Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Bus Route to Extend to Lake Express Ferry

You couldn’t have these kind of options with a rail system.

A Milwaukee County Board committee voted 6-1 Wednesday to recommend extending bus service to the Lake Express high-speed ferry on a trial basis.

If the full board agrees with its Transportation, Public Works and Transit Committee, Milwaukee County Transit System Route 53 (Lincoln Ave.) would stop on Lincoln Memorial Drive to meet the ferry’s 6 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. departures and its 11:45 a.m. and 6:15 p.m. arrivals from June 14 through Aug. 30. No bus service would be provided for the ferry’s 12:30 a.m. arrival, after Route 53 has shut down for the night.

(8) Comments
Posted by Owen at 1230 hrs
Politics + Politics - Wisconsin

  1. True, but trains are usually used to cover greater distances.

    Meanwhile, it’s about time some mass transit was available there. Connecting different modes of transportation—especially to get tourists around town—what a concept!

    Have you seen what Lake Express charges to take your car or motorcycle on board? Anything to avoid that fee is a good thing.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on May 06, 2009 at 1438 hrs


  2. Kwilli, apparently you’re unfamiliar with Mayor Barrett’s plan to make some sort of train that goes around (an easily walkable area of) downtown.

    Posted by Matt on May 06, 2009 at 1516 hrs


  3. Matt, I am quite familiar with Barrett’s plan, and think the idea of the streetcar loop is, well, loopy.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on May 06, 2009 at 1601 hrs


  4. Are there a number of Ferry riders who are not able to either park their car in the lot and/or get a ride to the station?

    From what I’ve been able to glean when riding Lake Express is that there isn’t any demand from a lower income bus rider to pay the $60 to $80 for a ticket to get over to Muskegon. 

    What am I missing here?  I bet that bus drops off one person a month.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on May 06, 2009 at 1635 hrs


  5. I do believe that Steve and Kwilli have both missed the boat here so to speak. I do believe the point is not that this is a good idea, but rather that it is a perfect example of why the train is the most ridiculous idea the corrupt money burners in milwaukee have had in at least a week. The idea that we take money that could be used to improve the lives of the people who pay the bill, namely those who drive cars, to put in a train that goes in a circle is shown to be a waste in this decision. You cannot take a train that goes in a circle and decide to move where it goes and where it comes from and where it stops because ridership drops or attractors move, or new attractors crop up. You cannot move a track. Busses, on the other hand, can at least have routes adjusted, stops changed, and the whole chebang stopped if there is no need to run it.

    The point for the ones that are not paying attention is that the libs are proving the main arguement against their train in this decision because as those against trains have said forever, track is not as flexible as rubber and road…

    Posted by fishaddict on May 06, 2009 at 2246 hrs


  6. fishaddict: You are correct that I strayed from Owen’s point, so apologies to Owen, but here I go again:

    Steve A., what you’re missing here is that travelers FROM Muskegon who have already spent $90 or so for a seat on the boat and who don’t want to pay more than that to take their car on a ferry ride will need transportation if they want to do more than hang around the dock when they get here. Right now they can rent a car ($$$) or get a cab ($$) to take them into the city. The bus line ($), while not great because you’ll have to transfer to get downtown, nevertheless is a good option for travelers who would rather spend their money elsewhere while visiting.

    Maybe I’m the only cheapskate traveler here, but I love visiting cities that have integrated transportation systems that can get me from the airport or train station to where I want for just a few dollars. It might take longer, but I don’t care when I’m on vacation. At least Barrett’s loop would connect with the Amtrak/Greyhound station, but it would make more sense if those streetcars ran up to UWM or down to the airport.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on May 07, 2009 at 1024 hrs


  7. While I agree with you kwilli that the train makes more sense than the loop, what you are proposing is that Milwuakee would then be a pass through city. Why make the only form of transport to another form of transport most notibly used to get out of the city. Greyhound and amtrack are not used for short commutes into the city. I woudl rather see a shuttle or some such method that went to numerous attractions and can be retooled with no more effort than a paper telling the driver the route for the day. When summerfest is on and people want to make a weekend of it and come over on the ferry, a shuttle or bus run can be made there if there is a need. A new rare exhibit at the art museum, museum, zoo could see a shuttle route. My issue with trains is that the route is fixed.

    Posted by fishaddict on May 08, 2009 at 1204 hrs


  8. I am quite familiar with Barrett’s plans, and think the idea of the streetcar loop is, well, loopy

    Posted by ferry to France on June 05, 2009 at 0433 hrs


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