April updates

First, if you can, attend today's WisARP spring meeting! (Online 10 to 3)

LATA leaders will meet on Wednesday, April 9 at 5:30 p.m. to discuss future events for the year. If ou want to join the discussion please email for Zoom access information.

LATA will table at UWL Earthapolalooza on April 25. If you can volunteer for 30 or 60 minutes, please email! We won't formally table at Earth Fair, but the MTU will be free on Sunday, April 27 and offer a slight detour to get folks to the Earth Fair at Myrick Park.

LATA will host a MAY DAY (Thursday, May 1)  ride on the SMRT bus to Viroqua. We leave mid-morning from La Crosse and arrive in Viroqua about 11 a.m. After that, your schedule is up to you. There are many restaurants and shops in the area and a few schedule options for return trips (check the schedule at https://ridesmrt.com/ and see Blue or Yellow routes). More details will be posted here soon. Sign up here: https://tinyurl.com/LATA2Viroqua

The MTU has suddenly activated its new app - TRANSIT! This app helps you ride with info on routes, times, and connections. We thought they were going to trial it first, but here it is and we're so happy. No more wondering if the bus has already gone past or if it's delayed! Download here.

The La Crosse Area Planning Committee (LAPC) has issued a Request for Proposals for a consultant to "conduct a feasibility study to evaluate the establishment of a Regional Transit Authority (RTA) serving the Greater La Crosse Area in Wisconsin. The study will assess the legal, financial, operational, and organizational feasibility of an RTA to enhance regional mobility, promote sustainable transportation options, and support economic growth. All proposals are due for submission on May 9, 2025, at 5:00pm CST.

"Additional updates, Q & A, information, and a downloadable RFP, will be available on the LAPC Website: Public Notices."

RTAs were eliminated by the 2011 state legislature, but are back in the Governor's 2025-27 budget proposal and may have a chance to be included in the Joint Finance Committee's version.

Please consider weighing in for transit as the 2025-2027 budget is being put together! JFC public sessions are far away and not very transit-accessible, but you can email the JFC (see here for a sample) AND you can attend and speak at a budget listening session being hosted by our local state legislators:

• April 7 at 5 p.m. at Bekkum Library in Westby (Sen. Brad Pfaff and Rep. Tara Johnson)
• April 11 at 3:30 p.m. at the Onalaska Public Library (Sen. Pfaff, Rep. Steve Doyle)
• April 14 at 4 p.m. at the La Crosse Public Library (Sen. Pfaff, Rep. Jill Billings)

If your group or office or business would like to be a co-sponsor for Week Without Driving ((September 29 - October 5), please email!

WisARP Spring Meeting

 

WisARP Spring 2025 General Membership Meeting

Green Bay, Saturday, April 5, 2025 9 am to 3 pm

Agenda includes

• Wisconsin Projects Overview. Feature on Green Bay Route.
• Diesel Multiple Units – an option for intercity service in the Midwest. Lessons from around the world.
• Transit in Wisconsin - Connections to Rail.

Green Bay is part of the Amtrak Network with a bus link from Milwaukee via I41. Book at the Amtrak website. You do not need to have a train segment to book this. You can also book from intermediate stops.

Full Details at the Registration Page. Register now if attending in person. 
Events | Wisconsin Association of Railroad Passengers

Register in advance to attend by Zoom:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Wtob9MZ0Sx2E44Uqtzk60w

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

March updates

One Transit Equity Day related event we failed to report on was a great student project.  A State Road School fourth grade class got a lesson in transit advocacy from LATA leader Liz Fryseth as they contacted local leaders about getting a bus stop closer to their school. +In addition to their letter-writing campaign, the students learned how to ride the bus and had a tour of the Transit Center. On the following day, they took the bus for a field trip at the Urban Agriculture greenhouse on 7th Street. We would love to encourage more classes to become bus advocates and to use the bus for class trips.

We are starting to plan now for Week Without Driving, a similar but not as transit-specific event, held every year in the fall. The event focuses on the challenges faced by non-drivers trying to navigate a car-centric world. If you would like to help plan or co-sponsor WWD 2025 (September 29 – October 5), please email. See https://weekwithoutdriving.org for more information.

