Public transit ridership is peaking across the United States – some of the best numbers in more than half a century, driven by the popularity of light rail, are being recorded and reported.
Huge gains are being made in cities like Salt Lake City, where even in the reddest of red states, modern trains are moving happy, conservative, well-adjusted people around town.
But Milwaukee’s railophobics, ranging from Scott Walker, our County Exec, to regional rightist radio talkers, to Waukesha political leaders who derailed a two-county plan in the 90’s, have decided that Milwaukee must remain a light rail-free zone.
Now, mind you, AMTRAK is OK with that crowd because it serves upscale daily commuters to Chicago.
The Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee (KRM) commuter line is moving towards a long-delayed startup with Walker’s blessing – because it will deliver services to his suburban constituents.
But Milwaukee’s central city transit users: Let ’em ride the bus, Walker says, until they save enough money to buy a car.
And to Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett’s modest plan for a trolley loop in the city’s downtown? Walker just says, "No." Because that’s the talk radio mantra.
If that attitude is allowed to prevail, and if public policy is made by elected officials who toe the talk radio line, Milwaukee will remain less competitive with a growing number of US cities that can offer its residents, businesses and tourists modern, bright and appealing transit alternatives to buses.
James Rowen is a writer, a former reporter and a former mayoral staffer in both Madison and Milwaukee. He is the author of The Political Environment blog.
