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January 14, 2013 by

Milwaukee County Deserves Good Representation

The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors serves a valuable purpose and does the citizens of Milwaukee County, bus riders and non-bus riders alike, a valuable service. Members of the Milwaukee Transit Riders Union know this, which is why we were disappointed to hear that a piece of legislation will be introduced at the State level to all but dismantle the County Board under the guise of reform. State Rep. Joe Sanfelippo (R-15th Assembly/West Allis) is the author of this proposal, similar to one that he introduced as a County Supervisor that failed due to a lack of support.

This proposal is a blatant violation of Milwaukee County’s home rule. We are not saying that the County isn’t facing challenges; to the contrary, we think a strong County Board will be effective in meeting these challenges. If reform is needed, we believe that the dialogue around it needs to happen at the local level and in an open and honest fashion. Unfortunately, this proposal falls short in both of these categories.

The arguments surrounding this proposal are disingenuous and have more to do with spite than Milwaukee County citizens’ best interests in our opinion.
Our responses to the arguments made by advocates of the bill
Argument: The County Board doesn’t do enough work to be a full time body.
Fact: To the contrary, the Milwaukee County Board has a lot of responsibilities. Here are just some of them:

  • Transit
  • Paratransit/TransitPLUS
  • Parks
  • General Mitchell International
  • Courts
  • Mental Health
  • Senior Programs
  • Family Care
  • Sheriff funding
  • County highways
  • Jail
  • House of Correction
  • Medical Examiner’s Office
  • County Ordinances

This is in addition to their core duty of representation. On average, a Milwaukee County Supervisor represents a comparable number of citizens as a member of a the State Assembly.

Average population of a State Assembly District (Wisconsin's population in the 2010 Census was 5,686,986. Wisconsin has 99 Assembly Districts.)57,444
Average population of a Milwaukee County Supervisory District (Milwaukee County's population in the 2010 Census was 947,735. Milwaukee County has 18 Supervisory Districts.)52,651

Argument: 71 out of Wisconsin’s 72 counties have part-time boards.
Fact: While it is true that all of the other Wisconsin Counties have part-time boards, the comparison between these counties is disingenuous. The size and demographics of Milwaukee County make it unique to Wisconsin. Milwaukee County has a significantly larger and more diverse population that any other county in Wisconsin. More people means more services are needed, which means much more is demanded of Milwaukee County Supervisors than, for example, Iron County Supervisors who run a county with a population that is less than 1% of the size of Milwaukee’s.

Argument: Milwaukee County voters endorsed County Board cuts in April 2012.
Fact: Advocates of the bill have been arguing that it is not a violation of local control because of ‘a referendum’ held in April 2012 that went in favor of board cuts and part-time status. This is misleading. There was no county-wide referendum on this issue in April 2012. What did happen was a series of municipal referendums in a dozen suburbs. Each of these suburbs conducted their own referendums. All of these referendums occurred on April 3, on the same ballot as the Republican Presidential Primary and an uncontested Democratic Presidential nomination, resulting in a skewed turnout. What makes the results of this vote even more dubious is the fact that the City of Milwaukee, which accounts for two-thirds of Milwaukee County’s population, was not part of this. With these issues in mind, we feel that the suburban referendums should not be construed as an indicator of widespread support for this bill.

Argument: This bill doesn’t violate home rule because of the referendum it mandates
Fact: A key provision of this bill, cutting 85% of the County Board’s budget and capping it at 0.4% of the tax levy will not go before voters, it will be dictated by the bill. Such a cut would leave almost no money for the operations, meetings, analysis and research of the County Board. The results of the referendum will be largely ceremonial since if it goes in favor of keeping a full time board there will be no money to operate it. There may not even be enough money to run a part-time board.

What does the bill do?
We have serious concerns that the Milwaukee County Board will not be able to perform it’s duties if this bill became law. Here are some of the reasons:

  • It will cut the budget of the board by 85% and arbitrarily cap it at 0.4% of the tax levy.
  • It will cut the pay of County Supervisors by 70%. Supervisors will make $15,000 a year, making it unlikely that anyone who is not independently wealthy will be able to serve as a Supervisor.
  • It will preclude the county from putting any other referendum on the ballot in the April election

With the aforementioned concerns in mind, the Milwaukee Transit Riders Union is proud to stand against this effort to diminish the representation of Milwaukee County citizens. We stand firmly behind the citizens and Supervisors of Milwaukee County.

