The Wisconsin Urban and Rural Transit Association is working to advocate legislation for southeastern RTA that could also include other regions such as northern Wisconsin.
WURTA held an event Wednesday in support of modifications to the Regional Transit Authorities.
The purpose of the conference was to inform people of the new RTA proposals put forth by Gov. Jim Doyle in early September, said Scott Becher, spokesperson for WURTA.
“This is legislation which would enable RTAs in the southeastern portion of the state,” Becher said. “This legislation is amendable to include other areas of the state, like Fox Valley and Green Bay.”
Becher said numerous RTA measures were included in the 2009-11 biennium budget, including plans for the city of Madison.
Mayors from the cities of Kenosha, Ashland, St. Francis, Racine and Oak Creek spoke about how their cities would benefit from the implementation of RTAs in their regions.
Racine Mayor John Dickert said an RTA in his city would help rebuild the city’s economy, which was hit especially hard by the recession.
“Four months ago, I started in this position with 17.5 percent unemployment [in Racine],” Dickert said. “One thing was obvious: We need to recreate our city … we need regional transit.”
St. Francis Mayor Al Richards highlighted how both the region and the state were falling behind nationally and globally on regional transit. He said that while traveling in Europe, he noticed how advanced and interconnected transportation was, in terms of both rail and aviation.
Rep. Christine Sinicki, D-Milwaukee, also spoke in support of RTAs at the event, saying they would be extremely important to her district.
Becher said Doyle vetoed the Milwaukee RTA plans in the 2009-11 biennium budget because of certain taxes for transit and public safety, and this bill allows for Milwaukee to move forward with changes.
WURTA also acknowledged Sen. Robert Jauch, D-Poplar, and Rep. Gary Sherman, D-Port Wing for their efforts to include RTA plans for Ashland and Bayfield counties in the budget.
Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, said that there is no need for RTA in either Madison or Milwaukee.
“Madison Metro bus does a fine job and cluttering the city with new trains will result in increased congestion,” Grothman said. “(Also,) I grew up in Milwaukee, and it is not built for trains; it is too spread out and would just be a waste of money.”
Becher said WURTA is expecting the RTA bill to be ready for introduction by the end of the week. Sponsors will be determined at that time as well.
As of Wednesday night, Becher said at least 15 legislators have expressed interest in supporting the RTA measures.
“Before a bill is introduced, it’s hard to get five or six legislators interested, and with 15 it shows a lot of support of RTAs,” Becher said.
