After the first weekend of the bus-stop-turned-cab-pickup on the 600 block of University Avenue, city officials regard the change as a resounding success.
Between the hours of 12 and 3 a.m. last Friday through Saturday, nearly 950 people peacefully utilized the new cab stand with only short waits.
Katherine Plominski, Madison’s alcohol policy coordinator, expressed her pleasure with the turnout, saying patrons almost unanimously agreed that the taxis were a great idea and the program should have been initiated earlier.
Even during the peak time of 2:20 a.m., the wait was never more than around 5 minutes, she said.
The cab stand drew a wide variety of Madison’s nightlife.
“I thought, ‘OK, well, it’s mostly UW students,’ (but) I saw a lot of Edgewood students, a lot of working professionals, lots of bachelorette parties and different things like that,” Plominski said.
The program currently relies heavily on the support of volunteers to make the operation run smoothly. While Plominski said the hours can be hard, helping out may be invaluable.
“What really surprised me, there (were) a lot of people, … women particularly, that just were by themselves,” she added. “It really made me feel better to know that they were in a cab stand with a sober monitor getting them into a safe ride home.”
Plominski said she was also worried about people calling cabs around 3 a.m. from poorly lit areas around the city.
But some are not convinced of the necessity of the cab stop. Management from Ian’s Pizza on Frances Street said most cabs arrive while customers are still in the restaurant eating, and there is seldom a crowd outside.
Several other area bar and restaurant owners, including Marshall Childs, manager of Johnny O’s and Madison Avenue, expressed no familiarity with the initiative.
Plominski remains optimistic and urges anyone willing to serve as a pickup monitor to get in contact with her immediately. The cab stand already needs volunteers for Friday night, come whatever weather conditions.
“I think if this program is going to work, really, we need … either financial donations so we can contract out to a security company” or continued volunteer support, Plominski said.
Challenges so far have been mostly “little things that we’re working out with time,” Plominski said.
One such obstacle is the signage used by the taxi stand. A Madison officer constructed the signs in his garage, and as temporary structures, they have the tendency to blow over in the wind, Plominski said. Keeping the flow steady and orderly will also continue to be important goals for volunteers.
The future seems bright for Madison’s cab stand. Pending its continued success, similar stops will most likely open at other heavily trafficked locations.
“I think State Street is really in need of a taxi stand,” Plominski said.
The program will be further perfected over the coming months. However, after a meeting Thursday night with the cab companies that frequent the stand, Plominski said support is widespread for the new program.