The Commission staff, working with the staffs of Milwaukee County and the Milwaukee County Transit System and the Milwaukee County Transit Development Plan Advisory Committee, has completed work on a draft of the short-range, five-year plan for public transit in Milwaukee County. The recommended plan was approved by the Advisory Committee at its last meeting on October 11, 2010. The final study report has been published and is being distributed. A summary of the plan recommendations can be found is in these documents:
- Presentation on the development of the plan and the final plan recommendations
- Brochure summarizing the final plan
Study Need
Several factors led up to Milwaukee County’s request to SEWRPC for assistance in conducting the planning effort to prepare a new Milwaukee County Transit System Development Plan. These included the following:
- The last transit system development plans prepared for the Milwaukee County Transit System were completed in 1996 and 1997 by the Milwaukee County Transit System staff and the Milwaukee County Department of Public Works staff, respectively. The design years of these plans have been reached and passed.
- A management performance audit of the Milwaukee County Transit System completed by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) in 2003 recognized the superior efficiency and effectiveness of the Milwaukee County Transit System particularly when compared to similar transit systems serving urban areas of comparable size. The audit also noted that the transit system has undergone fare increases and service reductions in the years since 2000, and recommended the preparation of a short-range transit system development plan which would identify the transit service and capital and operating needs of the transit system and set forth an action plan for addressing those needs.
- The service cuts and higher fares that have been implemented by the Milwaukee County Transit System over the past ten years are indicators of the local funding problems faced by the Milwaukee County Transit System. Milwaukee County is unique when compared to peer transit systems that serve urban areas of similar size in its reliance on property taxes to fund transit expenditures. There is a need for a dedicated source of funding to replace Milwaukee County property taxes as the local funds financing the costs of transit system operations, equipment, and facilities. For the past several years, transit system officials have been able to use Federal transit aids carried forward from previous years to minimize the need for increases in County tax levy funding and to limit the extent of service reductions and fare increases. Those Federal carryover funds have now been exhausted. More extensive service cuts and additional fare increases are likely to occur if a local source of dedicated funding is not approved for the transit system.
Advisory Committee
The Milwaukee County Transit System development plan has been developed under the guidance of the Milwaukee County Transit System Development Plan Advisory Committee, whose members have been appointed by the Milwaukee County Executive. The Advisory Committee, after careful study and evaluation, recommended the final plan of operating and capital improvements for the Milwaukee County Transit System which should be implemented from over a five-year period. The Advisory Committee provided guidance to the technical staffs in the preparation of this plan, and served to involve concerned and affected public officials and citizen leaders more directly and actively in the design and evaluation of the plan’s transit improvement and funding proposals.
Study Report
The study findings and recommendations are documented in a SEWRPC report: Community Assistance Planning Report No. 279, "Milwaukee County Transit System Development Plan: 2011-2015." This report is currently being prepared for publication and should be available in January 2011. The draft planning documents can be accessed below:
Study Newsletters and Brochures
Two newsletters were prepared for the Milwaukee County Transit System Development Plan to provide an overview of the work completed on the plan, identify some of the key findings to date, and describe the alternative transit service improvement plans. These newsletters may be found here: Newsletter 1 Newsletter 2. Two short brochures summarizing the alternative transit service improvement plans and the Milwaukee County Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) proposal may be found here: Brochure 1 Brochure 2
Public Involvement
Throughout the preparation of the Milwaukee County Transit System development plan, SEWRPC sought the active participation of public elected and appointed officials, business and civic leaders, environmental and community groups, and concerned and interested citizens and parties. The proposed transit service improvements and the final recommended transit system development plan reflected the input received from elected officials and the general public.
- Summary of public informational meetings held in February and March 2007 to present information on the work completed to that point on the transit development plan
- Summary of public informational meetings held on January 20, 21, and 22, 2009, to present information on the alternative transit service improvement plans developed by SEWRPC and transit system staffs and approved by the Milwaukee County Transit System Development Plan Advisory Committee, along with information on a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in the Fond Du Lac-National Corridor under development by Milwaukee County.
Comments on the final recommended plan approved by the Advisory Committee are welcome and can be provided by using the online comment and sign-up form. You can also give us your written comments by email, telephone, fax, or via conventional mail using the contact information listed below:
| E-Mail: |
milwcotdp@sewrpc.org |
| Phone: |
(262) 547-6721 |
| Fax: |
(262) 547-1103 |
| U.S. Mail: |
Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission
P.O. Box 1607
Waukesha, WI 53187-1607 |
Información en Español
Lo Nuevo
El Plan del Desarrollo del Transporte Público de Condado de Milwaukee ya esta completado. La preparación del plan fue un esfuerzo colectivo del personal Comisión Regional de Planeación del Sureste de Wisconsin, el Condado de Milwaukee, el sistema del transporte. El Comité Consultivo de Planeación del Transporte Público de Condado de Milwaukee aprobó el borrador del plan en su última reunión el 11 de octubre, 2010. El
reporte final ya está publicado y está siendo distribuido.
Acerca del Plan
El Condado de Milwaukee pidió que la Comisión Regional de Planeación del Sureste de Wisconsin, preparara un plan de desarrollo del sistema de transporte a corto plazo – 3 a 5 años - para el Sistema de Transporte del Condado de Milwaukee. El plan incluye una evaluación del funcionamiento del sistema de transporte existente; una identificación de las necesidades de transporte no satisfechas; y el diseño y evaluación de alternativas para mejorar el sistema de transporte para enfrentar las deficiencias de funcionamiento y las necesidades del servicio no satisfechas identificadas. El plan final recomienda un conjunto de mejoras de operación y de infraestructura del sistema de transporte para un período de cinco años, identifica los costos asociados a la implementación de estas mejoras, y ofrezca recomendaciones con respecto al financiamiento de estos costos.
El Comité Consultivo
El trabajo en el Plan de Desarrollo del Sistema de Transporte del Condado de Milwaukee fue supervisado por el
Comité Consultivo de Planeación del Transporte Público del Condado de Milwaukee, cuyos miembros han sido nombrados por el Ejecutivo del Condado de Milwaukee. Después de un cuidadoso estudio y evaluación, el Comité Consultivo recomendó el plan final de mejoras de operación y de infraestructura del sistema de transporte por un plazo de cinco años. El Comité Consultivo guió al personal técnico en la preparación del plan
Materiales del Plan
Los documentos que fueron preparado durante el proceso de planeación están disponible aquí:
Un boletín del plan con información acerca del estudio fue publicado en febrero 2007. El
Boletín 1 – Febrero 2007 da información más detallada de los resultados del estudio hasta 2007.
Participación del Público
Se organizó una serie de reuniones informativas en enero de 2009 para presentar las alternativas para el mejoramiento del sistema del transporte público, tanto como dar una charla informativa en un proyecto de autobús rápido en el corredor Fond du Lac-National que está proponiendo Milwaukee County. Este
Record of Public Comments—Vol 2 contiene un resumen de los eventos de esas reuniones informativas.
La primera serie de reuniones informativas ocurrieron en febrero y marzo, 2007, para presentar el trabajo completado hasta aquella fecha en el Plan del Desarrollo del Transporte Público. El
Record of Public Comments—Vol 1 un resumen de los eventos de esas reuniones informativas.
Para más información en español, o si tiene preguntas que desea sean contestadas ahora, por favor llame a Sonia Dubielzig al (262) 547-6721.