I organized an informational meeting on the on the future of transit in Dane County prior to the August meeting of the Dane County Board of Supervisors. Speaking were Chuck Kamp, the general manager of Madison Metro, and Mike Cechvala, a staffer with the Transportation Planning Board, our region’s Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).
Efforts to move forward with regional transit in Dane County took a step backwards when Scott Walker became Governor in 2011. Our regional transit authority (RTA), was abolished through state legislation, about a year after its inception. We have not stood still in that time, however. A study was completed, sponsored in part by the MPO, on the topic of bus rapid transit. It was published in May 2013. See:
http://www.madisonareampo.org/documents/Madison_Transit_Corridor_Study_FINAL.pdf
The study is the product of the “Capital Region Sustainable Communities Initiative,” as funding was provided by a Sustainable Community Regional Planning Grant. The grant application was submitted in conjunction with the Capital Area Regional Planning Commission (CARPC), with the MPO being designated the lead agency for the study.
BRT is a type of bus service that has some of the characteristics of rail transit. A main corridor is served with the intention of getting people from one end of the line to the other as quickly as possible. The goal of getting people as close as possible to their destinations – and picking them up as close as possible to their point of origin – is left to circulator routes.
The next step to implement BRT is to reactivate a multi-jurisdictional commission. It will have the same representation as an earlier commission, the Transport 2020 commission. Transport 2020 has representatives from the City of Madison, Dane County, the University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin’s Department of Transportation, and the MPO. Transport 2020 was active from approximately 2000 to 2010. It became inactive after Dane County convened the aforementioned RTA through the authority of the Wisconsin Legislature. As chair of the MPO, I appointed myself and former County Supervisor Mark Opitz, a planner with the City of Middleton, to the reactivated commission. We are awaiting apointments from the other appointing authorities.
Transport 2020 envisioned a three part set of transit improvements: 1) Commuter rail along existing rail lines from Middleton to the west to East Towne Mall or Sun Prairie (or a point in between); 2) regional bus service to outlying communities like Sun Prairie, DeForest, and Stoughton; and 3) enhanced local bus service in the areas served by Madison Metro. Under the BRT scenario, BRT would take on the role envisioned for commuter rail.
BRT characteristics. BRT is a corridor-based transit improvement designed to provide fast, frequent, reliable and comfortable service. The key design components, which can affect the overall performance of BRT are:
- Service frequency
- Alignment runningway
- Station location and design
- Vehicles
- Connecting and parallel local bus service
- Fare collection
- Advanced technology
- Identity and branding
Figure 5 on page 13 of the study, attached to this article, provides more detail.
The BRT study. This study investigated four corridors radiating from Central Madison – west, south, east, and north – connected through a central spine through the Isthmus. This would result in an east-west corridor from West Towne to East Towne Mall and a north-south corridor from Warner Park, down Sherman Avenue, through downtown, and south on South Park Street to the South Transfer Point and then to some of the densely populated areas in Fitchburg along South Fish Hatchery Road.
As noted above, Transport 2020 envisioned a three faceted approach to regional transit. The other two components continue to be essential elements of a regional system. Regional bus service would connect communities outside of Madison to Madison. This would include Sun Prairie, Waunakee, Oregon, McFarland, and Stoughton. Verona already has a well travelled line providing service from Madison to the Epic campus. As chair of the MPO, I can report that communities like Sun Prairie and Fitchburg are showing a greater and greater interest in transit. We held the June meeting of the MPO in Sun Prairie and received a very positive reception from the Mayor, who was elected in April 2015, as well as staff. As Dane County grows, we expect there to be more and more interest in transit improvements.
Local bus service currently provided by Madison Metro would continue. Some routes would likely be reoriented to connect with the BRT lines. The locations of some of the transfer points would shift slightly – likely by a few blocks – to orient themselves to the BRT lines. Eventually we anticipate that we will once again have a regional transit authority, and with it, the ability to raise additional funds.
Chuck Kamp also addressed some of the current challenges of moving forward with transit improvements. As ridership has increased and the bus fleet has grown in an attempt to keep up with demand, the size of the fleet outstripped the capacity of the existing bus garage. Plans are in the works for a facility on Nakoosa Trail, near East Towne Mall. I should note that plans are for BRT lines to be served by “articulated” buses. These are greater in length than existing buses and have what I would describe as an accordion-like middle section that connects the two halves of the bus. Thus, even if the existing bus garage had space for more buses, it would fall short in providing the length needed for the longer buses. The new facility should address this need.
The study assumes the 40-foot buses currently used by Metro Transit can carry a maximum of 53 people (38 seated plus 15 standees) while the 60’ articulated BRT vehicle can carry a maximum of 84 people (59 seated plus 25 standees).
It should be noted that Madison Metro’s biggest problem is that it is very successful! It has a problem that is the envy of other transit systems – ever increasing ridership numbers. Ridership is very robust, and the trends are for it to increase further. At present, most transit in Dane County is provided through Madison Metro. We hope that that situation will not last forever. In the brief period that we had a regional transit authority, the RTA had the authority to impose a sales tax in the amount of 0.5%. It was also intended to provide a governing body for the transit improvements.
In conclusion, the BRT initiative represents an effort to revive efforts to move forward with regional transit improvements. At a later date, I plan to introduce a map that uses a “subway map” format to depict the cumulative vision of transit improvements that have been proposed for Dane County. I believe we have a lot to look forward to.