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January 4, 2013 by

Come to our January 5 meeting

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September 21, 2012 by

Come to our October 6 meeting

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July 31, 2012 by

Come to our meeting August 4 at 1:00pm

UPDATE: The agenda for this meeting is now available.

The Milwaukee Transit Riders Union will be having it’s monthly meeting on Saturday August 4, 2012 at 1:00pm.

This meeting will take place at the Amalgamated Transit Union Upper Hall, 734 N. 26th Street.


View Walking directions from 27th/Wisconsin to ATU 998 Hall in a larger map

We will be discussing:

  • 2013 Milwaukee County budget update
  • Upcoming campaigns
  • Coalition-building
  • Outreach

Do you want to add something? Submit it here before the deadline.

All bus riders and transit supporters are welcome to attend.

Snacks will be served.

The agenda is available here.

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April 15, 2012 by

Jobs Not Cuts! Rally for full funding to transit April 19, 2012

Facebook event link

The Milwaukee Transit Riders Union, in conjunction with Amalgamated Transit Union Local 998, Wisconsin Jobs Now and Occupy Milwaukee will be holding a rally and march on April 19, 2012 at 4:00pm at the ATU Local 998 Hall.

We are proud to be working with such a diverse coalition on this event. This event is part of the Week of Action kicking off on Monday April 16.

This event also comes on the heels of the April 4 National Day of Action for Transit. The movement for transit justice in this community is moving forward in a big way.

What do we want?
We want a fully funded transit system. We demand the restoration of funds cut in Governor Walker’s 2011-2013 budget and the establishment of a dedicated funding source at the county or regional level. Milwaukee County still funds transit from the property tax, an outdated funding source that has resulted in 20% in service cuts over the past decade, cuts that have put the transit system in a death spiral.

When Governor Walker slashed the Milwaukee County Transit System’s state funding by 10% in his 2011-2013 budget, he left Milwaukee County with few options to maintain service levels. Milwaukee County narrowly averted disastrous cuts to the transit system last year that would have made 13,500 jobs inaccessible by transit. This was possible by the use of temporary two-year grants. If we do not solve the funding problems facing transit in this time frame we will be back at square one – with the potential of facing even more severe cuts. This comes at a time when at least 40,000 jobs have become inaccessible by transit since 2001 and 29.5% of Milwaukeeans are living at or below the poverty line.

The time to act is now.
It is important that Milwaukee bus riders take action now to protect the service we have left and fight for better bus service. We will be taking to the streets on April 19 to do just that. (Facebook event link)

When and where:

Thursday April 19, 2012 at 4:00pm
Meet up at the ATU Local 998 Hall at
734 North 26th Street
(26th/Wisconsin)


View Walking directions from 27th/Wisconsin to ATU 998 Hall in a larger map

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January 24, 2012 by

MetroEXpress routes a mixed blessing

We’ve been crunching the numbers on the new schedules here at the Milwaukee Transit Riders Union, comparing them with he current schedules to see how riders will fare under the new MetroEXpress service to go into effect Sunday.

We’ve got mixed results. The BlueLine (Fond du Lac/National) will run 0-16% faster between Downtown and 60th/Congress – a big step up considering that they are not doing any transit-priority road work such as bus lanes or traffic signal priority (buses canbe equipped with transponders that ‘hold’ green lights for them.) The biggest improvement is during the afternoon rush. This is good news for Route 23 riders we have talked to who have expressed concerns about slow travel times and bus bunching during the afternoons.

The RedLine (Capitol Drive) will run 0-12% faster than the current Route 62. The biggest improvements are during the early morning and afternoon rush periods. This probably has to do with the schools along Capitol Drive. There are four large high schools that are served by Route 62. With the introduction of express service along Capitol Drive, the crowding and schedule problems associated with transporting such a large number of students on one bus route shoud be alleviated.

