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Urban Rail
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Initiatives and Referenda DETAILS |
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> United States > Wisconsin > WI Counties > Dane > Madison > Mayor
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| Website | [Link] |
| Established | 00, 0000 |
| Disbanded | Still Active |
| Contributor | Penguin |
| Last Modified | Penguin May 22, 2005 12:16am |
| Description |
As the City of Madison continues to grow and expand, it will become necessary for City Leaders to explore alternative modes of transportation, such as, the possibility of urban rail, or streetcars. The path of this exploration will be detailed here, on the Mayor’s web site. So, please continue to check back, to get further information on the proposal for plans for urban rail.
The Mayor's Guiding Five Guiding Principles for looking at Urban Rail:
1. The technology should be city neighborhood friendly.
Electric streetcars are by far the most urban-friendly technology that I am aware of. Modern electric streetcars are clean and quiet and they can make multiple stops. They also provide absolutely barrier free transportation for people in wheelchairs. The heavier diesel units proposed in the latest County plan are used in Camden, New Jersey, which, unfortunately, is one of the few new rail systems that is significantly over cost and under ridership projections. By contrast, the Portland streetcar system exceeded its ridership projections by 60%. It is important that before we propose making a multi-million dollar investment we actually get out and kick the tires – actually experience the system. The lighter diesel Camden system may be the answer, but no one I have had these discussions with has ridden it. In Madison we will continue to explore the electric streetcar option because we have experienced it and studied it and know it will be a positive amenity for our neighborhoods. But Transport 2020 should learn more about the lighter diesel system before it is ruled in or out.
2. Rail should help shape land use and create value in the city.
Routes should be designed to have maximum infill potential. For example, the Portland urban rail system is credited with precipitating $1.4 billion in new investment in a single neighborhood. As an example, a route serving the East Isthmus, downtown, part of the UW campus and Park Street would provide numerous urban infill opportunities. Extensions to Warner Park and to the new Pioneer Neighborhood west of West Towne would provide even more opportunities. The routes proposed in the County system appear to have very limited redevelopment potential because of their placement. Moreover, the proposed park-and-ride structure in Middleton could actually have negative landuse potential as riders could drive in from widely scattered rural subdivisions and the park-and-ride lot could simply become another node of sprawl.
3. Any rail system should complement the Madison Metro bus system.
In Portland, bus ridership actually increased when the streetcar system went in. It is vitally important that any rail system does not simply take riders from one mass-transit mode to another. There is no consideration of this vital element present in the County proposal, but Transport 2020 should explore it.
4. We have to be equitable in how we pay for any system.
The County proposal is designed to pass almost entirely through the City of Madison, so it should have meaningful City input. But it is a County plan serving suburban commuters that does not, to date, have any specified corresponding County funding. It is all of our hope that we will see a best-case scenario where we receive perhaps half of the cost to build the system from the federal government and maybe three-quarters of the operating costs coming from state sources and rider fares. (I have already been actively lobbying Congress in favor of the "New Starts" program, which would help fund streetcar systems in places just like Madison.) That still leaves local sources to pick up half the costs of construction and about a fourth of the operating costs. In Portland, they used an intriguing mix of local revenues to build their entire streetcar system without any federal help. I doubt we would want to do that here, but that is why I have invited experts from Portland to come to Madison. The community needs to hear from people who have already planned routes, evaluated technology, and developed financing.
5. How we develop a proposal is as important as the proposal itself.
If I have learned anything in my year and a half as mayor it is that people want to be involved with their government. I advise developers to start with a blank piece of paper when they go to meet with neighborhoods. So, when it comes to a rail system, I have resisted placing a map before the public in favor of facilitating a process that allows for conversation. Unless we have an open and iterative process, any proposal, now matter how good, is probably doomed to failure.
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