Dear Friends:
Earlier this week the Connector Study Committee voted overwhelmingly to launch a formal review of my Comprehensive Transit Strategy for Milwaukee. This was an important first step toward implementing a unified transportation vision for our region, and I am pleased to see my plan move forward.
Milwaukee relies on public transportation to get to work, go to school and travel around our community. Twenty-three percent of residents in the City of Milwaukee do not own a car, nor do 62,000 households across Milwaukee County.
In fact, someone boards a Milwaukee County Transit System bus 150,000 times each and every day.
Yet despite the fact that thousands across Milwaukee rely on public transportation, our current transit system is on the brink. The County bus system has fallen victim to route cuts or fare increases – or in some cases both – in each of the past six years. At the same time the Milwaukee County Transit System’s reserve fund will be exhausted by 2009 if we stay on our present course.
Because of these glaring deficiencies, the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission recently highlighted two serious service problems with the County bus system:
Inadequate frequency of service
During peak travel times, like rush hour during the workweek for example, more than 70% of the entire population and more than 60% of the jobs in the County are served by routes where the wait time between bus arrivals is 10 minutes or more.
These long intervals between bus service makes the system inconvenient, closing off job opportunities in other parts of the City to those looking for work, and discouraging riders from enjoying Milwaukee’s many attractions.
Lengthy transit times
Imagine a five minute car ride taking nearly half an hour. That’s the reality County transit riders face today, with bus travel taking at least two to four times longer than automobile travel times.
The main factor contributing to these lengthy travel times is a lack of modernity – the County system lacks system management tools like reserved lanes, signal priority and express timing that accelerate travel times.
A new transportation vision
Now is the time to introduce a new vision for transportation in Milwaukee that will keep our system strong. That is why I have introduced my Comprehensive Transit Strategy for Milwaukee.
This vision introduces COMET (Connecting Milwaukee Express Transit)– a state-of-the-art rapid express bus system with modern management tools. COMET will link Milwaukee’s primary economic arteries and entertainment attractions quickly, efficiently, and with greater frequency.
These express buses will connect with regional commuter rail, Amtrak lines, a new downtown circulator and existing bus routes to build a broad, fully integrated system. This new vision promises to create jobs, meet the various demands of different users and provide seamless connectivity for the greater Milwaukee area.
I encourage you to study my Comprehensive Transit Strategy for Milwaukee in more detail by clicking this link.
http://www.mkedcd.org/ebulletin/transit
Simply saying "No" is not a responsible transportation policy. By strengthening the existing system and attracting new riders, my plan promises to move Milwaukee’s public transit system forward for the benefit of our City and our region.
Tom Barrett
Mayor
