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January 24, 2012 by

MetroEXpress routes a mixed blessing

We’ve been crunching the numbers on the new schedules here at the Milwaukee Transit Riders Union, comparing them with he current schedules to see how riders will fare under the new MetroEXpress service to go into effect Sunday.

We’ve got mixed results. The BlueLine (Fond du Lac/National) will run 0-16% faster between Downtown and 60th/Congress – a big step up considering that they are not doing any transit-priority road work such as bus lanes or traffic signal priority (buses canbe equipped with transponders that ‘hold’ green lights for them.) The biggest improvement is during the afternoon rush. This is good news for Route 23 riders we have talked to who have expressed concerns about slow travel times and bus bunching during the afternoons.

The RedLine (Capitol Drive) will run 0-12% faster than the current Route 62. The biggest improvements are during the early morning and afternoon rush periods. This probably has to do with the schools along Capitol Drive. There are four large high schools that are served by Route 62. With the introduction of express service along Capitol Drive, the crowding and schedule problems associated with transporting such a large number of students on one bus route shoud be alleviated.

The GreenLine, however, will actually run slower than the current Route 15 from Downtown to Bayshore by 0-27%. The biggest increases are at 6:00am and after 8:00pm in the evening. There is no change in travel time during the evening rush and a 7.5% increase for northbound trips during the morning rush. We have contacted the Milwaukee County Transit System Scheduling Department regarding these slower trip times and have been informed that this is because the 15 schedule was “inaccurate”. With approximately a dozen stops between Bayshore and Wisconsin Avenue being eliminated, we would hope that this express route, billed as a faster service compared to the current Route 15, would actually function as such.

Riders have asked us: Why are all these changes happening, especially to the busiest routes?  I would like to take this opportunity to let anyone unaware of the situation know. After Governor Walker slashed state aid to the bus system by 10% this left the transit system in a budget crisis. State aid accounts for 42% of MCTS’s budget – it is the biggest source of revenue for the bus system, followed by passenger fares and county property taxes. With the transit sales tax stalled at the state level and unlikely to be advanced in the near future, we embarked on a dedicated funding campaign around the Vehicle Registration Fee, which is lower in Wisconsin than most midwest states and does not require any action from the State. We are reevaluating this idea in the face of pending state legislation undermining local control of the VRF and the award of Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) funds to fill the budget hole.

There is a catch with the CMAQ program: the money can only be used to start new routes. This is why the transit system is reducing local service (which is funded by the county) and in many areas, replacing it with the new express service (funded with CMAQ).

The other catch is that this money expires after two years – leaving us back at square one if we do not change the way that the bus system is funded.

We will be talking to bus riders again this Saturday. Join us as we talk to bus riders about the upcoming service changes and get their opinions. We will meet at noon at Stone Creek in the Grand Avenue Mall – in the skyway over 2nd Street. We will warm up with a cup of coffee and then hit the bus stops to talk with bus riders and hear what they have to say about the changes.

Get to the mall on bus routes: 10, 12, 14, 18, 19, 23, 30 and 31.
Routes 14 & 23 stop at 2nd/Wisconsin going east.
Routes 10(Detour), 18, 19 & 30(Detour) stop at 2nd/Wisconsin going south.
Routes 12, 14, 23 & 31 stop at 2nd/Wisconsin going west.
Routes 12 & 31 stop at 3rd/Wisconsin going east.
Routes 10 & 30 stop on Plankinton/Wisconsin going east.

Walk down 2nd to the skyway and crosswalk and enter the Plankinton Building (east side of the street). Take the elevator up to the 2nd floor and enter the skyway.

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January 12, 2012 by

Upcoming changes to Milwaukee bus service

On January 29, 2012 there will be several changes to how us bus riders get around in Milwaukee.

Riders of Routes 11, 15, 18, 23 and 62 will have to make some adjustments to how they get around. New color coded express routes are being introduced as part of a complicated move by MCTS to stave off service cuts by replacing busy local service with new express bus routes funded with federal money.

Why is this happening?
In his 2011-2013 budget, Governor Scott Walker slashed the amount of money that the Milwaukee County Transit System gets each year from the State of Wisconsin. As a result of this cut and limitations on how communities can raise more money, the bus system was planning on cutting about 20% of service. This is why we were pushing for a Vehicle Registration Fee to fund transit; it would have raised enough money to keep the system intact and it does not require any approval from the State legislature or Governor.

