NEWS
City ponders future of transportation
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by Lynn Heidmann
Thursday, April 27, 2006
With continuing traffic congestion and route changes to the Madison Metro transit system, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation looks to advance a proposed transportation plan.
The plan, called Transport 2020 would introduce electric streetcars and light rails to the city's transportation options.
Members of the DOT met Wednesday with the local community to gather public questions, comments and opinions about the system.
Caron Kloser, the plan's deputy project manager and senior transportation planner, said Transport 2020 is the next step for transportation in a growing city like Madison.
"The isthmus is simply geographically constrained," she said. "There just aren't many other places to put cars and roads anymore."
Kloser also said because the city's population will go up 36 percent in the next 30 years, it will only increase the number of people commuting in and out of the city.
"Because of the continuing growth in the county, there is increased pressure on work trips and traveling," she remarked.
The main channel of the new transportation mode would extend 13 miles from the East Towne Mall area to Middleton, Kloser said.
However, Kloser noted there is room for public input to determine exactly where stops along the route would be.
Ken Kinney, head of light and commuter rail planning services, articulated the overall goals of the plan include better land use, increased mobility in wider areas of the city, more transportation choices and cost-effective transportation, he said.
"We design these systems to get the most number of people on the trains or busses," Kinney added. "Speed is one of the best ways to get people riding [public transportation]."
However, the biggest concerns expressed by the community center on a fear of decreased Madison Metro service and overall apprehension about funding.
Kinney said the department hopes to receive half of the system's funding from the federal government.
The other half, he said, would come from the city and local support.
And department members from Madison Metro maintained the goal of Transport 2020 is not to replace the bus system, further saying the transit system is dedicated to maintaining as much service as possible.
The Department of Transportation will hold several more public informational meetings as the plan progresses. The department will also seek recommendation from the city for engineering plans in late spring of 2007.
