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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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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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January 20, 2011 by

New study shows most expressway expansion in area is unnecessary

According to an article from today’s Journal-Sentinel, recent findings from the Texas Transportation Institute show Milwaukee as the 44th most traffic-congested city out of the top 50 largest American cities.

What does this mean?
It means the constant calls for expanded freeways are wasteful. Milwaukee’s freeways are some of the least congested in the nation. Aside from approximately 3 to 6 hours each weekday, Milwaukee’s freeways have no congestion whatsoever. At times, some are virtually empty.

At the same time as having some of the fastest freeways for suburban residents, Milwaukee has among the lowest level of transit service for it’s city dwellers. Unlike freeways, buses suffer from chronic overcrowding throughout the day. Billions of dollars have been pumped into expanding Milwaukee’s already sufficient freeways over the past decade, but the Milwaukee County Transit System has been consistently cut at the same time.

Other than being blatantly unfair, this drastic imbalance of funding priorities is bad policy. Milwaukee is the nation’s fourth poorest city. Milwaukee’s poverty rate has soared while transit has been slashed.

Where can we go from here?
We need to make sure that our tax dollars are being spent where they are needed, on transit. These decisions are made on the state level, and we will need to keep a close eye on the state legislature to make sure that they look out for our best interest instead of lobbyists for the road builders. This blog will be focusing covering the state as well as Milwaukee County and we’ll keep everyone posted.

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