Wisconsin Mayors Support Assembly Action on RTAs, Discuss Importance of Transit for Growing Wisconsin’s Economy

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New WISPIRG Foundation report finds enhanced public transportation prepares Wisconsin for the future

WISPIRG Foundation

(Madison, WI) – Wisconsin mayors and business leaders came together on Tuesday afternoon to tout the Regional Transit Authority (RTA) enabling legislation passed by the Assembly, to discuss the importance of enhanced public transportation networks to grow Wisconsin’s economy, and to urge the state Senate to keep the creation of RTAs moving forward in the budget.
 
Last week, the state Assembly approved a state budget that strengthened RTA provisions in the budget, enabling 4 regions to form RTAs, including parts of Dane County, southeastern Wisconsin, the Fox Cities region, and the Chippewa Valley.
 
Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and Appleton Mayor Tim Hanna along with business leaders hailed the economic growth, job creation potential and other benefits that RTAs and enhanced transit would provide Wisconsin communities.
 
“I support RTAs and believe that they will be at the forefront of linked cooperation and coordination that will be necessary for economic development not only in the City of Milwaukee, but throughout southeastern Wisconsin and the State,” said Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.
 
“There’s more work to do, but we are now well on our way to an expanded and truly regional public transit system and I urge the Senate to keep us on that path,” said Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz.  
 
Racine Mayor John Dickert added “A strong infrastructure is imperative to economic growth and that includes commuter rail and expanded bus services.”
 
Alongside the event, a new WISPIRG Foundation study was released examining specific opportunities for enhanced and expanded public transportation across the state and finding that such projects would save Wisconsinites money, boost the economy, and reduce oil consumption.
 
Key findings of the report, “Connecting Wisconsin: Public Transportation Projects for the 21st Century,” include:

·  In 2006, public transportation in Wisconsin saved approximately 700,000 gallons of oil, saving consumers more than $1.8 million at the pump.

·  Public transportation prevented more than one million hours of traffic delay – equivalent to about 25,000 work weeks – in the Milwaukee metropolitan area in 2006, saving the economy more than $23 million in wasted time and lost productivity.

·  More and more Wisconsin residents are choosing to take public transit rather than drive.  Outside Milwaukee, where severe service cuts have led to dropping ridership, transit ridership has continued to rise, increasing by 17 percent since 2001.

·  In 2008, ridership on the state’s transit lines jumped 1.8 percent compared to the year before, and vehicle travel dropped 3.9 percent.
 
“I believe that a regional transit authority is absolutely essential for the future economic growth of the greater Eau Claire metro area,” added Mike Huggins, Eau Claire City Manager.  “We cannot be successful in attracting the future educated and skilled labor force we will need unless our community is protective of the environment, committed to sustainability, and has an integrated transit system that can connect people, regardless of income or geography, with jobs and health care.”
 
With gas prices creeping upward once again, the study found that, over the last three decades, Wisconsin residents have driven more miles, become more dependent on oil, spent more time in traffic, and spent more money on transportation than in years past.  Automobile dependence is increasingly a drain on our economy, particularly during spikes in gasoline prices.
 
“Now is the time to build a world class public transportation system in Wisconsin,” said Bruce Speight of WISPIRG.  “Creating regional transit authorities allow our leaders to make smart transportation decisions that will grow our economy and create jobs in the short term—setting Wisconsin up to succeed in the future.”
 
Under Wisconsin’s cumbersome and antiquated rules, cities that provide transit must contract with one another and squeeze transit funding out of their general revenues, mainly from property taxes. The resulting unstable, underfunded transit cannot compete for federal construction dollars, and cannot provide sustainable service to its communities.  Many other states already have RTAs or similar mechanisms that provide governance and financial stability for transit across municipal boundaries.
 
“RTAs can help us come together to compete for transit dollars that are proven to grow our economy.  We urge the Senate to support their creation.  In the future, world-class cities and world-class economies will be the ones with modern transit systems feeding high-speed rail networks.  Wisconsin needs to catch that train or be left at the station,” concluded Speight.
 
There are dozens of worthy public transit improvements that would give Wisconsin residents alternatives to the rising cost of driving, reduce congestion by removing cars from the road, save oil and reduce pollution.  The report profiles ten public transportation projects, including the Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee (KRM) commuter rail project, the proposed Midwest Regional Rail Initiative and other bus and rail projects, which could better prepare Wisconsin to meet the challenges of the 21st century.