One more streetcar route change threatens Bastille Days, Jazz in the Park
Statement from Alderman Bob Donovan March 30, 2015
Yet after reading the Business Journal article I learned that city staffers entrusted by the mayor to oversee the construction of the downtown streetcar want to move a portion of the route from Wells Street to Kilbourn Avenue as a cost-cutting measure.
The route change will interfere with festivals and events, especially Jazz in the Park and Bastille Days! Wasn’t the route changed initially from Broadway St. because of the same concerns about utilities and the huge cost of relocating them?
Aren’t our highly paid engineers supposed to be looking at every square inch of the route to make sure the streetcar will be implemented smoothly and at an affordable cost?!
To me, this (route change) illustrates that the eventual route of the streetcar really doesn’t matter. All this administration is focused on, quite frankly, is getting the boondoggle built.
I believe firmly that the streetcar is not really being built to solve any transit shortfalls here; it is very much a solution in a desperate search for a problem!
And the Council just voted on the project, and now the route is changing? Do we have to vote on this boondoggle all over again?
It is always on my mind that while the Barrett Administration is burning the midnight oil on this project, much more serious and real challenges impacting Milwaukee are going unaddressed.
Any which way you look at it, the streetcar and the Barrett Administration are taking us all for a ride.
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.
Mentioned in This Press Release
Recent Press Releases by State Rep. Bob Donovan
If only Bob could come out of his bubble at realize that a thing like a streetcar can only help an event like Jazz in the Park or Bastille Days by connecting people who want to go there with nearby residential areas or other transportation connections if the case may be and thus not requiring more cars to come downtown.
Will there potentially be some short term disruption while the streetcar is built along that one block…Yes, but no more than when the roads are rebuilt.
I hope no one takes this fool’s grasping at straws seriously…
@Rich No doubt…
He took a quick break from working on panhandling penalties for homeless individuals to write another streetcar press release. Keep up the awesome work Bob.
The events are Cathedral Square park are some of the best attractions for people who live outside of the downtown area to come and experience all that there is in the area. One big detractor to that in recent years is the (real and/or perceived) parking challenges during those events. The streetcar having direct stops and rolling right past the park is a huge benefit for those events. I think this is a positive change.
Forgot to call this out… “Aren’t our highly paid engineers supposed to be looking at every square inch of the route to make sure the streetcar will be implemented smoothly and at an affordable cost?!”
The answer Bob, is yes. Yes, they are. Hence why you see this change. Thanks for recognizing the diligent efforts of the city to keep this as low cost as possible (just like they said they would).
Quit making sense AG. It just confuses Bob.
To those who keep insisting that there are far bigger issues Milwaukee should be addressing, please read this: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/yearning-for-car-averse-millennials-suburbs-turn-to-transit/2015/03/29/cb916cd8-d259-11e4-8fce-3941fc548f1c_story.html
Marriott International is moving its headquarters specifically to address the fact that millenials want to live near mass transit.
Why does anyone care what this idiot says? And why does Urban Milwaukee continue to publish EVERY SINGLE comment or fart noise be makes? I don’t get it.
@Lee I try to publish as many local politicians’ press releases as possible, though I can’t get to them all. Personally, I think Ald. Donovan is wrong, ill-informed, playing politics, and is holding Milwaukee back.
@Lee And I’d add as a regular Bastille Days and Jazz in the Park event goer I’m sure they can figure something out and this is just more politics.