of transit to our communities?

Jarrett Walker, international transit consultant and author of the popular transit policy weblog HumanTransit.org, thinks we can, and will discuss how in a talk on Tuesday evening, May 31, at 7:00 p.m. in Room 313 of the UW Pyle Center, 702 Langdon St. in Madison.

A fundamental problem, he maintains, is that heated quarrels over transit technologies have made it harder to think and talk clearly about what we really want for our communities and which choices best achieve those goals. The relationship between transit technology and transit outcomes is not always as clear as it seems, and categorical opinions about any technology, rail or bus, can blind us to many other ways to improve our transit systems and thereby enrich our communities and our lives. Approaching transit issues from a different point of view may make them easier to resolve.

Jarrett Walker, PhD, has been a consulting transit planner for 20 years, and has worked on a wide range of projects, from small-city bus re-structurings to major transit corridor studies. He has written HumanTransit.org since 2009 and his book Human Transit, expanding on themes from that writing, is forthcoming this fall from Island Press.

The talk is free and open to the public and is sponsored by the UW Center on Wisconsin Strategy’s State Smart Transportation Initiative, the Dane Alliance for Rational Transportation, the DaneTransit coalition, and the Madison Peak Oil Group. For further information contact Fred Bartol at (608) 251-6126.

Interactive Workshop on “Express Carpooling” - June 2, Madison

What: Presentation and Interactive Workshop on “Express Carpooling”

When: Thursday, June 2nd , 7:00-8:30 PM

Where: Room 202 of the downtown Madison Public Library

Here is a synopsis from Fred Bartol of DaneTransit:

What is “express carpooling” and how could it make getting around Madison and Dane County easier? Paul Minett, founder of Raspberry Express, an express carpooling initiative in Auckland, New Zealand, will describe what it is, how it works, and who might benefit from it.

Unlike formal ridesharing programs which match participants in advance for regularly scheduled car- or van-pooling arrangements, express carpooling enables riders and drivers, screened through a membership process, to meet at designated collection points for shared rides over established routes to designated drop-off points, then reverse the process later in the day. The route, rather than the ride, is what the service provider organizes based on commuter demand.

Minett believes the express model could make carpooling easier by making it more flexible and spontaneous, something commuters can use as needed, rather than having to arrange in advance and commit to for an extended period. The benefits could be significant, for commuters seeking to cut costs, for communities seeking to expand transportation options, and for regions seeking to manage traffic.

Born in the United Kingdom, Paul Minett was raised in Canada and has lived in New Zealand since 1987. An accountant and business consultant who holds an MBA from the University of Auckland, he is the co-inventor of a patented express carpooling system and has published and presented widely on the topic of carpooling and ridesharing. He has been a leader in founding the Ridesharing Institute, a research organization committed to expanding ridesharing practices worldwide, and will be in Madison to participate in the Congress for the New Urbanism conference, taking place June 1-4 at Monona Terrace.

The downtown Madison Public Library is located at 201 W. Mifflin St. in Madison. The presentation is free and open to the public and is sponsored by the Dane Alliance for Rational Transportation, the DaneTransit Coalition, and the Madison Peak Oil Group.

Boneheaded move on transit

Monday, May 09, 2011

From an editorial in The Journal Times, Racine:

In a lamentable vote last week, state Rep. Robin Vos, R-Rochester, led the state’s Joint Finance Committee to vote 12-4 along party lines to do away with recently authorized regional transit authorities in southeastern Wisconsin and four other areas of the state.

It is a boneheaded and short-sighted maneuver that could well ring the death knell for commuter rail linking Kenosha, Racine, Milwaukee and Chicago.

Unlike the high-speed rail proposed for Milwaukee to Madison by former Democratic Gov. James Doyle, KRM would connect a corridor of highly populated areas in the southeastern corner of the state. It would give businesses access to willing workers through the region, provide those workers with the means to get to jobs, give residents a car-free alternative to taking in the sights, recreational and entertainment offerings of Chicago and Milwaukee — and it would lessen the reliance on the Interstate highway system.

It was perhaps prophetic that the Vos-led vote last week came as gasoline pump prices roared well past $4 per gallon.

For good measure, the Joint Finance Committee also threw state funding for bike and pedestrian paths under the bus as well, eliminating $5 million in spending over the next two years.

Vos said the transit authorities were unpopular, unelected “abomominations” as he guided the vote for disbandonment.

