MCTS Bus

The previously announced new express bus service from the Milwaukee County Transit System, MetroEXpress, has likely made its impending arrival to regular riders with signs posted on affected bus stops all over Milwaukee County. MCTS has just recently released the full list of stops for the MetroEXpress routes and other affected routes.

You can find the complete list on the page dedicated to the impending change at MCTS’s website. Please keep in mind the new services goes into place on January 29th, 2012.

The Moderne

As the US economy continued its slow recovery from the Great Recession, Milwaukee was left with a couple of failed development projects to complete, a changing real estate market, the opportunity to make small infrastructure changes, and questions about the future of transit.  In 2011, some of these ‘failed projects’ moved towards becoming successes, while the developers in town shifted from condominium development to apartments and hotels.  Small changes to the built environment came in the form of new bike infrastructure, and the conversion of streets to two-way traffic.  Although the Milwaukee County Transit System once again faced budget cuts, there was movement in bringing new modern transit service to Milwaukee in the form of express busing.

First Place on the River, Park Lafayette, and The Residences on Water all ended up in serious financial trouble, and in some cases in drawn out legal battles.  Park Lafayette, which had been considered by many a failure, became a turnaround success under the guidance of the Mandel Group in 2011 as it was converted from high-end condos to luxury apartments, and today it is 93% occupied.  Equally as impressive of a turnaround story is The Point on the River (formally First Place on the River).  The developer had run out of funding, and once the lending bank took over they brought in the  Mandel Group to complete the project.  Ever since, Mandel Group and Garrison Partners have been steadily selling units in the project, and while there were over 45 units available this time last year there are only 11 available for sale today.  The one significant project that has yet to be resolved is The Residences on Water, but signs indicate that the drawn out legal battle surrounding it is coming to a close.

The apartment market saw continued development through a strong reliance on WHEDA tax credits and other forms of  government financing (due to the weakened financial industry).  The construction of the Beerline B Apartments, which is being funded with WHEDA tax credits, nears completion.  Another WHEDA funded project, the 73-unit National City Lofts in Walker’s Point, began accepting tenants in October.  Although Mercy Housing Lakefront’s East Side apartment proposal received various city approvals, and appeared on the verge of moving forward, it failed to obtain WHEDA tax credits to support the funding of the project.  The second phase of The North End development, which will include two buildings and 155-units, gained approval for a $4.6 million loan from the City of Milwaukee and will utilize $26.9 million in WHEDA bonding to construct the project.  The most visible development in 2011 has been the construction of  the 30-story 203-unit apartment building, The Moderne.  It was financed with a $42.4 million loan from the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust (HIT), a $9.3 million loan by the City of Milwaukee, and $5 million private equity, and expects to be topping off in early 2012.

Hotel development became a hot area of development and controversy in 2011.  The controversial Marriott Hotel project was approved by the city, and in part because of the debate more of the historic buildings than originally proposed will be saved.  Unlike the Marriott project, two other downtown hotels are being developed within historic structures without significant demolition.  A proposal that would develop a Hilton Gardens Hotel within the Historic Loyalty Building in downtown Milwaukee worked through legal issues allowing for construction to get underway.  At The Brewery, Gorman & Company has started the redevelopment of the former brewhouse building into a boutique hotel.

Alterra's On-Street Bicycle Corral

The built environment saw small, but important improvements in 2011.  Wells Street was finally converted to two-way traffic and carmaggedon didn’t follow.  The streetscaping of Broadway in the Historic Third Ward, which will tie the district together, is finally being completed.  Bay View saw Milwaukee’s first raised bike lane built, and on-street bike corrals began popping up on streets around the East Side.  S. 2nd Street, in Walker’s Point, re-opened with the new street redesign, and quickly saw numerous establishments add cafe seating, and a the construction of a new building, the Milwaukee Fix, get underway.

Transit both made steps forward and steps backwards in 2011.  As we believed would happen, cuts to mass transit funding were deep at the state level, and threatened to push MCTS off the cliff.  Although new County Executive Chris Abele worked to maintain transit service by converting some routes to express routes to save money, this still represented a net reduction in service.  At the same time, the Milwaukee Streetcar project was approved by the Common Council on a 10-5 vote this year and has now proceeded into final engineering.  Though as we feared a challenge is being made to Milwaukee’s local control.  Brett Healy, of Oconomowoc, has petitioned the Public Service Commission to rule that, despite local ordinance, the City of Milwaukee must pay the cost to re-locate utilities operating in the public rights-of-way necessitated by the streetcar construction.

In 2011 Milwaukee continued to face a difficult financial and political environment, but managed to move forward on improvements to the built environment, transit, and many significant development projects.

MCTS will use existing buses to service the new routes

The Milwaukee County Transit System has unveiled a name for the new express service, and for the three new express routes. The express service will be known as MetroEXpress, and will begin service January 29th, 2012.

The Bayshore to Airport express service will be known as GreenEXpress GreenLine. The Fond du Lac – National express service will be branded BlueEXpress BlueLine. The Capitol Drive express service will be known as RedEXpress RedLine.

The final routes will follow closely what was initially proposed in the face of the substantial state funding reduction (and the CMAQ funded two-year bailout).

The new service will operate with existing MCTS buses, and does not include any vehicle branding at this point beyond the name being digitally displayed on the signage. Service will stop approximately every 1/4 of a mile, compared to the current 1/8 mile standard MCTS service follows.

In addition to the new service, MCTS is restructuring a number of other routes, and adding a handful of new routes. All of the details can be found in the links above, which point to PDF maps of each of the new routes.

Of note compared to prior maps of the routes, MCTS has changed the new route 56 (replacing much of Routes 11 and 18). Instead of continuing straight west on W. Greenfield Avenue from 1st to 124th, the route will turn south on the Miller Park Way, where service was previously proposed to be discontinued. It will follow Miller Park Way to Burnham Street, and Burnham to 60th Street, where it will head north to rejoin Greenfield Avenue.