The GreenLine, however, will actually run slower than the current Route 15 from Downtown to Bayshore by 0-27%. The biggest increases are at 6:00am and after 8:00pm in the evening. There is no change in travel time during the evening rush and a 7.5% increase for northbound trips during the morning rush. We have contacted the Milwaukee County Transit System Scheduling Department regarding these slower trip times and have been informed that this is because the 15 schedule was “inaccurate”. With approximately a dozen stops between Bayshore and Wisconsin Avenue being eliminated, we would hope that this express route, billed as a faster service compared to the current Route 15, would actually function as such.

Riders have asked us: Why are all these changes happening, especially to the busiest routes?  I would like to take this opportunity to let anyone unaware of the situation know. After Governor Walker slashed state aid to the bus system by 10% this left the transit system in a budget crisis. State aid accounts for 42% of MCTS’s budget – it is the biggest source of revenue for the bus system, followed by passenger fares and county property taxes. With the transit sales tax stalled at the state level and unlikely to be advanced in the near future, we embarked on a dedicated funding campaign around the Vehicle Registration Fee, which is lower in Wisconsin than most midwest states and does not require any action from the State. We are reevaluating this idea in the face of pending state legislation undermining local control of the VRF and the award of Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) funds to fill the budget hole.

There is a catch with the CMAQ program: the money can only be used to start new routes. This is why the transit system is reducing local service (which is funded by the county) and in many areas, replacing it with the new express service (funded with CMAQ).

The other catch is that this money expires after two years – leaving us back at square one if we do not change the way that the bus system is funded.

We will be talking to bus riders again this Saturday. Join us as we talk to bus riders about the upcoming service changes and get their opinions. We will meet at noon at Stone Creek in the Grand Avenue Mall – in the skyway over 2nd Street. We will warm up with a cup of coffee and then hit the bus stops to talk with bus riders and hear what they have to say about the changes.

Get to the mall on bus routes: 10, 12, 14, 18, 19, 23, 30 and 31.
Routes 14 & 23 stop at 2nd/Wisconsin going east.
Routes 10(Detour), 18, 19 & 30(Detour) stop at 2nd/Wisconsin going south.
Routes 12, 14, 23 & 31 stop at 2nd/Wisconsin going west.
Routes 12 & 31 stop at 3rd/Wisconsin going east.
Routes 10 & 30 stop on Plankinton/Wisconsin going east.

Walk down 2nd to the skyway and crosswalk and enter the Plankinton Building (east side of the street). Take the elevator up to the 2nd floor and enter the skyway.

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January 12, 2012 by

Upcoming changes to Milwaukee bus service

On January 29, 2012 there will be several changes to how us bus riders get around in Milwaukee.

Riders of Routes 11, 15, 18, 23 and 62 will have to make some adjustments to how they get around. New color coded express routes are being introduced as part of a complicated move by MCTS to stave off service cuts by replacing busy local service with new express bus routes funded with federal money.

Why is this happening?
In his 2011-2013 budget, Governor Scott Walker slashed the amount of money that the Milwaukee County Transit System gets each year from the State of Wisconsin. As a result of this cut and limitations on how communities can raise more money, the bus system was planning on cutting about 20% of service. This is why we were pushing for a Vehicle Registration Fee to fund transit; it would have raised enough money to keep the system intact and it does not require any approval from the State legislature or Governor.

Ultimately, County Executive Chris Abele applied for a Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) grant to fill the hole in MCTS’s budget. The catch: CMAQ funds can only be used for brand new service. CMAQ funds can not be used to keep current routes running. The solution? Create express routes out of the busiest routes in the system. Eliminate most or all of the current local service along the current routes 11, 15, 18 & 23 and use the money saved (or ‘freed up’) to keep the other routes running.

What is changing?
MCTS has released a special issue of BusLines with the maps of the new routes included. The route changes are as follows:

Route 11 Holton-Greenfield/Howell

  • ELIMINATED
  • Holton branch becomes part of Route 15
  • Greenfield branch becomes part of a new Route 56
  • Howell branch becomes part of the limited stop GreenLine MetroEXpress
  • Service to Centennial Plaza (43rd/Lincoln) and the Bolivar-Pine-Layton loop is eliminated

Route 15 Oakland-Kinnickinnic

  • RENAMED: 15 Holton-Kinnickinnic
  • Current 15 service north of 1st/Pittsburgh becomes part of the limited stop GreenLine MetroEXpress
  • Will operate via the current Holton branch of Rt. 11 to Bayshore
  • Clement-Pennsylvania-15th Av branch becomes Route 52 (evening and night service is eliminated)
  • All trips will operate via 5th Av-Columbia to Chicago/Drexel

