The bikes on the bus go all around
Photos courtesy Milwaukee County Transit System
Even though the state Senate failed to pass regional transit authority legislation this past session that doesn’t mean MCTS is giving up the fight to improve and increase ridership.
In celebration of 150 years of public transportation in Milwaukee MCTS, in cooperation with community businesses, have a number of rider promotions planned for this year.
On May 7, Northwestern Mutual will provide free rides on Route 15 (Oakland-Kinnickinnic), which includes portion of the first transit route to operate in Milwaukee. The offer runs from the first bus of the day to the last, which pulls into the bus garage after 1 a.m. In addition to free rides on the 15, Clear Channel Outdoor will present a special interactive bus full wrap project the same day.
Miller Lite will sponsor free rides on every route the morning of June 9. This special runs from daybreak until 9 a.m., perfect for commuters and students. The final summer special will be a $1 off sale on weekly bus passes the week of July 4-7.
“It was vital from the start and it is vital still today,” she says.
Another way MCTS is attracting riders is with the addition of bike racks to the buses. Installed last fall for $405,000 ($20,250 provided by the county, $384,750 provided by a federal grant), the racks have provided a way for bike riders to use buses as part of their commute.
“Bike racks on buses allow us to extend the reach and accessibility of public transit within Milwaukee County,” said Gulotta-Connelly. “Everyone deserves an affordable and convenient alternative to driving. By expanding the area around our bus stops to biking distance, it now increases our service area to a higher percentage of county residents.”
According to MCTS, 85 percent of county residents live within walking distance of a bus stop. By adding bike accessibility, 99 percent of residents can easily get to a bus.
The bus/bike partnership started slow, but it has gained in popularity with 1,824 riders using the racks in March. From August 2009 through March 2010 there have been 9,407 bike boardings on all MCTS routes. The most popular routes for cyclists are Route 15 (Oakland-Kinnickinnic), Route 18 (National Avenue) and Route 27 (27th Street).
Considering the cost, there are obvious sides as to the wisdom of spending $405,000 on bike racks on buses. Some feel it is a waste of money, since only .03 percent of MCTS riders have used the racks. And it didn’t surprise me that Scott Walker would be against it for cost reasons, even though he told me he was in favor of making bus ridership more attractive.
“More than $43 per bike is a lot of money to spend,” Walker said in a written response for his opinion on the bike racks. “Plus, 9,407 bikes over seven months is a far cry from the 200,000 promoted during the debate. In the end, county taxpayers will pay more to fix the bike racks when they break and that will mean less money spent on buses.”
However, the past seven months haven’t been the high ridership season for buses. Now that Milwaukee is finally seeing warm temperatures and sunny skies, more riders will probably fill the racks and raise the percentages.
That is what Milwaukee County Supervisor Patricia Jursik is hoping for. “It is unfortunate that critics are not willing to let the bike racks catch on with riders and bikers.”
Jursik said a recent bike show in West Allis featured an MCTS bike rack display for guest to practice its use. “There was a lot of interest from those who attended. Many UWM student commented to they were grateful for the racks as it solves the terrible parking problem near their school.”
Thomas Nack rides both the bus and his bike and is happy for the racks. “It’s great to be able to ride my bike in different parts of the county which may be too far to ride my bike from my house. Now with the racks I can bike different areas of the county and if I get too tired I just put the bike back on the bus and go home.”
So what do you think? Are bike racks on buses a good idea to help lure people onto MCTS or will this turn out to be a white elephant that wasted taxpayer dollars? Join the discussion by leaving your comments below.
My wife and I recently took a trip to San Francisco. Not only can you rent a bike almost anywhere, customers regularly roll them right onto the light rail BART system and buses. (The famous Trolly cars don’t seem to have a way to allow bikes on board)
What was fascinating to us is the bike racks on the lower decks of the ferry boats. They had room for literally a hundred bikes and the trips we took they were close to full.
Please remember the terrain in San Francisco is extremely hilly.
The other transportation element they had was the hourly rental of cars, Zip Car. While we have it here on the East Side near UWM, San Francisco has a number of sites all over the city.
Bike racks are wonderful and I use them all the time..and I don’t own a car..I’d rather spend my money on furthering my education.
I completely understand that there are people that feel this is a waste of money. But this is a matter ..Milwaukee is pretty resistant to change and it’s a shame that critics aren’t letting people figure it out for themselves. I think these racks are a success already. In the middle of winter I saw bikes on the bus!!!
People also need to take into account that the bus is also $2.25…thanks to Scott Walker and his incompetent management. So there is still a cost prohibitive element to the bus. If it was $1.50…it would be easier.
Great article! Kudos for bike racks on city buses.