Unlike during the Gov. Tommy Thompson era, in recent years Republicans have taken a Goldilocks and the Three Bears approach toward mass transit, complaining that plans — whatever plans — were too hot, too cold, too this, too that. The unelected “abomination” criticism from Vos that transit authorities would spend tax money, even though their boards were not elected, feeds into the recent rise in anti-taxing frenzy — including an advisory referendum in Racine County on “new taxes” for transit or rail that was defeated by a large margin.

In fact, Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed budget would have preserved transit authorities, but required a binding referendum before an authority could levy a tax.

That’s a more reasoned approach . . .

The solution isn’t to INCREASE subsidies for rush-hour drivers and freight trucking!

Monday, April 18, 2011

Fellow Rail & Transit Advocates:

The following is a transcript of my comments before the Wisconsin Joint Finance Committee budget hearing in West Allis on 11 April 2011. Feel free to share, plagiarize, etc.!

Hans Noeldner
Oregon, Wisconsin
608-444-6190


We don’t have worsening congestion on Wisconsin’s roads because of people who van-pool and ride transit to work.

And our interstate highways are not crumbling because of freight that is being moved on railroads.

No, our highway funding system is broke because rush-hour motorists aren’t paying the real costs for all the capacity they demand. And freight truckers don’t begin to pay for all the damages they cause.

Meanwhile, Wisconsin’s counties and municipalities are digging deeper and deeper into property owners’ pockets because motorists aren’t paying the real costs of local roads and streets…and all the plowing, patching, policing, and EMS services motorists demand.

We have very serious budget problems in this state. The solution isn’t to INCREASE subsidies for rush-hour drivers and freight trucking!

No, we need to do everything possible to REDUCE the costs of moving freight and people. Wisconsin should work closely with rail companies to shift interstate freight from highways to rail. And we need to EXPAND transit, not cripple it.

But budgets aren’t just about money – they are about people.

If you are a person who is accustomed to driving whenever, wherever, and as much as you want, you have no idea what life is like for people who cannot drive…people who SHOULD not drive…families which can’t afford a car…people who would rather not depend on a car for everything.

These people deserve your representation no less than people who are like you.

I will close by challenging you to experience life on the other side of the windshield.

Walk to your grocery store a few times a month.

Pedal your bicycle to your place of worship.

Ride the bus when you go out for drinks on Friday night.

There is no better way for you to learn what you need to know – as servants of the people – than to walk in the other guy’s shoes.

Road builders to see quick return on donations to Walker

Tuesday, March 08, 2011

From a commentary in The Capital Times by Rod Clark, who recently retired after almost 37 years with the state, 33 of them with DOT:

Anyone who followed Gov. Scott Walker’s election campaign last fall was aware that Wisconsin’s road builders were at the top of the list of his contributors. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that about 150 individual employees of road-building firms contributed $128,859 to Walker’s campaign, along with the $25,000 given by their state association to the Republican Governors’ Association, presumably to help cover the $5 million in anti-Barrett ads run by the RGA.

But what no one knew, or could even guess, until the governor unveiled his biennial budget on March 1 was how quickly and dramatically the road construction interests would see a return on their investments. Or how clearly this would highlight the governor’s true priorities.

In a budget that has drawn national attention for a proposed $834 million cut to K-12 education funding in Wisconsin, and that is being used to justify the need for significant teacher layoffs, salary reductions and an end to public sector collective bargaining, Walker has made his priorities clear for everyone to see. Walker has proposed making cuts to education at least $144 million greater than otherwise needed in order to increase funds for road construction. . . .

While claiming “Wisconsin is broke” -- a charge disputed by many -- Walker proposes in his budget to move the cost for public transit from the Transportation Fund into the General Fund, making the General Fund hole $107 million deeper and freeing up the same amount in the Transportation Fund.

At the same time, Walker’s proposal phases in a diversion of vehicle sales tax revenue out of the General Fund and into the Transportation Fund, eventually resulting in 50 percent of all vehicle sales tax going into the Transportation Fund. This amount starts at around $37 million in 2013 and grows to an estimated $200 million when completely phased in.

Further, Walker’s budget proposes bonding authority for another couple hundred million of road-building money, with the debt repayment coming from the General Fund instead of the Transportation Fund. The impact of this is as yet unknown.

Busting bus systems

Monday, March 07, 2011

From an editorial in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Even if you never use a bus and would never think of getting on a commuter train, the current bleak prospects for mass transit systems in Wisconsin should matter to you.