Route 18 National-Greenfield

  • ELIMINATED
  • Service east of 70th/Greenfield becomes part of Route 23
  • 124th via Greenfield branch becomes part of the new Route 56
  • National branch becomes part of Rt. 54. Service on S. 92nd is eliminated

Route 23 Fond du Lac Avenue

  • RENAMED: 23 Fond du Lac-National
  • Mill via 64th branch becomes part of BlueLine MetroEXpress
  • Service east of 2nd on Wisconsin is eliminated
  • Takes on current Route 18 between Wisconsin and 70th/Greenfield

Route 62 Capitol Drive

  • Service east of Humboldt becomes part of RedLine MetroEXpress
  • Service west of 76th becomes part of RedLine MetroEXpress

Route 63 Silver Spring Drive

  • RENAMED: 63 Silver Spring-Port Washington
  • Takes on the part of the current Route 68 between Bayshore and Glencoe (Green Tree-Lake Drive-Brown Deer segment is eliminated)

Route 68 Port Washington Road

  • ELIMINATED
  • Current segment between Bayshore and Glencoe becomes part of Rt. 63
  • Current segment between Bayshore and Capitol becomes part of Rt. 15
  • Service on Port Washington between Keefe and Capitol is eliminated
  • Service on the Green Tree-Lake Drive-Brown Deer loop is eliminated

New routes

  • GreenLine MetroEXpress – Limited stop route comprised of the current Rt. 15 north of Pittsburgh and current Rt. 11 south of Pittsburgh with an extension to the Airport
  • BlueLine MetroEXpress – Limited stop route comprised of the current Route 23 Mill Road – 64th Street and current Route 18 east of 70th
  • RedLine MetroEXpress – Limited stop route comprised of the current Route 62
  • Route 52 Clement-15th Avenue – Limited service route comprised of the current Route 15 Clement-Pennsylvania-15th Av branch. Set to operate seven days a week, mornings, mid-days and afternoons. Service after approximately 6:00pm is eliminated
  • Route 56 Greenfield Avenue – Regular route running between 1st/Michell and 124th/Greenfield via 1st-Greenfield-43rd-Burnham-60th-Greenfield

Will this improve service?
It depends on where you are. These routes were designed with the purpose of saving money and riders had no ability to weigh in on the designs. Some residential areas will have no local bus service and bus riders will have to walk several blocks to catch a bus. On the other hand, the limited stop service may benefit commuters traveling from the central city to outlying areas by decreasing their travel time. Time will tell whether or not the MetroEXpress service is successful in shortening trip times, however bus riders should take note that the money funding this service is temporary and will expire in two years.

Getting dedicated funding for the transit system is as important now as ever
The CMAQ grants that funded his service are meant as start-up assistance for new routes. These particular grants run out in two years, at which point the County will be expected to fund the service. If we do not get the transit system off of the property tax, we face the loss of this service once this money runs out, or even the loss of other routes before that time due to rising fuel prices and declining home values in Milwaukee County.

This year, the Milwaukee Transit Riders Union will be renewing it’s push for dedicated funding wih more energy than before. As bus riders, it is essential that we be heard on policy and funding matters for the transit system. We need to be part of this, as we know the bus system, we ride the bus system and we are the most affected when services are cut.

On Saturday January 28, 2012 at 12:00pm we will be hitting the streets of Downtown Milwaukee to inform bus riders of the changes, listen to their concerns and pass out information. If you would like to join us, let us know.

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December 8, 2011 by

We condemn attacks on Bus Drivers

The Milwaukee Transit Riders Union is an organization comprised of, and dedicated to being the voice of fare-paying bus riders in Milwaukee; advocating for better service and lower fares in the region.

Recently, a small percentage of Milwaukee bus riders who choose to evade paying the same bus fare everyone else pays, who contribute to disorder on the bus and even go to the extent of physically assaulting bus drivers have garnered a lot of attention in the local media.

Yesterday around 5:30pm, during a busy time on the extremely busy Route 12 an individual got on the bus headed Downtown. When asked for the fare this individual physically attacked the driver. The driver continued his run and was again victimized by this individual who damaged the bus window and threatened this same driver’s life. This is on top of another incident involving another driver just last week.

