May Updates

The City of La Crosse Bike-Ped Advisory Committee will meet on Tuesday, May 12 at 8:30 a.m. in person and online. While much of the committee's work revolves around bikes, it also addresses pedestrian and general active transportation issues. When available, the agenda and link to join will be here: https://tinyurl.com/laxbpacommittee (choose date: this month).

The MTU Board meeting scheduled for Tuesday, May 12 has been postponed. Check their legistar page for updates: https://tinyurl.com/laxmtuboard (choose date: 2026).

The MTU ADA Advisory Committee meets that same day at 5:30 p.m. in person and online. For agenda and online access information, please email KoterwskiT@cityoflacrosse.org.

The LAPC Committee on Transit and Active Transportation (CTAT) is scheduled to meet on Thursday, May 14 at 3:30 p.m. in person and online. Learn more here: https://tinyurl.com/lapc-ctat

Wisconsin Transit Riders Alliance at-large committee (anyone who wants to talk about transit) will meet on May 14 at 6:30 p.m. Email LaCrosseTransitAdvocates@proton.me for access information. 

The post-SMRT group will meet on Friday, May 15 at 5:30 p.m. online. This is a grassroots group interested in finding something or things for regional transportation in 2027 and beyond. If you are interested in joining the conversation, please email or call us for the link to join.

LATA Leaders will meet on Tuesday, May 19 at 6:30 p.m. online. We will discuss SMRT and MTU issues, RTA legislation support, upcoming LATA and related events, and Week Without Driving planning. Please email or call us for the link to join.

The Assembly companion bill to RTA legislation introduced by Sen. Kelda Roys before the legislature ended its session is now out with Representatives Jill Billings and Tara Johnson as co-sponsors. It appears some issues have been fixed but others may still need attention. The new version is here: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2025/proposals/ab1178   Please thank Reps. Billings and Johnsons for being transit champions. LATA might try setting up a meeting with Sen. Pfaff about supporting regional transit. Stay tuned. 

LATA has made a new connection with the group National Campaign for Transit Justice. This group hosts a biweekly call for Rural and Small Town Transit discussions; An April 20 NCTJ call with Sarah Kline, the principal at SK Solutions, LLC, highlighted insights from a new study on “Improving Mobility in Rural and Tribal Communities.” The content was pertinent to us but we don't yet have a link to that call.

LATA members (Rozie B., Obbie K., and Cathy VM) tabled at UWL's Earthapalooza on April 22. We also provided some info for those visiting the MTU bus at the La Crosse Earth Fair on April 26. In May, we'll meet with some local students to help them learn to ride the bus.

On Wednesday, June 10, LATA will host a special Transportation Liberation ride on the SMRT from La Crosse to Viroqua. We'll meet up at about noon for lunch with Vernon County Over 50 and watch a video about living car-free by La Crosse transit advocates Obbie King and Rozie Brooks. RSVP here if you want to participate: https://tinyurl.com/SMRT-TransLib-June10. Bring your own lunch or register by June 6 for lunch provided by VCO50 (meat, veg, starch, bread). The bus arrives in Viroqua around 11 a.m. and you can decide when to return (several options).

 

SMRT - what next?

 

We have asked but haven't yet heard what La Crosse County plans to do to look at replacing the SMRT with other transportation options. Based on reporting from the Vernon Reporter, we know that the current system will not be funded beyond this year.

A grassroots group has formed to look at options. Building on the work of a 2023 group - Coulee Region Rides and Transit - the new After-SMRT group is looking at how to organize for some kind of transit that will serve all who need it going forward. There are other models out there. How can we find one that works here.

While some people--those with disabilities and seniors--have access to (limited) transportation options, even those are being cut back and may be expensive or difficult to use. We know that transportation is the spine of our society. If people can't get to work or school, if patients can't get to care, if seniors can't get to visits with friends and family, our whole community suffers. That transportation isn't prioritized among our elected leaders and decision-makers is, at least in part, a result of nearly 100 years of automobile and fossil fuel industry marketing.

But economics, health and safety, and climate action demand change.

Monday at noon, Sarah Kline will talk about a new report "Improving Mobility in Rural and Tribal Communities."  that will highlight that there are more ways to run rural transit than we might think, more ways to fund it and more potential partners. Sara is Principal at SK Solutions LLC, former Counsel to the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and former Director of Policy and Government Relations at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Here is the Zoom link. 