In addition, the northern end of the new Route 52 (servicing a branch of Route 15) has been extended with the route continuing north to Mitchell Street instead of terminating at Lincoln Avenue and Kinnickinnic Avenue.

As noted in a previous article, this new service will not cost any more than existing service to ride.

For a much greater background on the new express service, MetroEXpress, please see our previous article “Introducing the Bayshore – Airport Express Bus Service“. MCTS has also published a page containing information on the upcoming service changes.

UPDATE: I left out information on headways and service hours when I originally published this article, they will begin as follows.

RedEXpress (Capitol Drive)

• Service will operate roughly 4:30 am to 12:30 am, seven days a week
• Frequency – Weekday: 15-20 minutes, Saturday: 25-30 minutes & Sunday: 25-30 minutes

BlueEXpress (Fond du Lac-National)

• Service will operate roughly 4:30 am to 2:00 am, seven days a week
• Frequency – Weekday: 15-30 minutes, Saturday: 30-45 minutes & Sunday: 30-45 minutes

GreenEXpress (Bayshore-Airport)

• Service will operate roughly 4:30 am to 2:00 am, seven days a week
• Frequency – Weekday: 10-15 minutes, Saturday: 20-25 minutes & Sunday: 25-30 minutes

RedEXpress & Route 62 combined frequency

• Weekday: 15-20 minutes; Saturday: 10-15 minutes & Sunday: 10-20 minutes

BlueEXpress & Route 23 combined frequency

• Weekday: 10-15 minutes; Saturday 15-20 minute & Sunday 15-20

 UPDATE 2: I have been notified by MCTS that the individual lines will be updated to be known as the GreenLine, BlueLine, and RedLine.

Wisconsin Avenue Today from Google Maps

Today, Wisconsin Avenue includes two lanes in each direction as it crosses the Marquette University campus. In addition, it includes wide sidewalks, a sizable, attractively landscaped median complete with Marquette branding, and curb space for bus stops and parking. At the time of the proposal, Wisconsin Avenue had three lanes of traffic in each direction, which enabled traffic to speed through the Marquette campus. It also lacked the wider sidewalks, and only had a small median complete with run-of-the-mill street lights. It was far from a grand avenue, and did little to make the campus seem worthy of one’s attention. Wells and State streets were also a one-way street at the time (they were converted to two-way traffic from 11th to 27th streets in 2004), further painting the campus as a mere pass-through on the way in-and-out of downtown.

In April of 1994 at the direction of the Common Council, the City Engineer coordinated a study (see: Footnote 1) of the impacts of the proposed closures, primarily on the existing transportation system. The report contains three alternatives for handling the displaced traffic, No Build, Alternate Route, and Tunnel. Ultimately, the Common Council adopted none of these plans, but for the sake of debate let’s examine them.

Background

The study includes a large amount of data, the most important of which I have attempted to include  in the scanned images shown below in the photo gallery. Of note, the closure of Wisconsin Avenue would have not only directly impact more than 22,000 vehicles per day that used the very stretch at that time, but 1,081 bus trips, totaling 17% of MCTS’s total buses in operation at the time, and approximately 22,000 daily riders.

Given the odd path the proposal took through the Common Council, and how divided the community was on the issue, there are a substantial number of articles available in the Google News archives about the topic.

Of interest, at one point covering Interstate 43 with a plaza was discussed as part of the plan. Something we’ve discussed in the past.

No Build

The No Build alternative was merely that. Close the streets to vehicular traffic at a cost of $212,000, and not provide a new thoroughfare. Buses were anticipated to be rerouted down to Clybourn Street, with an anticipated loss of 416,300 rides a year for an annual impact of $1,109,100 to MCTS. The City was expected to lose $58,600 annually. Most significant, traffic was expected to climb on Wells Street by over 30%, and on Clybourn St by nearly 60%.

This option clearly would have been the cheapest when considering the capital costs of implementing it, but it likely would have produced highly undesirable results. The additional roadways would have seen a significant increase in traffic, which would have made them nearly as bad to cross as Wisconsin Avenue was at the time (and arguably defeated the purpose of the closure). In addition, the closures would have made it more difficult to access the campus, especially given that there was no plan to convert Wells Street to two-way traffic with this alternative. Confusion to general motorists as to why a street abruptly terminated would have been a persistent cause of backups.

Tunnel

The proposed Wisconsin Avenue tunnel with the closed Wisconsin Avenue above.

I can’t imagine a tunnel was ever a serious consideration, and digging through the archives of the Journal and Sentinel seem to confirm this. Never the less, the plan called for $30,070,000 to be expended for the construction of the tunnel as well as sewer and water infrastructure relocation. Not budgeted was relocation of utilities from the Wisconsin Gas Company, Wisconsin Electric Power Company, and Ameritech. Who would have been liable for the utility relocation if the tunnel was built? Your guess is as good as mine, but it bears a bit of similarity to the current debate over the utilities and the Milwaukee Streetcar, as well as a major road project that occurred next door and required millions in utility relocation expenses, the Marquette Interchange. While providing a vehicle-free street to those above, the tunnel was expected to cost the City $46,400 annually in lost revenue and operating/maintenance costs, as well as having caused MCTS to lose 93,275 rides a year for an annual impact of $176,550.

Why this option was studied is unclear, because I can’t imagine a single scenario where Marquette, the City of Milwaukee, or the State of Wisconsin would have paid for this. Ironically, there were formerly tunnels under Wisconsin Avenue, but they were for pedestrians. They were in place from the 1930′s to the early 1970′s and were ultimately closed because of safety concerns.

While this option may have had the smallest impact on the city as a whole by still allowing traffic to flow in a near grid-like fashion through the area, I think it ultimately may have impeded access to the center of Marquette’s campus by forcing those coming by car, bus, or, at the time proposed, light rail to enter from the outside, instead of allowing street grid access to the heart of the campus today. All that in addition to the fact that the money just wasn’t there for this option.

