The plan is still in its early stages, but the Transportation Policy and Planning board met Monday, discussing what routes downtown could look like. Lynch said BRT routes could overlap current Madison Metro lines.
The plan is to connect East Towne and West Towne with dedicated lanes for the buses, limited stops and frequent service. The BRT system is part of the mayor’s larger MetroForward plan announced in September.
“Our BRT buses, one bus will be taking 80 cars off of East Washington Avenue,” Lynch said.
Lynch estimates the bus rapid transit system’s operating cost will be between $3.5 and $4.5 million annually.
The annual $7.8 million coming in from the wheel tax must go toward transportation-related costs. Lynch said $1.4 million of that will go toward the BRT system and about $2.6 million will go to Madison Metro for things including “increasing costs associated with fuel, drivers’ salaries (and) maintenance concerns.”
Madison implemented a wheel tax on the people with cars. Now they will use the money to make it harder to drive in downtown and spend more on buses. Nice.
80 cars over about a 6 mile stretch during the course of a day.
Whoopeee!!!
This what liberals do: make life difficult and expensive…for no reason.
80 Cars per bus? What is the bus capacity compared to 80 vehicles? Where do you put the groceries?
Remember the epic traffic jams when Milwaukee reduced 794 to one lane?
This is not designed to make mass transportation better. It is designed to make private transportation untenable and force you to be dependent on the gov for basic transport.
Eighty cars per bus? I received my math skills from public education and even I know you’d need a Dr. Seuss-style story problem to arrive at that answer.
Well, a large school bus can carry 72 kids. A city bus might hold 40 or so, less when they carry peoples me in wheelchairs or very large people. And that assumes the bus is constantly crowded and carry no kids. And this also assumes 80 people will stop using their cars and instead of being independent, they will instead depend on a bus schedule and stop at many bus stops.
Now, of course people will get off and on the bus, so that will increase the number of passengers on the bus.
This reasoning is why so few, if any liberal ideas work.
I’ve driven on East Washington lots, lots, lots, of times, typically early evening/ mid-evening weekdays.
Taking 80 cars out of that traffic will not be noticeable.
I’ve also driven it (not so often) during daytime/business hours. Same thing.
It will be fine for Cap Square employees and some UW students who will use it as a commute-ride and who live within a few blocks of E Wash. But if the little darlings from Madison East board that bus, things could get interesting.
Ah, the head spins. One moment the presence of a bus is making it more difficult to drive a car, the next moment removing 80 cars from the traffic won’t make a difference.
“Little darlings.” What do you mean, Dad29? Don’t speak obliquely, be brave, tell us what you really think.
It’s too difficult for you to bear, Jiffy. Now run along and play.