Thursday, December 29, 2016

Wisconsin #autosprawl meltdown continues

Wisconsin Transportation Secretary Quits Amid Road Funding Budget Fight | WNIJ and WNIU: "Gottlieb's departure comes as the transportation budget faces a $1 billion shortfall. Walker has proposed delaying major projects and borrowing to pay for maintenance.

Assembly Republicans have said everything should be considered, including raising the state' gas tax."

Sunday, October 23, 2016

Milwaukee car culture heavy on the backs of poor workers

WUWM: ""Just to remember, 151,000 rides every day, 40% of our rides on transit are people who need the bus to get to work. The last thing I want to do is make it more expensive for them to get to work," says Abele. "Because if they're at $10-11/hr, then the first hour of work is paying for the ride there and back, and that is regressive.""

Thursday, October 6, 2016

Autosprawl draining America, car culture leaves people stranded

Transportation forum to focus on transit, highway alternatives: ""We want to show that there are a lot of local needs that are not being met," said Peter Skopec, director of WISPIRG. "There really isn't enough being done at the local level. Roads aren't being fixed. Bridges aren't being fixed."

Steiner said transportation alternatives will take on added importance as the elderly population is expected to nearly double over the next two to three decades.

"That's a lot of folks who will be probably unable to drive and will need to get to things like health care appointments or to the grocery store or even out and socializing," Steiner said. "Isolation is a huge issue for this aging population."

Van Maren said the forum is all the more relevant in light of the Department of Transportation's decision to focus on new pavement as the long-term solution to La Crosse's north-south transportation needs.

"It sort of plops right into this hole that's been created by the DOT," she said."

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Madison, Wisconsin, bus ridership up 40 percent in last 8 years

Channel3000.com: ""Ridership is up 40 percent in the last eight years because we make more efficient use of our bicycle ways, our trails, our lanes," Soglin said.
...
Paul Moore, a principal professional engineer for the consulting firm behind the master plan, said the plan is designed to help create a walkable, bikeable, transit-oriented city.

Madison has steadily made progress toward this goal. According to Moore, the work by the metro bus system and other larger entities like the University of Wisconsin-Madison has increased bus ridership in Madison since 2000."

Friday, September 30, 2016

Senior free pass cost $8 million a year. Ok. But how much did it save? No word on that.

Milwaukee County Executive Proposes Annual $60 Vehicle Registration Fee | Wisconsin Public Radio: "Abele is also recommending an end to free bus passes for the eligible seniors and people with disabilities. Under his plan they would pay a one-time $5 fee for a pass plus 25 cents per ride. He said over the past three years, the pass has caused a $12 million dollar deficit."
Do you want seniors on the highways? One fatal accident costs the government about $6 million. How many jams and fender benders were prevented? In the US, it is very hard to get the whole picture when it comes to public transit. But we can show that fare-free pays for itself. #freeischeaper

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Wisconsin #publictransit funding does not match needs

wisconsingazette : "Consider that the average Wisconsinite drove 500 fewer miles in 2010 than in 2004. Also, nationwide between 2001 and 2009, reliance on public transportation increased 40 percent among young people.

Yet, said Skopec, “there’s more and more evidence that the transit system is not serving many people in Wisconsin. The system has been set up for people who drive. … And local priorities aren’t being met.”"

Friday, August 26, 2016

The bill is due for #autosprawl, oops, nobody wants to pay it

Wisconsin has been taken over by the oil trolls. Now they are gridlocked and broke. And, of course, having the wrong debate. Public transportation actually returns more money than it costs. How? Simply account for the true costs of cars and sprawl. As these costs are reduced, even fare-free public transit is easy to pay for.
Wisconsin Public Radio: "Wisconsin's transportation budget is facing a $939 million shortfall in the next biennium. And, earlier this month, a Marquette University Law School Poll found a third of Wisconsin residents favor cutting road project funding – not adding to it."