Big Rally for Transit Funding on Saturday
Below is a message from Kerry Thomas of Transit Now, a leading champion of mass transit for the Milwaukee region. There is a rally on Saturday in West Allis for transit funding for MCTS. We’ll be there, and we hope to see you there. Milwaukee can’t afford to have MCTS in shambles. Milwaukee needs dedicated transit funding.
Last week at meetings of the Coalition for Advancing Transit and the Racine Transit Task Force we heard about the many accomplishments made for transit in 2009. We also heard about the new Regional Transit Authority (RTA) legislative bill. We learned about the urgency and importance of the immediate action of contacting legislators and building overwhelming visible support to move the RTA forward now. This RTA bill is our last chance for many years to get an RTA in place that will save bus systems, keep KRM Commuter Rail moving ahead, get people connected to jobs, create new jobs, and get our regional economy moving. Without an RTA, our transit systems will continue to crumble, people will be cut off from jobs, and KRM Commuter Rail and other job-creating transit projects will be shelved. With out the RTA we could lose it all.
We also learned that our window of opportunity is short:
- Nov-Dec 2009: Draft RTA legislative bill is fine-tuned, and legislative sponsors gained. Public support MUST be visible and strong!
- January 2010: Legislative floor session begins. With enough support the RTA bill will be introduced; an all-out effort is needed in terms of advocacy and public visibility.
- January 2010: Milwaukee and Kenosha begin instituting more transit fare increases and service cuts. Racine to follow in 2011. They need our support!
- April 2010: Legislative session ends, along with the last realistic chance to pass an RTA bill for years, and safeguard the economic health of SE WI for decades. We cannot miss this opportunity.
Come join us at the Rally for Transit, Jobs, & Economic Growth!
Let’s make our voices heard loud and clear, here and across the state! We can get an RTA and create new jobs and economic growth but our window of opportunity is VERY short.
Join us at the Transit Rally! It’s time to get the RTA moving forward!! We can’t afford to wait.
Saturday, December 5 at 1:00 PM
Veterans Memorial Park, National Avenue at 70th St. in West Allis, WI
On bus routes: 54, 76, and 18
Park on west side of Market Square parking lot (near Pick N Save), enter off National Avenue just west of 70th St.)The RTA is urgently needed now
Dedicated funding for buses is needed now. We cannot afford to wait and watch our bus system crumble and KRM Commuter Rail get sidelined along with the jobs and economic growth it would bring.
– Our regional economic growth and economic competitiveness are paramount and depend on good regional transit and an RTA.– Job connections and job creation must be a top priority and also rely on a vibrant regional transit network and an RTA. We need to invest in creating jobs!
– We must create the environment where the economy and jobs can grow: transit is a necessity and an RTA is needed to support a good regional transit network.
– Transit cuts are imminent and will hurt businesses, workers, and tax payers when people can’t get to work, school, shopping, healthcare. Transit dependent people rely on transit services as their lifeline. Unemployment and isolation hurts everyone. We must have adequate, dedicated transit funding now.