Alternate Route

Long Diagonal Connector - Recommend Alternative

Multiple alternate routing options were studied, including a busway along Wells Street and a Short Diagonal Connector. Given that the Long Diagonal Connector with a two-way Wells Street was the recommendation of the study I will stick with discussing that. The Long Diagonal Connector was recommended because it had the smallest impact on traffic of all of the options proposed, while actually staying financially feasible, unlike the tunnel.

The Long Diagonal Connector would have pleased motorists greatly over the no-build option. It would have included the acquisition of property for a new roadway that connected West Wisconsin Avenue with Clybourn Street between 16th and 18th streets, allowing smooth access around the campus. It seems likely there would have be a great amount of political pressure applied to ensure this proposed road would be as free-flowing as possible, which in the long-run would have made Marquette seem like an island in the city by discouraging development facing it.

An additional part of the recommendation was to convert Wells Street into a two-way street from 10th or 11th to 16th or 17th streets, something that ultimately would not happen until State and Wells were both converted in 2004.

The diagonal street would have required the acquisition and demolition of buildings and parking lots, removing them from the tax-base, and no doubt influencing how and where Marquette has developed many of its recent campus additions.

The cost to build the Long Diagonal Connector and Two-Way Wells Street was estimated to be $9,840,000, with annual costs to the city of $82,900. The annual impact to MCTS was estimated to be $777,200, with a loss of 209,150 rides.

Conclusion

It’s easy to understand how the closure of Wisconsin Avenue might have seemed logical on the surface in the early 1990′s (see: Footnote 2). Wisconsin Avenue was a six-lane road, the university was struggling, the stigma of Dahmer hung over the campus (and city), Wells and State were one-way highways, and many of the new buildings along Wisconsin Avenue weren’t even on the drawing boards (Zilber Hall, Engineering Hall, the Blood Center, etc., etc.). Wisconsin Avenue was essentially a surface highway through the Marquette campus.

The proposal was sent back and forth from the full Common Council to committee multiple times, ultimately failing. At one point then-Mayor John Norquist offered his input publicly on the issue, but although his suggestions mirror how the configuration is today, even his suggestions were ignored for years.

The Avenue Commons proposal came down to one alderman in the end, with southside Alderman Robert Anderson changing his likely vote from a yes (which he voted in committee) to a no. He did so apparently at the suggestion of his wife, which angered some in the community. I’m pretty certain Anderson didn’t envision Wisconsin Avenue and Marquette interacting as they do today, but his change of heart has led to Marquette becoming a school that is well integrated into the city, and a far greater asset than it was before the proposal.

Street closures are generally a bad idea, the street grid exists to provide predictable, easy transportation for all vehicle types. Cutting off one piece not only makes that area harder to access, but increases stress on other areas of the grid. Couple that overarching philosophy with the street grids challenges near Marquette, including the vast amount of one-way streets, a number of abruptly terminating streets because of the hospital and campus, and the overwhelming barrier Interstates 43 and 94 create (and the lack of bridges that cross them), and it’s clear that closing that small stretch of Wisconsin Avenue would have seriously impeded the flow of thousands of bus riders and drivers.

It took time, until the Marquette University Campus Identity and Beautification was executed in the early 2000′s, but Marquette eventually got it right. Wisconsin Avenue is now the front-door to the campus, and an asset to the city. The street has been tweaked ever so slightly to remove a driving lane and calm traffic, streetscaping in the median has made clearly defined areas for pedestrian crossing making it safer for pedestrians and drivers, and signage has been installed to proclaim to all who cross that you are entering the Marquette campus, or rather “We Are. Marquette.”

Footnote 1 – For those interested, this report can be found at the Milwaukee Public Library. It is titled “Proposed West Wisconsin Avenue Closure – Feasibility, Cost, and Neighborhood Impact Report”. Some of the more wonk-ish reading you will ever do, but you might find it enjoyable. The scans presented in this article are from it.

Footnote 2 – The Milwaukee Sentinel (prior to the merger with the Journal) Editorial Board wrote a number of editorials endorsing the plan. They include (but aren’t limited to) editorials on April 18th, 1994, June 23rd, 1994, August 17th, 1994

MCTS services changes as a result of proposed Bayshore - Airport Express

The meeting, held at the Bay View Library, was focused primarily on the changes that would occur to existing south side service (Routes 11 and 15) as a result of the new service. The meeting was led primarily by Thomas Winter, Director of Schedule and Planning at MCTS, who guided the audience through the key points of the proposed Bayshore – Airport Express route, as well as changes to existing routes within the corridor. Winter did not focus on the other proposed express service routes, but they will include a Fondy – National Express and a Capitol Drive Express (a 27th Street Express was applied for, but not awarded).

MCTS will be utilizing CMAQ funds from two different sources, the cancelled Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee (KRM) commuter rail service (which died when the latest state budget pulled the plug on the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Transit Authority) and the never implemented bus rapid transit service along Fond du Lac, Greenfield, and National Avenues.

The short explanation, the Bayshore – Airport Express will connect Bayshore, UWM, Downtown, and Bay View with stops roughly every 1/4 of a mile, seven days a week, with headways of 10-15 minutes during the rush hours, and 15-20 minutes during off-peak times. The fare for the express service will be the same as standard service. It is intended to achieve between 20-25% time savings running the same route as traditional MCTS service.

Details – South Side

• Route 11 will be eliminated, but vast majority of service area will continue to have service via the express and other new or adjusted services. Some areas will actually see an increase as a result of the change.
• In some cases, riders will need to about one block further to get to a stop. Current MCTS service spaces stops at 1/8 mile, but express plans call for 1/4 mile spaced spots.
• Route 52 will be introduced to service one branch of the former 15 route on Clement, Pennsylvania, and 15th (pictured in map). It will terminate at Lincoln and Kinnickinnic.
• Route 56 will be introduced to service Greenfield Avenue from 2nd Street to 124th Street. This will replace an area formerly serviced by Routes 11 (to Miller Park Way) and 18 (70th to 124th). Service along Miller Park Way, previously provided by Route 11, will be eliminated.
• New Route 15 will still run unmodified on 1st Street, Kinnickinnic Avenue, Chicago Avenue, and Packard Avenue to Columbia Avenue.
• New Route 15 will run down Pittsburgh Avenue to Milwaukee Street through downtown. This will replace the service lost from the elimination of Route 11. The Bayshore – Airport Express will service Water Street.
• The Bayshore – Airport Express will divert from the current Route 15 at Lincoln and proceed south towards the airport on Howell. This will replace Route 11 service on Howell and Chase. Route 11 service on Boliver, Pine, and Layton will be discontinued. This new service supports the Aerotropolis concept.