Ultimately, County Executive Chris Abele applied for a Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) grant to fill the hole in MCTS’s budget. The catch: CMAQ funds can only be used for brand new service. CMAQ funds can not be used to keep current routes running. The solution? Create express routes out of the busiest routes in the system. Eliminate most or all of the current local service along the current routes 11, 15, 18 & 23 and use the money saved (or ‘freed up’) to keep the other routes running.

What is changing?
MCTS has released a special issue of BusLines with the maps of the new routes included. The route changes are as follows:

Route 11 Holton-Greenfield/Howell

  • ELIMINATED
  • Holton branch becomes part of Route 15
  • Greenfield branch becomes part of a new Route 56
  • Howell branch becomes part of the limited stop GreenLine MetroEXpress
  • Service to Centennial Plaza (43rd/Lincoln) and the Bolivar-Pine-Layton loop is eliminated

Route 15 Oakland-Kinnickinnic

  • RENAMED: 15 Holton-Kinnickinnic
  • Current 15 service north of 1st/Pittsburgh becomes part of the limited stop GreenLine MetroEXpress
  • Will operate via the current Holton branch of Rt. 11 to Bayshore
  • Clement-Pennsylvania-15th Av branch becomes Route 52 (evening and night service is eliminated)
  • All trips will operate via 5th Av-Columbia to Chicago/Drexel

Route 18 National-Greenfield

  • ELIMINATED
  • Service east of 70th/Greenfield becomes part of Route 23
  • 124th via Greenfield branch becomes part of the new Route 56
  • National branch becomes part of Rt. 54. Service on S. 92nd is eliminated

Route 23 Fond du Lac Avenue

  • RENAMED: 23 Fond du Lac-National
  • Mill via 64th branch becomes part of BlueLine MetroEXpress
  • Service east of 2nd on Wisconsin is eliminated
  • Takes on current Route 18 between Wisconsin and 70th/Greenfield

Route 62 Capitol Drive

  • Service east of Humboldt becomes part of RedLine MetroEXpress
  • Service west of 76th becomes part of RedLine MetroEXpress

Route 63 Silver Spring Drive

  • RENAMED: 63 Silver Spring-Port Washington
  • Takes on the part of the current Route 68 between Bayshore and Glencoe (Green Tree-Lake Drive-Brown Deer segment is eliminated)

Route 68 Port Washington Road

  • ELIMINATED
  • Current segment between Bayshore and Glencoe becomes part of Rt. 63
  • Current segment between Bayshore and Capitol becomes part of Rt. 15
  • Service on Port Washington between Keefe and Capitol is eliminated
  • Service on the Green Tree-Lake Drive-Brown Deer loop is eliminated

New routes

  • GreenLine MetroEXpress – Limited stop route comprised of the current Rt. 15 north of Pittsburgh and current Rt. 11 south of Pittsburgh with an extension to the Airport
  • BlueLine MetroEXpress – Limited stop route comprised of the current Route 23 Mill Road – 64th Street and current Route 18 east of 70th
  • RedLine MetroEXpress – Limited stop route comprised of the current Route 62
  • Route 52 Clement-15th Avenue – Limited service route comprised of the current Route 15 Clement-Pennsylvania-15th Av branch. Set to operate seven days a week, mornings, mid-days and afternoons. Service after approximately 6:00pm is eliminated
  • Route 56 Greenfield Avenue – Regular route running between 1st/Michell and 124th/Greenfield via 1st-Greenfield-43rd-Burnham-60th-Greenfield

Will this improve service?
It depends on where you are. These routes were designed with the purpose of saving money and riders had no ability to weigh in on the designs. Some residential areas will have no local bus service and bus riders will have to walk several blocks to catch a bus. On the other hand, the limited stop service may benefit commuters traveling from the central city to outlying areas by decreasing their travel time. Time will tell whether or not the MetroEXpress service is successful in shortening trip times, however bus riders should take note that the money funding this service is temporary and will expire in two years.

Getting dedicated funding for the transit system is as important now as ever
The CMAQ grants that funded his service are meant as start-up assistance for new routes. These particular grants run out in two years, at which point the County will be expected to fund the service. If we do not get the transit system off of the property tax, we face the loss of this service once this money runs out, or even the loss of other routes before that time due to rising fuel prices and declining home values in Milwaukee County.