Transit moves people to jobs, it eases congestion on city streets and freeways and it gives people another transportation option. That's important, especially now as drivers are faced with rising gasoline prices and roadwork that is shutting down lanes on freeways and major highways.

The Legislature and Gov. Scott Walker need to rethink their approach to transit and make sure that Wisconsin's systems remain healthy, especially for those who need it for work, school and shopping. Businesses such as Bucyrus International and Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. rely on transit. New businesses and young professionals look to modern transit as the sign of a healthy and vibrant community.

What's in the works moves Wisconsin in the opposite direction and could damage transit systems across the state beyond repair.

Consider:

• Walker's budget would slice transit aids in the first year of the biennium and provide no alternative dedicated local funding source to help meet already financially troubled systems.

• The budget shifts transit aids from the segregated and protected transportation fund to the general fund, where transit systems would have to compete with myriad services for scarce dollars. Walker argues that the gasoline tax that largely supplies the transportation fund is a user fee paid for by drivers and should be used only on those roads that drivers use.

But mass transit helps ease pressure on those roads and gives drivers other choices, as Steve Hiniker of 1000 Friends of Wisconsin, points out. Buses are a vital form of transportation.

• Because Walker's budget-repair bill would eliminate most collective bargaining with public employees, federal aid, which is dependent on workers being able to bargain, would be jeopardized for mid-size transit systems such as Appleton's.

• A separate bill in the Legislature would kill regional transit authorities that were created in recent years to help regions strengthen and support local transit systems. Rep. Robin Vos (R-Rochester), a co-sponsor of the bill, told us the RTAs were put together badly and he'd like to repeal them and start over with an honest policy debate. We'd prefer leaving them in place and making adjustments where needed so that regions can start now to build what they need.

• Walker's budget bill freezes local tax levy increases, meaning that even if a community wanted to spend more on transit, it couldn't.

Walker bill could put millions in transit aid at risk

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

From a blog post by Patrick Marley on JSonline.com:

Madison -- Wisconsin communities could lose $70 million or more in federal aid for transit systems under a bill quickly moving through the state Legislature, opponents of the bill are warning.

The measure by Gov. Scott Walker would strip most union rights away from most public employees. That could put in danger federal aid for buses because U.S. law requires that collective bargaining rights remain in place to get federal funds, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

"It’s a $70 million problem," said Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha). "That’s not small change."

Walker spokesman Cullen Werwie denied the bill would affect federal transit funding.

"The budget repair bill meets all of the federal requirements to continue to receive federal transportation aid," Werwie said in a statement.

But according to the Department of Labor’s website, the Federal Transit Act "requires the continuation of any collective bargaining rights that were in place when the employer started receiving federal funds."

Werwie declined to say if an amendment was needed to the bill now pending in the Legislature. Andrew Welhouse, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) said he did not know if lawmakers would amend the bill to address the federal transit funding.

RTA approves plan for expanded bus service outside Madison

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Fronm an article by Devin Rose in the Wisconsin State Journal:

The county's Regional Transit Authority Board is seeking public comment on a proposed plan they approved Wednesday that would improve and extend bus services to areas outside Madison — but the plan's full implementation is contingent on approval of a transit sales tax.

Among the proposed improvements — which could be funded by up to a half cent sales tax for people within the boundaries of the RTA — are regional express bus service, expanded service to other Dane County communities, additional park and ride lots and improved services for the elderly and disabled. The RTA board would have to vote on whether to place an advisory referendum for the tax on the April 5 election ballot before Feb. 22.

RTA Chairman Dick Wagner said the next step for the board is to listen to people's opinions about the plan, which will be released in full next week. The plan includes about $9.7 million to $13 million in new and improved services. Wagner said Tuesday he has heard little or no support for a half cent sales tax, but there is some backing for one-fourth of a cent, which would yield $15 million to $17 million annually.

Say ‘yes’ to sales tax for RTA

Monday, October 18, 2010

From an editorial in The Capital Times:

Forty-two Dane County municipalities will vote Nov. 2 on a referendum that asks whether they would support a half-cent sales tax to pay for commuter rail.

The question is misleading, which explains why it isn’t on the ballot in municipalities with 60 percent of the county’s population, but we nevertheless urge people to vote “yes” to support the start of public rail transportation for the county.