Details – North Side

• Route 11 is being eliminated, but the stops on the north side of its route, Milwaukee Street, Ogden Avenue, Van Buren Street and Holton Street, will be serviced by new route 15.
• The new route 15, replacing the northern portion of Route 11, will continue north to Bayshore Mall instead of terminating at Capitol Drive. It will use Port Washington Road to get to Bayshore.
• The Bayshore – Airport Express will replace Route 15 service from Bayshore to downtown, running the same route to downtown as the 15 currently runs. Because of the express service, this will result in the elimination of some stops (from 1/8 mile spacing to 1/4 mile spacing), but stops will still be placed at all major destinations and transfer points.
• Route 68 is being eliminated. Limited 68 service on Green Tree, Lake Drive, and Brown Deer Road will be eliminated entirely. Route 68 service on Port Washington Road north of Bayshore will be replaced with Route 63, which currently terminates at Bayshore. Route 68 service south of Bayshore will be replaced by the new Route 15 to Capitol Drive. South of Capitol Drive to Keefe Avenue will no longer have service.

Following the introduction of the service changes by Thomas Winter, and brief comments in support by the Milwaukee County Supervisors in attendance, Supervisor Dimitrijevic led the question and answer session.

Questions from Audience

This is by no means a complete digest of the questions asked, but an attempt by myself to identify the most important and/or interesting questions and statements.

• When would the proposed changes go into effect? MCTS Manager Director, in attendance for the meeting, jumped in to note that the proposed changes would go into effect January 29th.
• One Howell Avenue resident noted that he liked the connection to the airport.
• Will the Bayshore – Airport Express run as late as other service? Yes
• Wifi in buses? Lloyd Grant – we are working with a local firm on in-bus advertising, this could happen. (My perspective – I don’t see it as likely, and I don’t believe that the new version of Transit TV proposed by Troy Shaw will produce the millions in revenue that has been projected, but I hope to be proven wrong.)
• Same commenter as wifi comment – Bus tickets should be handed out with tax receipts
• Same commenter as wifi comment – There should be park and ride areas on south side.
• Supervisor Jursik requested that Grant speak about the potential new farebox system. Grant mentioned that three years ago they received federal funding to help implement a new farebox system, and that he expected RFP responses this week. Supervisor Dimitrijevic noted that she hoped that a new system would utilize “smart cards” similar to those seen in other cities, which drew applause from the audience. Grant discussed a number of potential outcomes of the process, but noted that 40% of current fares are paid in cash.
• One commenter noted that park and rides should be installed across the south side to alleviate congestion at UWM and listed a number of potential locations including the airport. Supervisor Jursik noted that she didn’t think the airport would be likely, given its potential for abuse.
• How is service impacted from Brady and Farwell to downtown? Lloyd Grant noted that service would actually improve because of the switch from the 15 bus to express service.
• Will bike racks be on express route? Yes (drew applause from audience)
• MCTS driver – 1. Freeway Flyers being favored over local routes, not good. 2. The farebox is a trouble spot with the union, specifically the transfers. 3. How does it connect with streetcar? – Kris Martinsek, of Martinsek & Associates who is involved in the creation of the Milwaukee Streetcar, noted that streetcar project is in preliminary engineering and is being designed to have seamless connections with existing transit service.
• One life-long non-driver asked about smaller buses or vans to preserve service. Lloyd Grant responded that MCTS has retired their smaller vehicles over time as they aren’t as cost efficient given that they can’t be used on many routes.
• Express part of existing fare structure (following a comment thanking MCTS for their hard)? Lloyd Grant noted that this is the first time he has been asked, and that yes it would cost the same as a standard fare.
• Will Freeway Flyers stay the same? Yes.
• Multiple people noted the challenges in getting home from the airport to Bay View, that taxis frequently refused to give rides because of the airport fee structure. Where will the stop be at the airport? Where the Route 80 currently stops, at the south end of the Baggage Claim.
• Any change to Route 51? No changes at this time. This question was offered apparently in response to a neighborhood issue with bus noise, with people in attendance on both sides of the issue. Supervisor Haas remarked he was happy they have now met and could sit down to talk about it, which drew a laugh from the audience.
• What is the possibility that the CMAQ funds are not approved? Lloyd Grant said that rejection is not expected for any reason, and that it is up to Secretary of Transportation Gottleib to approve now.
• Samuel Jensen, representing the Milwaukee Transit Riders Union offered perhaps the most amusing remarks of the evening. He remarked that he was happy about the new service, but not happy to learn about it so late and that it was done in secret. He remarked that “we are not living in the Soviet Union or a third-world dictatorship.” During his comments he repeatedly said “this is absurd,” asking what other cuts were hidden (claiming the audience first learned of the Route 68 cuts today). He noted the lack of a real long-term funding solution for transit in Milwaukee, and asked when the Milwaukee County Board is going to do something about this? Supervisor Jursik downplayed his remarks, noting that he was attacking local politicians for an issue created by the state. She noted that she wasn’t pleased with being in the dark on the proposals before they were submitted. Her response ended with applause from the audience. Lloyd Grant noted that there were no unpublished cuts. Jensen responded by noting that Jacqueline Janz, MCTS Marketing Director, would do the USSR (Soviet Union) a service with her PR skills.
• After a few more questions, the meeting ended at 8 promptly because the Bay View Library closed.

