As usual, Mike N. is dead on:
At 11:19 AM +0000 10/14/08, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
http://legistar.cityofmadison.com/meetings/2008/10/5772_A_BOARD_OF_ESTIMATES_08-10-14_Agenda.pdf
Bicyclists in Madison should join with the bus advocates in
fighting the mayor's plans to increase bus fares to $2 per ride. A
33% hike per ride in bus fares will lead to more air pollution and
motor vehicle congested street travel since there will be some bus
users who might switch to driving rather than pay $4 a day to ride
the bus ($4 round trip).
And I'd like to link his thoughts on the budget to the recent
announcement about the 'We Are All Mechanics' classes at MATC:
At 11:24 AM -0500 10/9/08, India Rose Viola wrote:
Biking in the winter in Madison is fun for those of us who feel
confident on a bike, and who have access to good equipment. A lot
of cyclists do NOT feel safe biking on snow and ice, especially with
so many cars swerving around. Winter cycling in a northern climate
is NOT for everyone, nor should it be. I pride myself on being a
winter cyclist, but there were plenty of days last year that I took
the bus to work. Many of the bike paths are not plowed immediately
and have stretches that get neglected. Winter cycling is a great
option for some, and I am happy to help promote it, but let's not
fool ourselves that it is ever going to attract more than a minority
of committed cyclists.
Let's push public transit so that those of us who ARE on bikes in
the winter have fewer cars to contend with on the roads.
VIVA LA WINTER CYCLING!
Basically, the idea is that the alt-trans modes are mutually
reinforcing of one another. The UW Transportation Services' commuter
data show a similar link between the alts, and virtually none between
the alts & the deathmobile. That's yet another, major, reason why it
is critical that we bring the pressure to bear on, yes, even the
'good' alders wrt better transportation & land use planning.
Folks, even if you can't make it to the budget meetings, there is
always email. There is the phone. There are face-to-face meetings.
Please, contact your alders. The only thing they respond to more
readily than fear of The Highwayman is pressure from their
constituents. The reason the highwaymen have the upper hand right now
is that the elected leaders' constituents won't typically bring the
pressure to bear.
But we do know that it can work. Last time the mayor tried to kill
bus ridership with a massive bus fare increase and service cuts,
enough people did make the call that fares were kept (semi-)
reasonable, routes were saved, etc.
Here are some potential talking points:
****************
1) Limit road spending increases to inflation & population growth.
Context: City leaders should keep in mind that the latest census data
show that Madison is growing at less than 1% per year; yet the
mayor's budget jacks up road spending by 65%. Of total road spending,
the mayor estimates that 17% is for highway expansion. In a
population growth environment of only 1% and car use in decline,
these highway expansion numbers are extreme.
2) Use the funds generated from these savings to:
-Keep bus fares level to boost farebox revenues. Madison is already
at the high end of peer city bus systems. For instance, Ann Arbor
transit system's cash fare is $1.00 (http://theride.org/fares.asp#0).
They understand that low fares mean more ridership, and ultimately,
more farebox revenue for the system. At $1.50 cash fare, Madison
Metro is already extremely high for a system of its size.
Context: Econ 101 applies to buses. We should not risk losing
ridership gains with further exorbitant fare increases. We should
instead encourage higher farebox revenues through higher ridership
levels that lower fares bring. This is consistent with generally
accepted elasticity (supply & demand) models of transit ridership vs.
fare rates. More information can be found here:
http://www.vtpi.org/tranelas.pdf ; and
http://www.apta.com/research/info/online/elastic.cfm)
3) Dedicate a portion of the savings (20% max.) to "property tax
relief" to build a coalition in support of more reasonable land use
and transportation in this city.
Context: This would also be a good test as to whether Jed Sanborn,
Mark Clear, Lauren Cnare, Judy Compton & the rest really really are
the fiscal conservatives they claim to be, or if they are just
Superhighway Socialists from Dick Cheney's Energy Welfare State.*
****************
This communication needs to be done *soon*. I would say within the
next week. Waiting until November will definitely be too late. I'm
not saying not to testify then, I'm just saying the groundwork needs
to be laid before then.
Have fun!
-Mike
*Sorry, Matt, I had to use it!
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