Here are
a few things that might be of interest.
LATA
Leaders will meet on Wednesday,
July 9 at 6:30 p.m. online. If you would like to join, please
reply to this email. We'll be focusing on planning a transit
advocates gathering this summer and planning for Week Without Driving
(WWD) this fall.
MTU
buses appear to be almost all connected to the new Transit app
so you can see where your bus is in real time. Unfortunately, you can
only view one route at a time so if you are planning to switch buses
outside of the usual transfer points, you'll have to switch back and
forth to see what bus is where. Do you have thoughts on the new app?
Feedback on the new app is one of the things we hope to include in a
summer transit advocates gathering.
The MTU
ADA Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, July 8 at
5:30 p.m. in the Grandad Room at City Hall and on Zoom, but
confirmation hasn't been sent yet. These meetings are open to the
public. If you would like to attend, please contact Tim Koterwski at
the MTU or email us for the Zoom link.
MTU
Director Adam Lorentz is scheduled to be at this month's Citizens
with Disabilities meeting,
Thursday, July 10 at 9 a.m. The meeting will be held in the Hedgehog
Room at City Hall and online. It is open to the public. The agenda is
not posted yet. The Zoom link will be on the agenda. Find it at
https://cityoflacrosse.legistar.com/DepartmentDetail.aspx?ID=42236&GUID=5C1B4DD4-92F5-4DF8-8681-8023B1556EE7
The La
Crosse Area Planning Committee's Committee on Transit and Active
Transportation will meet on Thursday, July 10 at 3:30 p.m. in
person Room 2106 of the
County Administrative Building (6th & State) and online. The
agenda includes a report on a Regional Transit Authority study (alas,
RTAs were not included in the budget Gov. Evers recently signed) and
discussion of LAPC participation in Week Without Driving.
The
Wisconsin Department of Transportation will hold a public
input meeting as part of its US 53 & US 14/61 Corridor Study
on Wednesday, July 16 from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. at the Black River Beach
Neighborhood Center. Learn more and get a link to comment online at
https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/projects/by-region/sw/533516-lacrosse/us53us1461.aspx
The
folks at America Walks, national sponsors of Week Without Driving,
have been holding monthly
webinars on different ways transit advocates, nonprofits, schools,
government agencies, businesses, and more can use WWD
to spread the word about their services, products, priorities. The
next webinar is on July 9 at 1 p.m. and it will deal with rural
transit. You can see the schedule of coming webinars and get links to
view past ones at https://weekwithoutdriving.org/events/
America
Walks is doing a research study with UC Davis
on the importance of elevating non-drivers' experiences in
transportation discussions. They are looking for non-drivers to
interview as part of the project. There is a stipend for those who
are chosen. If you cannot drive and would like to be considered,
please fill out the form at https://forms.gle/bBDfY4h2EKs2aUtn8
You may
have seen that the Borealis
continues to overperform expectations,
serving 222,475 passengers during the first full 12 months of
operation (June 1, 2024 - May 31, 2025), as reported by the
Wisconsin
Association of Rail Passengers.
They also note, “Since March 26, 2025, train capacity has been
reduced approximately 20-25% due to a rail coach shortage (we're
tracking it). We
recommend avoiding peak days (Friday and Sunday) if possible.
Sellouts are more likely on those days.”
The
budget bill signed by the Governor a few days ago was
disappointingly lacking in transit improvements, despite heavy
lobbying by citizen groups.. As reported by Wisconsin Transit Riders
Alliance secretary Susan DeVos, “It appears that aside from a 10%
funding increase to local Paratransit funding for FY 2026, funding
for Mass Transit Aids and Passenger Rail Operating Assistance will
remain at FY 2025 base levels.”
During
debate on the budget, Sen Jeff Smith (District 31 – Chippewa
Valley) supported an amendment that included authorization of RTAs
which failed on party lines. The Governor did not elevate RTAs in his
negations, either. Sen Smith's leadership on Regional Transportation
Authorities should be recognized. You can send
him a note of appreciation
for this effort and for uplifting how important RTAs are:
https://legis.wisconsin.gov/senate/31/smith/contact/contact-me/
We
are still looking for co-sponsors for La Crosse Area Week Without
Driving (Sept. 29 – Oct.
5), including faith groups, businesses, non-profits, organizations,
clubs, school groups, and service agencies. Co-sponsors help spread
the word, encourage their contacts to participate, and, if they want,
host a related activity or event. If you'd like more information,
contact us. If you'd like to co-sponsor, please complete this form at
your earliest convenience: https://forms.gle/gyon1uYL77Hb3mXw6
Check
out this Project Drawdown
webinar by Cameron Roberts about Low-Carbon Mobility - False
Solutions, Partial Solutions and a Full Solution.
https://youtu.be/2DOPLdE8mZw?feature=shared