This year, the Milwaukee Transit Riders Union will be renewing it’s push for dedicated funding wih more energy than before. As bus riders, it is essential that we be heard on policy and funding matters for the transit system. We need to be part of this, as we know the bus system, we ride the bus system and we are the most affected when services are cut.

On Saturday January 28, 2012 at 12:00pm we will be hitting the streets of Downtown Milwaukee to inform bus riders of the changes, listen to their concerns and pass out information. If you would like to join us, let us know.

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February 13, 2011 by

Fact-checking Abele on transit

Milwaukee County Executive Candidate Chris Abele has largely avoided making definite statements on what he would like to do if Milwaukee County voters give him the opportunity to serve as County Executive, but he has emerged as hostile towards fixing Milwaukee County Transit System funding.

Abele has said “Tax increases are the first instinct of career politicians.”, although this solution did not come from a career politician. The transit sales tax was passed in 2008  by a grassroots effort known as the Quality of Life Alliance. The Milwaukee Transit Riders Union was a member of the Alliance, which pooled the resources of member groups to publicize and educate the public about the referendum and how it would save vital services (transit, parks, emergency medical services) while cutting property taxes. The referendum was to shift these services from being funded from the property tax to being funded by a sales tax. The property tax levy was to be cut by the same amount, so this wasn’t a tax increase either. The referendum was passed by Milwaukee County voters.

Abele wen further to say that instead of a dedicated funding source, the Milwaukee County Transit System needed to be run more efficiently. We believe firmly in an efficiently run transit system, but as long as the funding mechanism is broken the bus system will not be able to be run effecively. Milwaukee has the last major transit system in America still funded by property taxes. Other cities stop using property taxes to fund public transit decades ago.

Abele’s claims that increased efficiency are a substitute for a stable funding source are disingenuous. The 2011 transit budget is $150 million. Any cuts from MCTS management and clerical services and staffing would be minimal. In fact, the Milwaukee County Transit System has the lowest percentage of administration employees of all of it’s peer transit systems. MCTS also has one of the nation’s highest farebox return ratios in the country, meaning that fares fund a larger share of the budget than most other transit systems. The Public Policy Forum has the following to say about the efficiency of the Milwaukee County Transit System:

The cost effectiveness of MCTS buses was best among peer systems in 2006 based on data
from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and the Federal Transit Administration,
indicating that further cost savings due to efficiency improvements may be limited.

The Milwaukee County Transit System is a vital service to the community and we need real solutions to it’s funding problems rather than such blatant political posturing.

Reminder:
There will be a primary election for Milwaukee County Executive on Tuesday February 15, 2011. For any additional information call the Milwaukee Election Commission at (414) 286-VOTE.

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February 12, 2011 by

MCTS to split up Route 23

Since December 2010, the Milwaukee County Transit System has been proposing splitting up Route 23 Fond du Lac Avenue on the northwest side. This plan has been finalized by the Milwaukee County Board’s Transportation, Public Works and Transit Committee and will proceed on March 27, 2011.

The plan calls for turning the segments of Route 23 that serve northwest side industrial parks into a new Route 223. The segments were created in 2004 when Route 101 Silver Mill-Park Place Shuttle and Route 102 West Loop Shuttle were eliminated as a cost-cutting measure. The Mill Road Transit Center at 76th/Mill was also closed.

It seems strange that MCTS is taking a segment of existing service and branding it as a new route. According to an article about the change produced by the bus system the route is being ‘created’ to ‘serve businesses’. On the other hand, a report from the Managing Director of the bus system to the Transit committee says that the current Route 23 is hard to manage and requested the route.

The real threat here is that the full-service ends of this route, at Vincent High School and at 107th/Fond du Lac will be redesignated as Route 223 and be reduced to limited service. Scott Walker has attempted to eliminate these parts of Route 23 in the 2008 County Budget.

The 91st Street branch of Route 23 has full service up to Vincent High School at Granville/Calumet. The Mill Road branch has full service up to 107th/Fond du Lac, where a sizable, transit dependant residential district is.

Little has been released about the changes yet. We will publish updates soon.

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