Conclusion

Milwaukee County and MCTS have clearly been dealt a tough hand with the funding cuts to transit coming from the state budget. Despite the fact that the CMAQ funds at this point are only a two-year solution, and will result in some areas losing service, the solution is a creative one to stave off major cuts including the elimination of all Freeway Flyers, special event service (Summerfest, State Fair, Miller Park, etc, etc), and service reductions on many routes. In an ideal world, existing service would be maintained and new express service would be added on top, but given the circumstances this is a great solution to a terrible problem.

MCTS services changes as a result of proposed Bayshore - Airport Express

For visitors by automobile from the highway, if one is to come from the south over the Hoan Bridge or east off of Interstate 794, their arrival at the lakefront is greeted by the blank walls of the Downtown Transit Center and ill-configured O’Donnell Park Garage to the left, and the beautiful, complementary Milwaukee Art Museum and Pier Wisconsin (Discovery World) to the right. The dedicated right turn lanes at Michigan Street and Lincoln Memorial make it easy to avoid ever slowing down when no one is around, but during festival season, the dedicated right turn lanes become jay-walker territory, resulting in lots of honking horns and pedestrians playing real life Frogger. While the Calatrava addition to the museum might be enough to distract someone for a moment, this pathway to the city doesn’t create the grandest of entrances.

For visitors by foot, bicycle coming from downtown, accessing the lakefront leaves a lot to be desired. Sure, the Milwaukee Art Museum pedestrian bridge is beautiful, but it largely serves only one building and requires walking through under-utilized O’Donnell Park. Walking to the Henry Maier Festival Grounds is unpleasant to say the least, coming from Wisconsin Avenue one goes through a frequently empty O’Donnell Park, down a stairway that is hidden from the other end of the park, and then must attempt to cross Lincoln Memorial Drive at its intersection with Michigan Street where dedicated right turn lanes make the intersection far wider than a normal intersection. Along the way pedestrians are greeted with great views of the blank walls of the unfortunately-named Downtown Transit Center (more on that later) and awkwardly configured green space (such as the space between O’Donnell Park and Michigan Street).

Automobiles coming from downtown are confronted with the blank wells of Michigan Street, which leaves a feeling like you’re exiting through the back door of the city that no one is supposed to see. Once they’re able to cross Lincoln Memorial, the lakefront looks mighty attractive, but getting across can be a challenge with the dedicated right turn lanes encouraging vehicles to speed up, but frequent pedestrian crossings causing vehicles to slam on their breaks and slow back down in a hurry. An extra-important consideration with the lakefront is that almost every automobile trip results in a pedestrian trip. When one parks at O’Donnell Park garage, they still must cross Lincoln Memorial Drive and encounter many of the same challenges that pedestrian-only trips face.

Thankfully, there is a low-cost solution in the form of back-to-the-basics urbanism.

Michigan Street and Lincoln Memorial Drive

The intersection of Michigan Street and Lincoln Memorial Drive

The easiest thing to reconfigure, and the element that will guide future changes, is the intersection of Michigan Street and Lincoln Memorial Drive. How easy is it to fix? Very. Eliminate the dedicated right turn lanes. Eliminating the dedicated right turn lanes dramatically reduces the width of the intersection, making it easier and safer to cross on foot or bike. Eliminating the dedicated right turn lanes also delivers a better signal to drivers at what speed they should approach it, and allows police officers to more easily direct traffic during high-volume periods such as Summerfest. Eliminating the turn lanes also would have nearly no impact on everyday driving patterns as the same number of lanes would exist to go straight through the intersection. It’s a cheap, easy, actionable item that could be executed tomorrow and would be a great first step to building a better connection between downtown and the lakefront.

There is absolutely no need for tunnels, either pedestrian or automobile, as the recently formed Long-Range Lakefront Planning Committee is considering. Automobile tunnels, similar to the Kilbourn Tunnels found underneath the Milwaukee County Courthouse, are expensive to both build and maintain. Not to mention that at same point they are doomed to crumble, which will turn an otherwise attractive area into something people will want to potentially stay away from. In addition to the tunnel itself under Michigan Street, there would certainly be a requirement of ramps in and out to Michigan, this would reduce the amount of available land for redevelopment, imposing an opportunity cost, not to mention still possibly creating an awkward pedestrian experience with ramps appearing seemingly out of nowhere. A pedestrian tunnel under Lincoln Memorial Drive is likewise a bad idea not only from the cost perspective, but because of safety concerns as well the general appearance. There simply isn’t enough foot traffic in the area on a consistent basis to justify a tunnel. The committee would be wise to stick to a back-to-the-basics four-way intersection that will have a timeless appearance, and cost next to nothing.

Downtown Transit Center

Downtown Transit Center

The Downtown Transit Center is unfortunate for a number of reasons. Coming up with a better name for it might better explain to a lay person why. I propose to think of it as the Downtown MCTS Storage and Staging Facility. The building is located on the edge of downtown far from the center, which reduces its utility to potential riders (I’m an extremely frequent rider and have never even thought about boarding a bus at the facility). As a “transit center”, the building only serves MCTS and a handful of buses from other public bus operators, no Amtrak, Greyhound, Badger Bus, Megabus, Coach USA, etc, etc. It is neither in the center of downtown geographically, nor is it the center node for all of the transit systems. It does do one thing quite well, and that is to serve as a staging facility for MCTS buses. A staging and storage facility is certainly a necessity for the system, but given a blank slate you wouldn’t place such a facility on some of the most valuable land in the state. Given the use of the facility it’s no surprise that the building is covered in blank walls, which are logical for a bus barn, but subversive from the perspective of building an attractive gateway to the city.

The MCTS operations at the facility should be relocated near the Milwaukee Intermodal Station, the real transit center for the region. They can be largely located under the freeway, similar to the fashion that the Milwaukee Streetcar maintenance facility will be. This will also serve as an opportunity to better connect MCTS routes with the Milwaukee Intermodal Station, something lacking at the present time.

