Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Milwaukee Transit Riders Union: #publictransit cheaper than roads

Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service: "Bill Sell, Milwaukee Transit Riders Union: Of course it’s an economic development tool. Those folks who don’t ride do not see the packed buses during rush hours. Riders reduce our state and national dependence on fossil fuel, and cost the government much less to support than building and rebuilding concrete roadways. Transit is the lower-cost solution to our transportation needs."

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Robert Wolfe: Millennials and boomers need better public transit

madison.com : "For all you econ majors out there: Supply and demand for Madison Metro is in a state of disequilibrium. There is sizable and increasing demand for the service but the proportionate increase in supply, which depends on funding from the state government, remains a political talking point, "

Car culture pain in Wisconsin

Taxes, transportation major themes at our public forums: "“If you’re not a driver, you’re a second-class citizen. That’s what it feels like,” said William Bublitz, who said he’s been yelled at by drivers for walking on roads that don’t have sidewalks."

Monday, March 9, 2015

Why Urban Jobs Can Mean Better Public Transport

Care2 Causes: "Cities like Milwaukee, for example, are experiencing an influx of new urban residents and an uptick in job growth. Another city where this is particularly well-illustrated is San Francisco, where tech firms are relocating downtown from their traditional Silicon Valley locations and tech workers are following them, though the consequence is a painfully tight rental market as a result of housing shortages.

In the long term, though, urban growth represents a number of advantages, including the possibility of upward mobility for low-income Americans, better environmental policy as suburban regions become less appealing, and a reduction in car ownership as the need for long commutes ends and people live where they work. And that’s what Ben Adler at Grist is particularly interested in, because when populations at urban hubs boom, so by extension does public transit."