We condemn this violence against bus drivers. Bus drivers bear no responsibility for high bus fares; bus fares are determined in the budget. Bus drivers serve riders firsthand and fight hard to keep fares from going higher.

We stand with the drivers who have been the victims of these vicious attacks.

UPDATE: The transit system has suspended the driver victimized in yesterday’s assault.

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June 18, 2011 by

A Public Hearing on Jobs and Civil Rights (Held by the Milwaukee NAACP)

There is a great event being held tomorrow where we will be able to ask our elected leaders some much-needed questions about Milwaukee’s lack of transit connections to suburban job centers.

A Public Hearing on Jobs and Civil Rights (Held by the Milwaukee NAACP)
Sunday June 19, 2011 (Juneteenth Day) at 1:30pm
Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church
2207 N. 2nd St. (2nd/Garfield, northwest corner)
 
The following elected officials have been invited: Governor Scott Walker, State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, State Senate Minority Leader Mark Miller, Assembly Majority Leader Jeff Fitzgerald, Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca, Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele, County Board Chairman Lee Holloway, Mayor Tom Barrett and Common Council President Willie Hines.
 
You can reach this event from either Route 19 N. King-S. 13th & S. 20th OR Route 21 North Avenue.
 
19 N. King-S. 13th & S. 20th
Get off of the bus at King/Garfield and walk one block east to 2nd. The church will be on your left. (Not to be confused with the red brick church on the northeast corner.)
 
21 North Avenue
Get off of the bus at King/North and walk one block east to 2nd St. and one block south to Garfield. The church will be on your right. (Not to be confused with the red brick church on the northeast corner.)

Check out www.milwaukeenaacp.org for more info.

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March 3, 2011 by

Walker’s budget guts transit

Governor Scott Walker released his 2011-2013 State Budget yesterday. This budget reduces State funding for transit systems by 10% for each transit system. For the Milwaukee County Transit System, this is $7 million dollars. In addition to cuting transit funding, Walker is removing it from the State’s transportation fund, which is funded by gas taxes, to the State’s General Purpose fund – meaning that transit funding at the State level will be just as unstable as it is in Milwaukee County. This comes at the same time that millions of extra dollars are being put into the Transportation fund to speed up unnecessary highway expansion projects.

State funds account for 42% of the Milwaukee County Transit System’s operating budget. At a time when MCTS has been stretched to the brink due to a lack of dedicated funding source, this will result in devastating service cuts. “Service cuts and fare increases are always our last resort,” stated Anita Gulotta-Connelly, MCTS Managing Director, “but with the reduction in State funding and rapidly escalating fuel prices, difficult decisions will be necessary.”

“This $7 million cut in State operating assistance, if approved, could force the County to raise bus fares and eliminate all Freeway Flyers (including service to Summerfest and State Fair), late night and early morning service, and numerous route segments. A reduction in paratransit services would remove transit access for individuals with disabilities in Milwaukee County’s southern suburbs and north shore communities,” Milwaukee County Board Chairman Lee Holloway said. “We’ve been asking for dedicated funding for years. After serving as County Executive for more than eight years, Governor Walker is well aware of this need. But, instead of protecting mass transit in the transportation fund, he is removing it. Mass transit is a form of transportation, so why can’t it be protected, too?”

These cuts will have a tremendous effect on people in Milwaukee County, whether they ride the bus or not. As with other cuts, there will be a negative effect on the local economy.  “We’re losing our ability to connect workers with jobs,” Chairman Holloway added. “If the business community still supports transit, then it’s time for our business leaders to meet with the Governor and Legislative leaders to inform them of the important role transit plays in the transportation and economic infrastructure of this region.”

Whether you are a business leader or not, you should contact your legislator and/or Governor Walker and tell them to sustain transit funding and keep it in the transportation fund.

You can find your State Senator’s contact information at http://legis.wisconsin.gov/w3asp/contact/legislatorslist.aspx?house=senate.

You can find your State Representative’s contact information at: http://legis.wisconsin.gov/W3asp/contact/legislatorslist.aspx?house=assembly.

You can find Governor Walker’s contact information at: http://walker.wi.gov/.

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