After finding a new home for the MCTS operations, the site could be redeveloped through the issuance of a request-for-proposals (RFP) that would result in a building that is built to the curb, has street-level retail or other public uses, serves to make downtown more attractive as seen from the lakefront, and encourages more pedestrian activity in the area. Not to mention any new building would pay property taxes, which go in-part to sustain the operations of all the public amenities in the area.

Lakefront Gateway from Downtown Plan

The Long-Range Lakefront Planning Committee should be cautious with placing requirements on potential developers. As discussed in the last committee meeting, the RFP would require that an equal amount of public green space be maintained at the facility. This would be a wise requirement if the existing green space was actively used or there was a shortage in the area, but most people aren’t even aware of the green space at the facility (or even that the Downtown Transit Center exists). The green space that exists at the transit center is on the second-story and essentially operates as a green-roof for the building. Requiring that much public space be maintained in the form of green space would significantly hamper the redevelopment of the site, such that it might kill any redevelopment all together. At the very least it would impose an opportunity cost in the amount of property tax revenue that could be generated. If the Park East has taught us anything development-wise, it’s that lobbing requirements onto developable land only slows progress and results in poor projects.

O’Donnell Park Garage

The O’Donnell Park Garage has a number of different options available for its reconfiguration, but many are highly dependent on what happens elsewhere in the area. Given that, I won’t dwell on too many possible scenarios for the parking garage. A few things are certain.

1. Some level of parking is needed on the lakefront, and the current garage appears to be an affordable way to maintain that.
2. The vista down Wisconsin Avenue to the Calatrava-designed addition to the Milwaukee Art Museum is a public asset, regardless of how you feel about The Calling.
3. Milwaukee County is in a bit of a long-term fiscal crunch.
4. Money trees aren’t real.

Given those four facts, the notion of tearing down the garage and park and replacing it with a 20+ story building is laughable and possibly not even desirable. There are, however, other realistic options.

The garage and park are lacking in two primary areas.

• The connection it fosters between the lakefront and downtown is very under-developed.
• The park’s rooftop design is currently heavily underutilized on everyday other than July 3rd.

O'Donnell Park

There are two likely options to improve upon that, assuming the previously recommended options regarding the intersection and MCTS facility were undertaken. First, the very southern portion of the garage can be reconfigured/lowered to better expose the park and building that hosts the Betty Brinn Museum, Coast restaurant, and Miller Pavilion to lakefront visitors. This would encourage more traffic up to the building and park, and overall make downtown appear more appealing to those on the lakeront. Second, on the empty, unused green space just past the southern end of the garage, a new building could be developed that serves as a bookend to Michigan Street and downtown with the redeveloped MCTS facility. This will create a better defined end to downtown, encourage more pedestrian circulation between lakefront and city, frame O’Donnell Park better, making it a better public space,  and make the city appear far more attractive from the lakefront forming a better gateway. The new building could also house a publicly-accessible, indoor staircase and elevator from the park down to the lakefront.

Long-Range Lakefront Planning Committee

The recently formed Long-Range Lakefront Planning Committee, chaired by Parks Director Sue Black, is on the right track. As a word of caution, the devil, as always, is in the details. They should look to the 2010 approved City of Milwaukee Downtown Plan for guidance, as this very area was one of main catalytic projects. The committee would be wise to follow common sense, back-t0-the-basics urban solutions in their quest to build a better gateway to the city and a better connection between the lakefront and downtown. Simple, urban designs will be timeless and cost-effective, compared to tunnels and bridges that will age and require millions to build and maintain. Likewise, RFPs for development with few requirements will generate the greatest buildings and greatest amount of tax revenue to sustain the operations of Milwaukee’s cultural campus.

How does MCTS attract more riders?

Chris Abele was recently elected to fill the remainder of Governor Scott Walker’s term as Milwaukee County Executive. That gives Abele less than one year to accomplish anything as Milwaukee County Executive before he must seek re-election. Given the relatively short time for which Abele is assured to be in office, what can the newly-elected County Executive hope to achieve when it comes to transit?

Chris Abele held the position while he ran for office that he would not seek a sales tax increase for dedicated funding of mass transit, and it’s unlikely that even if he supported a dedicated funding solution it could be installed given the short time Abele is assured of being in office and the Republican control of state government. Although we’ve endorsed a dedicated funding source as a logical step to ensure quality transit access for southeastern Wisconsin, we support the new County Executive’s apparent desire to stick to issues that are controlled locally given the circumstances. With that in mind, the following are ideas that can encourage increased ridership on MCTS if implemented.

Real Time Open Data

The Milwaukee County Transit System, to its credit, has been excellent at providing open data of bus scheduling. This data is what is used to power Google Maps trip planner that can provide bus schedule data. MCTS officials have also indicated they’re working on procuring and installing equipment  to provide real time open data by the middle of 2012.

So what’s the issue? The speed at which it’s being delivered. The new County Executive has a chance to find some of those efficiencies he campaigned on and get the equipment installed and data exposed earlier than mid-2012. He also has a chance to engage the private sector before the system is even deployed to start building applications that take advantage of the new data.

Ultimately people will be more likely to ride a bus if they know when the next one is coming. Real time positioning data provides that. Alterra can have countdown timers in their coffee shops. Office buildings can display bus positions in their lobbies for tenants. Major bus stops can display countdown data. Text message based applications can be built that allow users to send a message to query the location of the next bus.

By accelerating the implementation of real time open data and engaging the tech community in Milwaukee, the private sector can more quickly create value for potential riders.

More on how and why open data is valuable with regards to transit in a previous article.

Simplified Mapping

Milwaukee is fortunate to have a number of hotels, businesses, and apartments within a block or two of the major bus corridor through downtown, Wisconsin Avenue. Frequent riders of the corridor know the routes and stop locations to quickly move anywhere between the Marquette campus and the lakefront, but the current downtown area map leaves a lot to be desired for people less familiar with the system. New riders can be enticed to take advantage of MCTS simply by creating a first-time rider, downtown-centric map. The one-sheet map could be distributed at downtown hotels, offices, shops, apartment buildings, and the Frontier Airlines Center. The map should include the following features.