It’s unfortunate that this referendum represents a cynical attempt by unyielding opponents of public rail transportation who believe forcing it onto the ballot this November will result in a resounding “no” vote. The rail opponents want to send a strong message to officials who have been examining transportation alternatives for an ever-growing and increasingly congested Dane County.

The newly formed Regional Transit Authority is in the process of putting together a proposal that will not only include an embryonic commuter rail route between Middleton and Sun Prairie, but expand modern bus services to folks who live within the RTA boundaries and who have to travel to other communities for everything from jobs to schools.

The half-cent sales tax would fund all of those alternatives, not just commuter rail. The overall objective is to address the county’s transportation needs by offering economical public transportation, especially in the face of increasing gasoline prices and the adverse impact of emissions on the environment.

Commuter rail referendum: Politics or a chance to be heard?

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

From an article by Matthew DeFour in the Wisconsin State Journal:

On Nov. 2, voters in at least 42 Dane County municipalities will weigh in on whether they support a half-cent sales tax to pay for commuter rail.

But the results of the advisory referendum aren’t likely to make any difference.

While some residents see the vote as a chance for the public to be heard on local commuter rail, others dismiss it as disingenuous politics,

"The powers that be don’t understand how the public feel about it outside the city of Madison in terms of wanting to have a vote on the issue," said Sup. Bill Clausius, of Sun Prairie, who unsuccessfully asked the County Board to hold a countywide referendum.

Clausius said he plans to vote "no" on the proposal, which he said will inform the Regional Transit Authority Board to reconsider including commuter rail in their transit plans.

But RTA Board Chairman Dick Wagner emphasized that the vote in November is not the official vote promised by the RTA and that the results won’t instruct the process going forward.

"I’m not really sure what I would tell (voters to do) because it’s so confusing," Wagner said. "It’s best if they wait for a real transit plan."

No county rail tax referendum this fall

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

From an article by Matthew DeFour in the Wisconsin State Journal:

The last chance for a countywide commuter rail sales tax referendum in November died in committee Tuesday despite calls from rail opponents to let the public be heard.

About 30 people spoke at the County Board’s Public Works and Transportation Committee meeting, all of them supporting a proposal to ask voters whether they supported a half-cent sales tax for commuter rail between Middleton and the town of Burke.

Expressing a common criticism, Colleen Curtin, a single mother from Madison’s West Side, said she wouldn’t take the commuter train to work in McFarland because it would be too difficult to pick up her child from daycare. She said it felt like the $250 million commuter rail proposal was being “shoved down our throats.”

“We feel hopeless, that we have no voice,” Curtin said. “And you guys are demonstrating that even more by pushing off this referendum.”

The committee’s 2-2 vote prevented the resolution from advancing to the County Board. Committee chairman Sup. Matt Veldran, of Madison, said the Regional Transit Authority is working on a transit plan that must be completed before a vote can be taken.

“I fully believe there will be a vote,” Veldran said. “I understand the frustration, but I believe the RTA is what I approved and I would like them to come up with a complete question.”

UW-Madison considers bus pass fees to close transportation budget deficit

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

From an article by Deborah Ziff in the Wisconsin State Journal:

Possible changes to UW-Madison's parking and transportation services — including a proposal to charge UW-Madison's 20,000 employees to ride the bus — could have far-reaching consequences for the campus and city.

About one year into the job, UW-Madison transportation director Patrick Kass announced this spring that he needs to make drastic changes or else raise parking rates considerably in order to cover an annual budget deficit of roughly $1 million.

One proposal is to begin charging UW-Madison employees between $50 and $150 per year for city bus passes, which have been free for the past seven years. That's because the university, which spends about $1.5 million per year on employee bus fare, is facing an expected 21 percent cost increase from Metro Transit.

Even with the new fee, taking the bus would still be less expensive than parking on campus. But some worry that charging for bus passes will remove the incentive to ride the bus, considered more environmentally friendly than driving.

"I think it's one of the nicer perks," said Mike Olson, who either takes the bus, bikes or drives to campus from his home on the East Side. "If I don't have to pay, it's encouraging me to take the bus...If I had to pay for the bus, maybe more often than not, I wouldn't take it."

It could also have serious implications for Metro Transit. Employees and students at UW-Madison and its affiliates make up roughly 50 percent of the city's bus ridership. If UW-Madison employees must begin paying, the city bus system could lose customers.

