WISPIRG, 1000 Friends of Wisconsin: Bus Rapid Transit Would Improve Transportation in the Region
Milwaukee County is studying a new Bus Rapid Transit system, or BRT, between downtown Milwaukee and Wauwatosa that has significant potential to improve transportation and spur economic development in the region.
Statement by Peter Skopec, WISPIRG Director:
“BRT would connect more people to jobs and services, reduce local car traffic without widening roads, and spur sustainable development in the region. More Wisconsinites – particularly Millennials and the state’s aging population – are looking for alternative ways to get around, and tens of thousands of Milwaukeeans are cut off from where they have to go due to slashed state funding for transit service. We need a transportation system that is effective, safe and affordable for drivers and non-drivers and uses our tax dollars responsibly. This is a step in the right direction, and we applaud the County for carrying out this important study.”
Statement by Ashwat Narayanan, 1000 Friends of Wisconsin Director of Transportation Policy:
“BRT is one of the most cost effective ways to address pressing transportation needs, enhance economic development and improve quality of life in our communities. BRT has been found to improve traffic safety, reduce congestion and creates new development along its routes. Investing in this system will help Milwaukee and its surrounding regions attract and retain the best talent and remain economically competitive in the future.”
WISPIRG, the Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group, is a non-profit, non-partisan public interest advocacy organization that takes on powerful interests on behalf of its members, working to win concrete results for good government, public health and Wisconsin consumers. www.wispirg.org
1000 Friends of Wisconsin was founded in 1996 to be the citizens’ voice for sound land use planning. 1000 Friends’ goal is to preserve our natural resources by building healthy communities across Wisconsin. www.1kfriends.org
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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.
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A lane for buses? Why not a whole street? Make the street north of North ave. a one way heading west for buses only, make the street south of North Ave. one way east for buses only. Give North ave to cars and trucks with no buses. The buses can run both direction unopposed as the cars and trucks do. Using any system where cars and buses use the same paths, making right and left turns still means waiting for the bus to clear an intersection, since you can’t make a turn in front of a bus. Putting buses on their own streets eliminates this problem.