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How Might Transit Programs Fare Under the Proposed Budget?

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As the fiscal year comes to a close, one of the biggest questions that remains is the fate of transportation funding.

Currently, the Wisconsin legislature has significant work to do with Governor Walker's proposed biennial budget, which plans to borrow hundreds of millions of dollars to pay for various highway projects. However, one program that this new budget affects especially are Wisconsin's transit programs. 

In Milwaukee, the worry that the budget may be tight comes at a time when Milwaukee is in the midst of a hopeful transit redevelopment scheme. One main project, called for by Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele, is a Bus Rapid Transit service, which would connect downtown with the growing Milwaukee Regional Medical Center.

This connection is critical for the job market to connect employers with potential employees who live in Milwaukee County. The current system is not efficient in bringing workers from Milwaukee County into the suburbs where employers are hungry for workers."There's a real understanding of the critical need to connect people with jobs," says Kerry Thomas. She is the executive director of the nonprofit organization MetroGo!.

"When we don't have efficient ways to get around and connect people, we are undermining our competitiveness," Thomas says.

Bus Rapid Transit service provides dedicated buses that run dedicated routes with dedicated stops, while utilizing an assortment of new improvements to increase bus efficiency. Some of those improvements include increasing distance between various stops, creating dedicated lanes for Rapid Transit to use, utilizing off-board fare collection and using a new technology called transit signal priority. All of which seems like major steps to take, until you begin to compare Milwaukee to other cities.

"Our peer cities... have all three levels of transit and we're really lacking," explains Joe Peterangelo, a senior researcher at the Public Policy Forum.

According to Joe Peterangelo, some improvements such as increasing distance between stops and creating dedicated bus lanes have shown improvements in the bus line's efficiency. These improvements are often not extremely expensive and thus can be done within an existing budget.

Although Bus Rapid Transit would solve many of the issues that the Milwaukee County Transit System faces, it is one of the most expensive solutions, especially at a time where budgetary concerns a reality. The new system would require additional funding from the government and the community.