transportation

For years, elected officials and business leaders have been saying there was a disconnect between getting people who need jobs in Milwaukee to where the available jobs are in areas such as Waukesha County.

The JobLines bus route was supposed to fix that issue. However, by the end of this August, the portion of that line that goes into Waukesha County will end. 

READ: As Milwaukee's JobLines Service Ends, What's Next?

The JobLines bus route into Waukesha County is ending after Saturday. It’s Route 57, which goes from downtown Milwaukee and stops in Menomonee Falls and Germantown. The line gives people access to jobs at places like Walmart, Target, Home Depot and many fast-food restaurants in Waukesha County.

But after Saturday, the 57 will only run within Milwaukee County.

READ: As Milwaukee's JobLines Service Ends, What's Next? 

This week, Lake Effect is exploring the end of the Milwaukee County Transit System's JobLines. Route 57 ends service this Saturday. The JobLines was put into place to transport workers from Milwaukee to jobs in Waukesha County. But this is far from the first route that has helped people travel between counties.

READ: As Milwaukee's JobLines Service Ends, What's Next?

On Saturday Aug. 24, the last JobLines bus will cease operations. While Route 57 will still operate in Milwaukee County, it'll no longer cross the county line into Waukesha. Meanwhile, Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) is facing a large budget shortfall and is looking to shut down even more routes than the remaining JobLine to balance a nearly $6 million deficit for 2019.

Updated on Aug. 5 at 10:15 a.m.

It’s been about a week since 500 Lime scooters legally emerged on Milwaukee streets as part of a Dockless Scooter Pilot Study. City officials report more than 100 complaints about improper scooter use in the first week of the pilot program.

There is an epidemic of reckless driving in Milwaukee. Drivers have been blowing through stop signs, weaving through traffic, and passing in bike lanes — and law enforcement has been cracking down on this behavior.

But there are many solutions to reckless driving, which can include redesigning streets to encourage better driving behaviors. These redesigns are frequently referred to as “road diets,” and they are shown to decrease accidents and reduce the fatalities in crashes. 

Milwaukee has faced devastating road range incidents this summer. In two of the most extreme incidents, drivers opened fire on cars with children, killing a 3-year-old and wounding a 5-year-old. As a result, community members and officials alike are seeking to understand how these road rage incidents happen.

So, why do people react with rage in their cars?

Stand-up electric scooters are back in Milwaukee, after about a year-long hiatus. This time, they’re hitting the streets in a framework approved by city leaders. The company Lime has rolled out 500 scooters in various neighborhoods this week, as part of a pilot program.

Driving in Milwaukee can be a harrowing experience. From people whipping by passing in bike and bus lanes to people blowing through red lights.

On Monday, city leaders announced a new program aimed at ending reckless driving. The public-private pilot program is being made possible by donations from private companies.

READ: City Of Milwaukee & Milwaukee County Join Forces To Tackle Reckless Driving

Deadly accidents and major traffic delays have troubled the Interstate 94 reconstruction project south of Milwaukee. At least one trucker blames his fellow drivers. But others want a closer look at the design of the freeway project.

The project is adding a fourth lane each way, partly for the Foxconn factory promised to be built in Racine County. But some motorists who travel that stretch of I-94 say they're concerned about their safety.

Reckless driving is a problem in a lot of places, especially the city of Milwaukee.

The city and the county have teamed up to tackle the issue. On Monday, the task force looking at the issue held another meeting. 

The number of fatalities due to car accidents is down, according to the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD). But driving around the city can sometimes feel like a harrowing experience: people speeding by in the bike lane on the right, running red lights, and sometimes even people driving in the lane of oncoming traffic attempting to speed by you.

As Milwaukee embarks on its plan to extend its streetcar line, the Milwaukee County Transit System is facing a big budget shortfall: a possible 10% cut in service.

At the same time, funding has run out for the county’s last remaining jobline — the 57 bus route, which stretches from Milwaukee into Waukesha County. These potential cuts stand in stark contrast with plans laid out by the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC or Sewer Pack).

Updated on June 7

Thursday night, the state Legislature's budget committee approved $35 million for expanding Amtrak Hiawatha train service between Milwaukee and Chicago. But the panel nixed spending an additional $10 million for a second daily Empire Builder passenger train across Wisconsin to the Twin Cities.

A series of metal sculptures taking shape in Milwaukee's Menomonee Valley honors the men and women who worked at a now-lost transportation giant. The "People of the Road” monument is a tribute to the thousands who labored for a passenger and freight-rail service best known as the Milwaukee Road.