Broadway is the center of the action in the Third Ward, it works for business, pedestrians, and even automobiles. But just across I-794 it is a wasteland of surface parking lots and empty storefronts. While there are surely numerous factors in place that have hurt the vitality of this street, an area that can be addressed by the city to make it more attractive to business is to improve the pedestrian environment. Specifically the section of Broadway between Wisconsin Ave. and I-794 is vital because by improving these few blocks it would knit together downtown and the Third Ward.

Improving this section of Broadway will not only improve connectivity for pedestrians, but automobiles as well. The first improvement to this block should be to make it a two-way street all the way into the Third Ward. This will immediately bring new traffic on to the street which will help to make it more desirable location for retail business. The second and more infrastructure intensive improvement would be to remove a travel lane to create a center island with street trees. Now this may on the surface seem like a radical change but it really isn’t all that different from what is seen on the other side of I-794. Further, by placing the trees in the center as opposed to in the more common location of the sidewalks, it will create a environment different than other blocks in East Town. This island would narrow the streets and create a visual appearance that encourages drivers to slow down. The reduced speeds and improved appearance would create a safer more enjoyable environment for pedestrians, which again would encourage more retail activity. Finally, as the trees mature they would act as a screen partially blocking out views of I-794, once again enhancing the appeal of the entire area. The combination of reducing lanes, creating the island, and making the street two-ways through to the Third Ward could help spark the redevelopment of this part of downtown Milwaukee.

Of course beyond completing this street additional measures such as a TIF may be required to encourage the redevelopment of surface lots that border Broadway between Michigan St. and I-794, but the street improvements would play a significant role in bringing retail back to Broadway.

To get an idea of what this change could look like, I’ve included a small gallery of photos of the Pioneer Square area of Seattle, WA as well as photos of the current shape of Broadway in Milwaukee.

With the recent news of the federal approval allowing the City of Milwaukee to move forward on a modern streetcar system we thought it would be good to see what one of these systems might look like. A comparable system to what is being proposed in Milwaukee is Seattle’s 2.6 mile South Lake Union Line which launched in 2007. A key factor that plays a role in the ridership levels of a system is the level of population density. Milwaukee’s population density of 6,214.7/sq mi compares closely with Seattle’s population density of 6,717.0/sq mi, and this level of support has allowed Seattle’s new line to serve more than 500,000 riders in its first year of operation exceeding the initial estimates. Although the Seattle line is slightly shorter than Mayor Barrett’s proposed route it has similar features in that it connects undeveloped areas near downtown to downtown with the goal of spurring economic development. Specifically the Denny Triangle is in an area of Seattle that although more developed than the Park East is in need of economic development and has apparently already seen development occur along the line.

To learn more about what may soon be coming to Milwaukee check out the video below: (If you have trouble viewing this video you can also see it on streetfilms)

Maybe in a few years we could have events like TRAMix. Check out the video below:

As the RTA inches closer and closer to reality in Milwaukee, what else is going on in transit elsewhere in the country?

The Twin Cities are heading into a budget deficit for transit operations that could result in fare hikes, it appears the mixed-mode (detailed in the article) funding source for transit is failing.  Ironically, it appears largely due to declining auto sales.  On the plus side though, things are moving ahead on the Northstar commuter rail line into Minneapolis.  The Twin Cities continue to impress with their vision of a true intermodal system.  They have light-rail connecting the Mall of America, the airport, and downtown Minneapolis, an expansive bus system, commuter rail under construction to connect northwest suburbs, and a proposed light rail line to link downtown St. Paul with downtown Minneapolis.  The new baseball stadium is even logically located at a hub on this network.

In Montana, they want to expand Empire Builder service using stimulus funds and start manufacturing more rail equipment there.  Probably not the best idea, the money would be better spent relocating Montana residents to more urban centers, expanding manufacturing capacity in those centers, and growing inter-city rail between nearby major cities.  Long-haul Amtrak routes are plagued by delays, are less cost-efficient, and don’t generate the kind of positive goodwill that the Hiawatha between Milwaukee and Chicago does.

All that said, rail service in Montana is a good idea (provided it connects population centers).  But the most important thing is that we build the most cost-effective routes first to generate momentum going forward (and one would guess they’re not in Montana, with a state population about the same as Milwaukee County).  That momentum will help reorient the country to using rail as a substitute for short-flights and inter-city driving.

In New York City weird things happen when street lights go out, traffic gets calmer.  Perhaps something more intersections in Milwaukee could use.

Also in New York City a coalition wants to tear down the Sheridan Expressway.  It’s recently been labeled “the worst highway in the nation.“  If they tear it down, hopefully they get the land deal structured better than we did in Milwaukee.

If you’re looking for a good article on cross-country train travel, GOOD Magazine has a great feature piece.  Please note the difference between inter-city rail, and cross-country, long-haul travel.

Seattle is struggling through potential transit cuts due to sales tax collection reductions.  This same problem has been rearing its head in other cities.  There hasn’t been much data that I’ve come across that indicates if these systems pushed too hard on the tax as a funding source (and didn’t leave enough in a rainy day fund), or if something else is at work.  What is known is that its the opposite of what we have seen here in Milwaukee, with collections rising despite the economy faltering.  Are people in the Midwest simply traveling less?  I’ll follow up on this in a future article.

In other news, maybe there is hope for Janesville, WI.  A former GM town in Indiana appears to be on the rebound.  I still think the best bet is to relocate the people to our urban cores, and not for the state to throw dollar after dollar into the dying city itself.

Information from the infosphere…

• Seattle mayor Greg Nickels is working on a plan that will encourage all city employees to use public transportation, by giving the free transit passes.  Milwaukee should get behind this.
• The Daily Reporter has a good look at the issues affecting the 27th Street ramp off of Interstate 94.
• Thrivent Financial for Lutherans has made a significant donation to promote the improvement of the Harambee neighborhood.  It would be great to see more companies jump on board to help the process along.
• Neal Peirce has a piece on the rebirth of rail as a well-traveled mode for inter-city movement.  He mentions how a leader is Frank Busalacchi, who ironically has been nothing but car happy in the past couple of years (failure of KRM funding source, expansion of I-94).
  • But state initiatives are also vital. Wisconsin Transportation Secretary Frank Busalacchi heads the "States for Passenger Rail Coalition" of 30 state transportation departments appealing for an 80-20 federal-state funding split to put some real steam behind rail expansion.
• The National Corridors Initiative is hosting a conference, "Carmichael Conference On The Future of American Transportation", in St. Louis discussing the promotion and expansion of inter-city rail travel in the United States.  I won’t be able to attend because of financial reasons (if you have $300 to pay for the conference and hotel, let me know), but look forward to seeing the results.  Inter-city transit is a huge boost for urban areas and Milwaukee could certainly use a boost with more linking with nearby Madison, Green Bay, Kenosha, and Racine.
• The Milwaukee Public Library system will no longer transfer movies, television shows, or music CDs around the system and to the suburban libraries in a move that will cut costs and allow the system to be open longer.  I would like to see the system only transfer the media within Milwaukee and not to the suburbs, as I think it gives more access for the people of Milwaukee, especially those that benefit from the free resources of the library most.  Unfortunately, the system has decided to go with an all or nothing route.  I am glad that they chose this route over closing the library earlier though, as I think libraries having longer hours are a great way to deter juvenile crime.
• An intelligent look at how individual route management might work in New York City and does work in Copenhagen.  MCTS could use something like this for areas of its system to improve service.  Bus design and management should certainly be different for routes that serve UWM and Marquette vs those that serve primarily the workforce.