• Stop locations
• Route frequency indicated by width of route on map
• Major locations off map and the corresponding route to get there (Miller Park – 90, Milwaukee County Zoo – 10, etc, etc)
• Fare information (no change on board, $2.25 cash, discounts for week, month, and 10-fare purchases)
• Schedule information (on back of sheet)

This idea was inspired by a similar map in Cincinnati by Nate Wessel (and funded creatively utilizing Kickstarter).

Improved Bus Stops

The average sheltered bus stop in Milwaukee is okay. When it’s raining or snow, there is a decent chance those underneath won’t get wet. When it’s not freezing outside, the benches provide a fairly comfortable rest while one waits for the bus. All in all, the average bus stop is certainly better than standing on the sidewalk, but it still leaves a lot to be desired. Obviously physically improving the bus stops is going to cost money, so I would like to propose a quasi-privatization method by which better bus stops can be obtained. Wherever possible and desired, the bus stops should be turned over to area business improvement districts. Business improvement districts are well-suited for this because they already frequently invest in streetscaping and have a self-interest in approving the attractiveness and accessibility of their district.

The business improvements could make a number of improvements to their bus stops, including but not limited to.

• Posting paper schedules
• Utilizing open data to display an LED countdown timer for scheduled data (eventually migrating to real time data)
• Installing four-sided shelters to protect from the elements better
• Installing heaters that would operate on user-request for a few minutes at a time during the hours of operation of the bus route

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel produced a infographic that details the fare increases and route reductions over the past ten years, but it can be best be summarized that starting in 2001 MCTS has been forced to raise fares and/or reduce service every year. Over the past 10 years, riders have been asked to pay more for less service. The fact that the system is losing riders shouldn’t come as a surprise. Further ridership losses can only be expected over the next two years with Governor Scott Walker, who was Milwaukee County Executive during almost all of the 10-year period,  proposing to reduce state aid to MCTS and reclassify mass transit as a social service (moving it from Transportation fund to the General fund) by $7 million in his Executive Budget proposal, .

A recently released study by the Brookings Institution appears to contradict the expectation that MCTS ridership should be falling faster (or rising slower) than the national average though, announcing that Milwaukee ranks 14th out of the 100 largest US metropolitan areas in terms of job access and system coverage.

While the coming state aid cuts to MCTS and other area transit systems will substantially drop access to mass transit for Milwaukee-area residents, and render the 14th ranked job access and system coverage argument mute, let’s explore for a moment why Milwaukee supposedly has great access to mass transit, but fails to take advantage.

Why does Milwaukee’s ridership not reflect the quality access and coverage it supposedly has? A few hypothesis.

Time

The report concludes that jobs are accessible if a transit trip takes 90 minutes or less to get to them. Given that the average commute time in the Milwaukee region is 22 minutes, it’s tough to imagine many people opting for a much longer commute via bus even if it saves them money. It would be interesting to know how Milwaukee would fare in the rankings if jobs were considered accessible only by a 60 minute commute.

Lack of Fixed Guideway System

From New York City and Chicago to Portland and Minneapolis, cities that have fixed guideway systems may not consistently score as highly as the Milwaukee region’s  bus-only systems did on the “Missed Opportunity: Transit and Jobs in Metropolitan America” study rankings, but they have what ultimately matters at the end of the day, riders. The cities that have fixed guideway systems such as light rail, commuter rail, or subways consistently have higher ridership numbers both in terms of total riders and mode share (percentage of commuters using mass transit) than Milwaukee.

Fixed guideway systems often allow riders to travel at faster speeds, covering greater distances and better connecting a region than traditional bus service. Their speed, and frequently higher-quality ride, do a much better job at attracting choice riders than traditional bus service.

Urban Design Patterns

One potential reason a higher level of transit adoption isn’t seen in the Milwaukee region could be because of how job centers are configured. The study indicates that 49% of jobs are accessible via transit (within 3/4 of a mile of a stop), but how many of those jobs are configured to allow easy access? Riders are likely to be discouraged if they have to traverse entire parking lots, cross massive arterial streets, enter through the rear of buildings, or don’t have covered bus stops to wait in.

Service Frequency

The report concludes that rush hour headway in Milwaukee is 6.4 minutes. My transit-rich  residence rates at a 2.8 minutes, which would be nice, but is far from practice. My guess is that the 2.8 minutes is calculated based on the three bus routes that cross the area (15, 21, 30), ignoring the fact that is impossible to wait for all three at the same time (although nearby access to two of the routes was a big factor in deciding where to live). Furthermore, only two of the three buses could be used to head downtown, with Route 21 being largely irrelevant to my daily needs. My effective headway is much greater than reported by the Brookings Institution, something that I think could be found all over the region. Look for yourself.

The Moderne Construction Site

Numerous signs point to a national economy that is recovering.  Hiring has started to pick up, banks are starting to lend again, and locally ‘failed’ projects are slowly filling up.  But everything isn’t great just yet, as here in Wisconsin there is a 14 month supply of homes available on the market, and nationally unemployment sits at 9.4%.  With these factors in place, what can we look forward to for Milwaukee in 2011?

A couple of what many consider ‘failed’ projects are poised to make successful turnarounds this year.  Despite legal battles and bankruptcy Park Lafayette could fill with renters in 2011, as it is currently more than half full.  And with only about 30 units left the Point on the River has a chance of moving from the failure column into a resounding win for downtown Milwaukee.  Due to the continuing legal battle involving the near complete Residences on Water, it isn’t likely this will be completed in 2011, but if it does it will change from being the most visible sign of the economic downturn in Milwaukee, to a sign of Milwaukee’s future growth.