New buildings bring debt increase
The building boom on campus is partly to blame for the transportation department's predicament. As the university puts new buildings on surface parking lots, the transportation department must build expensive parking ramps in order to maintain its 13,000 parking spaces on campus, Kass said.

Monday, June 21, 2010

From an article by Clay Barbour and Mary Spicuzza in the Wisconsin State Journal:

Dangerous cracks discovered on a Milwaukee County bridge earlier this year have become battle lines in the governor's race as the candidates push competing visions of Wisconsin's transportation future. . . .

On one side is Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, the Democratic candidate. Barrett favors a two-pronged approach that includes improving roads and incorporating passenger rail into the mix.

On the other side are the two leading Republicans: Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker and former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann. Both favor a concrete-and-asphalt approach focused on roads. And both promise to halt the construction of the federally funded passenger rail program from Madison to Milwaukee — despite the fact that the state may have spent as much as $100 million on the project by that time.

Greyhound still without home, still with problems

Monday, June 14, 2010

From an article by George Hesselberg in the Wisconsin State Journal:

Months after its depot was razed, Greyhound buses make eight trips daily to or from a curb outside Metro Transit's North Transfer Point off Aberg Avenue but passengers anecdotally still report problems with the service in Madison.

That stop, one of four the national bus company has had since August when the Badger Bus Depot Downtown closed, has no sign, no place to buy tickets or place luggage and no place for riders to sit and wait.

The city's bus service, Metro Transit, is working on Greyhound's behalf to sell tickets at the nearby Dane County Job Center, 1819 Aberg Ave., said Mario Mendoza, assistant to Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz. Right now, passengers can board the bus at the 1213 Huxley St. stop but must surrender their driver's license or ID to the driver until they arrive at a stop where tickets are sold.

Mendoza said the city is also considering Greyhound in its short term and long term transportation plans for the city, including in railroad-bus station or "intermodal" plans. Greyhound has confirmed it is eager to be a part of any "intermodal" transport station in the city.

Plan a multi-modal transportation center

Thursday, June 03, 2010

From David Knuti, an active member of the Madison Peak Oil Group:

TO: Metropolitan Planning Organization

Subject: Comment on Item 5: Bus Facility Planning Needed in TIP Madison-Milwaukee Intercity Rail Project.

I wish to speak from the perspective of those concerned with Metro regional bus and intercity bus service which are not reflected in the motion before the commission. We urge that rail station planning be truly multi-modal and ultimately open-ended about final locations to ensure that the result will lead to comprehensive transit facilities.

High speed rail is great, but it is only the first of several advanced transportation facilities needed for the region. We must avoid limited-focus planning that does not consider the implication for all the elements of a transportation-efficient future. Madison is fortunate to have a downtown rail station alternative, but we are concerned that planning attention and funds be allocated to simultaneously consider the integration with regional and intercity transit. Our current intercity bus system has been allowed to degenerate to a dysfunctional mess which is contemptuous of the comfort and safety of passengers and is ill-suited to expand future bus service. It is important to not to indefinitely delay progress on these service issues.

A Monona Terrace station site would a wonderful gateway for the city, but its confined space may prove impossible to accommodate multimodal terminal facilities for regional Metro bus, intercity bus and commuter rail. And its cost might preclude further transportation facility investments for some time. It may be that a separate multimodal facility for the broader transit system is needed. Perhaps this should be still further west in "old station-- Kohl Center " area, which is most accessible to the mass ridership of the UW campus and sports events and offers access to both sides of the city. Therefore, it is important not to become financially trapped in a downtown site that proves too expensive to leave any thing left to accommodate these other transportation needs.

David Knuti
Madison, WI

Metro ridership up over 2009 even with fare hike

Monday, May 17, 2010

From an article by Dean Mosiman in The Capital Times:

A controversial Metro Transit bus fare hike hasn’t had the dramatic negative impact on ridership and revenues that some feared.

In April 2009, the City Council increased Metro Transit cash bus fares from $1.50 to $2 and raised the price of passes and ticket packages.

Yet Metro ridership still rose 1.4 percent to 13.58 million in 2009, the highest ridership in 30 years, the bus system reported. The ridership is about what Metro anticipated with the fare increase, but far less than the 6 percent projected increase if there had been no fare hike.

In the first three months of 2010, ridership rose 1.5 percent compared to the first three months of 2009, Metro reported.

One thing helping ridership is Metro’s new Commute Card program, an unlimited ride pass for small businesses and employers, Metro spokesman Mick Rusch said.