by jboullion | Jan 5, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an announcement on the Web site of the The Wisconsin Department of Transportation:
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation(WisDOT) is seeking public comments on its draft long-range transportation plan, Connections 2030. A public meeting will be held in La Crosse, WI at the UW-La Crosse Cartwright Center, on Thursday, Jan. 8, from 5 to 8 p.m. La Crosse area residents are invited to attend to learn about the plan, ask questions, and submit comments.
WisDOT also welcomes comments and questions via phone at (608) 266-8108, or on the Connections 2030 Web site at: www.wiconnections2030.gov. Comments will be received until Feb. 27, 2009.
Connections 2030 is a statewide, multimodal transportation plan that provides a vision for highways, local roads, air, water, rail, bicycle, pedestrian, and transit through the year 2030. Its policies and recommendations direct WisDOT’s activities in areas such as preserving transportation infrastructure and services, promoting transportation safety, and supporting economic growth.
The plan will guide transportation decisions over the next 20 years. It focuses on the transportation system’s ability to support the preservation of transportation services and infrastructure, safe travel on all modes, mobility for all citizens, security and efficiency in all areas of operation, and economic growth throughout Wisconsin.
by jboullion | Dec 23, 2008 | Uncategorized
From an editorial in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Transit supporters have taken a couple of hits recently, casting doubt on both the creation of a regional transit authority and system, and the development of a critical element of such a system, a commuter rail line linking Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha. Nevertheless, the transit authority and the KRM line are still proposals that deserve widespread support if the region wants to build effective regional mass transit that would provide a number of benefits, including fostering economic development.
A regional transit system could improve bus service in Milwaukee County and other areas, as well as help create better intercounty connections to help workers get to jobs. The KRM can help provide a reliable speedy mass transit link along the eastern edge of the region from downtown Milwaukee to Kenosha.
by jboullion | Dec 22, 2008 | Uncategorized
From an editorial in The Tomah Journal:
Let’s assume you live in Tomah and want to visit Atlanta. You either drive to the La Crosse airport, catch a flight to Minneapolis before taking another flight to Atlanta, or you can drive three hours to the Minneapolis airport and take the direct flight.
But there’s another possibility — replace the La Crosse-Minneapolis flight or long car trip with light rail from Tomah to Minneapolis.
Officials from the Twin Cities are touting light rail between Minneapolis and Chicago, and they have a powerful ally in President-elect Barack Obama, who appears ready to make high-speed rail part of his economic stimulus program. It’s an investment that’s long overdue, and it has potential to unsnarl an air passenger system that’s as reliable as electricity in Iraq. Air travelers are all too familiar with a web of connecting flights that often don’t run on time and leave passengers spending more time in airport lounges than moving through the air.
by jboullion | Dec 19, 2008 | Uncategorized
From a media release issued by Rep. Tammy Baldwin and others in Congress:
Momentum is building to pass legislation repealing antiquated exemptions in federal statutes so that antitrust law fully covers railroads.
In a letter sent last week to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader John Boehner, Judiciary Committee Chair John Conyers, Judiciary Ranking Member Lamar Smith, and Judiciary Antitrust Taskforce Ranking Member Ric Keller, the Section of Antitrust Law of the American Bar Association endorsed H.R. 1650, the Railroad Antitrust Enforcement Act of 2007, authored by Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI).
In a 13 page analysis, the Section laid out its support for the bill, concluding that “The Section encourages Congress to move forward quickly to dismantle the antitrust exemption for the railroad industry, through the Railroad Antitrust Enforcement Act, and to consider additional legislation to eliminate antitrust exemptions applicable to other industries.”
Their letter follows closely on the heels of a letter that Reps. Baldwin and Conyers sent last month to Speaker Pelosi urging her to include H.R. 1650 as part of the economic stimulus package to be considered in January. Baldwin and Conyers reminded the Speaker that the legislation was reported in April by a voice vote of the Judiciary Committee without opposition and that companion legislation, S.772, authored by Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI) was reported by the Senate Judiciary Committee, also by a voice vote without opposition.
In their letter to Pelosi, Baldwin and Conyers said, “As Congress continues to address the problems created in part by a lack of regulation and oversight in the largest financial institutions in America, we think the time is right to ensure antitrust compliance by our nation’s railroads. Their current unrestrained pricing power over America’s consumers is hurting our economy and our country, and must be addressed.”
The release cites Dairyland Power as an example of problems with prices and service:
For years, captive shippers have been reporting spiking rail rates and unreliable service. In Wisconsin, for example, Dairyland Power, a rural cooperative provides electricity for approximately 575,000 people in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois. Dairyland’s three coal-fired power plants consume 3.2 million tons of coal per year, 75% of which comes by rail from the Powder River Basin in Wyoming. Over the years, Dairyland has reported deteriorating service quality; at times forcing them to cut back generation due to insufficient coal inventories. Adding further injury, at the end of 2005 the railroad that holds Dairyland captive raised its rates dramatically. Dairyland now pays about $75 million a year to ship $30 million worth of coal. Railroad rate increases have translated into a 15 to 20% increase in electricity rates for consumers.
by jboullion | Dec 16, 2008 | Uncategorized
From a story by Larry Sandler in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
A new study by a libertarian think tank claims the projected economic benefits of a proposed Milwaukee-to-Kenosha commuter rail line have been inflated and questions its ridership estimates.
But a business leader noted that the author of the study, Los Angeles-based transit consultant Tom Rubin, took a far more positive view of the $200 million project in June, when pro-transit business leaders were pushing the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Transit Authority to hire him as the authority’s consultant. And a regional planner said the commuter rail projections were sound.
The Reason Foundation study, being released today, says the transit authority should consider express buses as an alternative to the KRM Commuter Link, which would connect downtown Milwaukee and the southern suburbs to Racine and Kenosha with 14 round trips each weekday.
Rubin said his latest study wasn’t meant to bash the KRM, but to highlight the advantages of bus options.
“We’re not saying that KRM is a dumb idea and it should be dropped,” Rubin said Monday. “I am not saying that KRM is going to fail. I am saying there are other options that should be studied before you make that commitment.”