On the development side, a handful of projects in the downtown and near downtown area will be underway this year.  First and foremost we will see the long awaited construction of The Moderne begin to rise up on the edge of the Park East.  The Jackson Square Apartments project in the Third Ward, which seemingly has been under construction for years, should open in 2011, and if it follows the path of Corcoran Lofts it has a strong possibility of renting up.  Two quick moving projects that we’ll be following in 2011, the Beerline B Apartments and National Lofts obtained WHEDA tax credits and began work in late 2010.  Mercy Housing Lakefront’s East Side apartment proposal will go before the Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee this week, and because of the numerous design changes that the project team made to accommodate the neighborhood it is likely this project break ground in 2011.  The controversial Marriott Hotel project will probably get denied at today’s Historic Preservation Commission meeting as it is unclear if the project meets the legal requirements for a Certificate of Appropriateness, but it appears the Common Council is poised to over rule the commission, so it is possible demolition could start this year.  In addition to the Marriott Hotel, two other hotel projects are ready to move forward.  At The Brewery, Gorman & Company is redeveloping a building into a boutique hotel, and the Loyalty building in downtown Milwaukee is to be converted into a hotel as well.  Development may not be as strong as during the boom, but is clearly poised to pick up in 2011.

In regards to transit we know the high-speed rail project is done in Wisconsin, but the repercussions of the election impact transit far beyond just that one project.  Now that the Governor’s race is over an opportunity exists for Mayor Barrett to get back to focusing on Milwaukee, and in turn move the streetcar project forward, assuming Milwaukee is able to maintain local control over the project.  And with new leadership at Milwaukee County, it is possible more of a priority could be placed on transit service, and Milwaukee County could actually move forward on the proposed express bus (it to-date isn’t true BRT) service, but that depends on who becomes the next County Executive.  Unfortunately, it is very likely that Milwaukee County and the City of Milwaukee will face a cut in shared revenue, which could lead to many services being cut and in regards to transit, force the further decline of the Milwaukee County Transit system.  The picture for transit improvements in 2011 is as murky as it has ever been.

In summary, development, primarily of apartments and hotels, will continue to pick up in 2011, but the direction transit will go is unclear and troubling.

New Milwaukee County Transit System Bus

Starting this past summer, new buses hit the streets in Milwaukee County. Now that they have been out on the road for a few months, it’s likely that the “new car” (bus) smell has worn off. How do you feel about them now?

In my personal experience the new buses are a welcome improvement, but not a game changer. The seating arrangement isn’t any different, but the interior lacks the extremely-dated brown design pattern from the older buses. From the perspective of a pedestrian walking on the sidewalk, the new buses aren’t nearly as loud as the old ones as they pass. Most significantly, they don’t rattle on the inside like many of the old ones, delivering a much quieter riding experience.

The down side is that they’re just a marginal improvement. The new buses are an improvement necessitated by time. They deliver a better riding experience to existing riders, but it’s hard to see them attracting a significant number of non-riders out of their cars. The new MCTS buses are an incremental improvement.

Taking a more long-term view of the new buses (especially given that a new County Executive will enter office in 2011), they should be an asset to build upon in the future. If MCTS moves to publicly available real-time tracking of bus locations as they intend to, new buses will help assist in potentially attracting more choice riders. Assuming that someday MCTS is given a dedicated funding source, the new buses should encourage more ridership than their much older counterparts when service is restored to previously cut routes.

I’m thankful there are newer, quieter buses to ride, but the new buses unfortunately don’t have the power to restore routes that have been cut in the past couple of years or lower fares that have risen steadily in the past ten years. MCTS deserves accolades for leveraging available stimulus dollars to purchase a large portion of the new buses, as they’re managing to find ways to improve the system with the deck stacked against them.

What are you thoughts on the new buses? Love them? Hate them? Do they cause you to ride more?

Previous Generation MCTS Bus

New MCTS Bus.

Government 2.0 is the idea of exposing government controlled data to the public, in an open standardized format.  This allows the public to build applications utilizing the data, and allows the government to become more efficient and transparent.  There are numerous data feeds that local governments could and should make available in open formats to the public.  Crime stats, building violations, service requests, and transit data are just a tiny fraction of what can be done to make our government more open and useful.  And all of these would be worthwhile projects in their own right, but transit data offers an early, affordable, quick win for Milwaukee.

Recently, MCTS took the first step forward in this area, by publishing transit scheduling in the Google Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) format.  This has allowed MCTS transit routes to be integrated with Google Transit, and a variety of other applications for trip planning.  But this is just the first step of opening up transit data.

The next step for MCTS, is to open up real-time GPS location data of their buses.  Other cities, such as Portland, New York, Boston, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Chicago, and Seattle have done this, and have seen the rise of applications as a result.  In Portland, you can check when the next MAX light-rail train arrives via an iPhone or from count down timers in local coffee shops.  In Boston when this data was opened up, within an hour the first application was freely available to the public.  In these cities, instead of waiting in the cold for a bus that is running late or one that you just missed, a quick check of your iPhone, will tell you accurately when the next bus arrives at the bus stop.

At one time the Milwaukee County Transit System was a leader in delivering services to the public, today it is lagging behind.  MCTS could spend the funds to develop these services internally, but that route is limiting and costly.  Taking the next step, toward Government 2.0, will allow Milwaukee’s open-source community to help make Milwaukee County more transparent, while providing enhanced services to residents.

While it’s certainly exciting as a bus rider to have new buses in the fleet, it’s important to remember that this does not mean MCTS is standing on solid ground. Stimulus funding made this one-time shot in the arm possible. In the absence of a dedicated funding source, large cuts are coming to MCTS in the next year. To learn more about that visit the Coalition for Advancing Transit website.

Press Release

The Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) announced today that the first of the new fleet of 90 new Clean Diesel Nero Zero Emission vehicles has arrived. County officials will view this greener bus at the Milwaukee County Court House, 909 N 10th St at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, July 14.

The total cost of the 90 buses is $32,995,506 in which $16,396,889 are funds received from American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. An additional 35 buses will arrive in 2011 and will be purchased through Milwaukee County.

More

Included below is a photo gallery of shots of the new bus.