Milwaukee County Supervisor Deanna Alexander Announces Support for Streetcar Alternative

Milwaukee County Supervisor Deanna Alexander said today that she supports a transportation plan proposed by City of Milwaukee Ald. Bob Donovan as an alternative to the city’s current streetcar plan.

Donovan’s alternative proposal calls for federal money currently allocated for the rail-based streetcar to be aimed instead toward a “cutting edge, technology-driven transit-on-demand and premium fixed-route transit service using green-energy vehicles.”

“If we listen to what streetcar proponents have really been saying, we know that they want to modernize Milwaukee, attract tourists, retain businesses, and offer a transit system to love—and really, who doesn’t want those results?” Alexander asked.  “For too long the conversation has been about being ‘for the streetcar’ or ‘against the streetcar’ and now we can finally all engage in looking at which vision of the future will actually propel Milwaukee forward as a leader in cutting edge transit services.

“This is a logical alternative to the downtown streetcar.  Part of this new plan offers service on demand, similar to Uber and Lyft. It will meet the goals of the streetcar plan with less money, more versatility, and expanded service to Milwaukee’s most underserved populations.

“It’s time to really examine ways to move people in the downtown area, without needlessly committing to fixed routes at exorbitant prices.  Ald. Donovan’s alternative is decidedly more attractive than the streetcar, and I urge City of Milwaukee Common Council members to seriously consider this plan before they move ahead with a streetcar project that is doomed to fail.”

Alexander also questioned how the streetcar would affect Milwaukee County Transit Service routes, saying that if a plan were to have ill effect on the bus system, it could make it more difficult for people who really need public transportation to get to their jobs.  She also believes that Ald. Donovan’s proposal may have the potential to offset some of the county’s para-transit costs, which could help prioritize taxpayer dollars countywide.

“Ald. Donovan has been rightly concerned about the streetcar’s waste of tax dollars, and I applaud him for offering an alternative that makes sense,” Alexander said.  “This presents a new option, a plan that the entire community could get behind.”

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.