On Thursday, March 6, Wisconsin Transit Riders Alliance welcomed Patty Kiewiz, Director, Green Bay Metro Transit, who talked about their integration of on-demand transit with their fixed route system. Then, we heard from Gary Goyke, public policy consultant, about what's happening with the state budget and what opportunities transit advocates have to advocate for improvements. He shared really useful information. View the program at https://youtu.be/JnUzTu4df9E

On February 13, Adam Lorentz, MTU Director, was at the La Crosse Citizens with Disabilities committee to follow up on plans to improve access and information for those with disabilities. They are nearly done with putting signs at all bus stops indicating which routes stop there. They will soon have large print information available and at the Transit Center along with Braille materials. They are making some large maps, too, and are working on a way to have a large map available when the Center is closed. They have restarted the effort to make official 3-D tactile maps based off the maps the Fryseth family made in 2023. There was discussion of improving the website so people needed accessible information could find it more easily. The MTU ADA Advisory Committee is seeking more members. The committee meets every other month (see below).

On February 15, more than 40 transit advocates from around the state gathered online at the Wisconsin Transit Summit to get organized for state budget season. The group is working to settle on top priorities, create messaging and outreach scripts and talking points, and scheduling opportunities for advocates to talk to our elected representatives about transit issues. As we know, the governor has released his budget for 2025-2027 which includes increases in transit funding, state-wide Regional Transit Authorities, and other positive items. The Joint Finance Committee will be holding public hearings later in March and in April as it prepares its own budget. We will probably send another group notice when the JFC public hearing schedule is available. For now, please consider calling or emailing our La Crosse area state legislators (see contact info below) to encourage them to support increases in funding for public transit, RTAs, better intercity transit, better support for multi-modal transportation, and a transportation budget that prioritizes equity and carbon reduction. We hope the Transit Summit Talking Points will be available soon and we will post them here.

Coming up:

March 11 at 8:30 a.m. the city's Bike Ped Advisory Committee meets in person with online access. It's a public meeting. Transit is pedestrian infrastructure. Link to agenda and online access info: https://tinyurl.com/laxbpac325

March 11 at 5:30 p.m. the MTU ADA Advisory Committee meets. THEY ARE LOOKING FOR MORE MEMBERS and the public may attend. Agenda and access information is here: https://lacrosseata.blogspot.com/p/mtu-ada-advisory-committee.html

March 12 at 5:30 p.m. LATA Leaders meeting online. We will plan events for the year. Email for the link to participate.

March 13 at 4:30 p.m. La Crosse Area Planning Committee – Advisory Committee on Transit and Active Transportation meets in person and online. Find more information here: https://tinyurl.com/LAPCCTAT325

Here is a good article in Vox: Congestion pricing is good for low-income residents. Why? Because it improves public transit.

Thanks and next steps!

Thanks to all co-sponsors, participants, elected leaders and candidates, staff, drivers, and community who made 2025 Transit Equity Days so successful. The library's Story Time on the Bus had more than 75 children! Many local candidates attended the press event. We had wonderful, informative rides with candidates for council and mayor. 

Planning is now underway for Week Without Driving from September 29 through October 5. If you would like to help plan, organize an event that highlights the challenges of non-drivers and possible solutions, or keep up on what's happening, please email us at LaCrosseTransitRiders@proton.me.

Two events are coming up of interest to transit advocates and riders.

On Saturday, February 15, the Coalition for More Responsible Transportation will host a Wisconsin Transit Summit from 10 a.m. to noon online. This is an opportunity to hear what's happening around the state and organize to support good transit policies and budgets in our state. Learn more and register for the link at https://tinyurl.com/CMRTSummit.

On Thursday, March 6, Wisconsin Transit Riders Alliance will host a special online lunch time program about challenges facing Wisconsin transit providers featuring the director of Green Bay Metro Transit, Patricia Kiewiz and public affairs consultant Gary Goyke. Get more information, including the registration link, at https://witransitriders.org/events/annual-meeting/

The group's annual spring membership meeting which normally occurs just after the speaker will be held on Saturday, March 8 at 11 a.m. Information about the meeting is shown at the link above. 

LATA is a member of WTRA and that means anyone who is a member of LATA is also a member of WTRA and can attend the membership meeting.