The next After-SMRT group meeting is tentatively scheduled for Friday, May 1 at 5:30 p.m. We will continue planning how to connect with those who can help find a way forward. If you are interested in participating, especially if you are a PdC or Tomah SMRT route user or connected with the Amish community, please contact us for join info. The meeting will be on Zoom. 

April updates

La Crosse Area Transit Advocates leader meeting will be on Tuesday, April 21 at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom. We will discuss upcoming LATA events, next steps on post-SMRT plans, Week Without Driving. If you are interested in joining us, please  email for access information.

A group of us are meeting on April 17 to look at how to advocate for something to replace the SMRT in 2027 and beyond. We are considering some kind of public program early this summer. If you would like to join the conversation, please email for more details.

We are inviting former and potential new co-sponsors of Week Without Driving to sign up for this year's event, October 1 – 8. Co-sponsors will have their name/logo on event flyers, encourage their contacts/employees to participate, and help spread the word about WWD events. If they wish, co-sponsors can also be a drop off point for WWD bingo cards, donate a prize for WWD bingo, and/or host or present a program, activity, or event during the week. In addition, they are welcome to join in on planning. If interested, please fill out this form: https://tinyurl.com/wwdlaxcosponsor. Please also share this information with other faith groups, clubs, organizations, agencies, and businesses that might be interested!

If you missed the program, Advocating for Seamless Intercity Public Transportation in Wisconsin, which was part of the March 14 Wisconsin Transit Riders Alliance annual spring meeting, you can watch online at https://youtu.be/LCAZP9OyIwM?si=3FslP1_pg4NSAs4n. Guests included Chris Ott, President, Wisconsin Association of Rail Passengers and Rep. Amaad Rivera-Wagner, a transit proponent serving in our state legislature.

During this program, we learned about the new Passenger Rail caucus in the Wisconsin state legislature and why we should encourage Representatives Tara Johnson, Jill Billings, and Steve Doyle and State Senator Brad Pfaff to join this caucus. For now, individuals are invited to email or visit with them; in future, LATA may put together a group to make a formal request. For more information about this and talking points and other suggestions, visit https://www.hsrail.org/wi-guide/

LATA will table at Earthapalooza at UWL on April 22 from 3 to 7 p.m. (tentative date/time). This is a chance to engage with UWL students and promote public transit as a primo tool for climate action. If you would like to sign up for a shift, please email.

We believe the MTU will be free on Sunday, April 26 with a slight detour in the #4 bus route to drop people at and pick people up from the southeast corner of Myrick Park (Hillview Avenue & La Crosse Street) for THE EARTH FAIR, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Get more Earth Fair information here: https://www.sustaininstitute.com/earthfairlacrosse 

The MTU has bus operator positions available. Read more about it here: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/lacrossewi/jobs/4898211/bus-operator

We expect to host a SMRT ride to Viroqua in early May. Stay tuned for details! 

The SMRT is dead. Long Live the SMRT.

 

Last fall the La Crosse County Board voted to fund the SMRT in 2026 to give time to find a more sustainable regional public transportation system.

So far, it seems little effort has been made to research those options, talk to those who rely on the SMRT, or do anything but demand a huge increase in payments from counties. 

So it was that last Wednesday night, an article in a Viroqua paper reported the Vernon County Board had been told they had to decide right away whether or not to pay a lot more in 2027 to keep the SMRT going. We don't know who decided the amounts, what they would have paid for, if any changes to the current system or any other models were considered, or who had or didn't have a role in making the plan. We had asked to be informed and involved as the process played out, but we were not. We have heard that some La Crosse County Board members didn't even know what was happening.

Of course the Vernon County Board voted to not pay the much higher amount. So, it seems, the SMRT is dead. 

But the commitment made at that La Crosse County Board vote last winter has not yet been met. There still needs to be research and effort made to find a solution. Public transit is essential, especially now that the costs of private driving are rising exponentially and global heating, driven in part by transportation emissions, is accelerating.

We don't know if those responsible are really this unimaginative or disinterested or uninformed about the importance of investing in maintaining a connected network of public transportation infrastructure. But, if the job is to find a more sustainable system, the job is not done. More work is needed.

La Crosse Area Transit Advocates is reaching out to riders, advocates, agencies, and electeds to plan next steps. We can't let this be the end. Ending things here is unacceptable. That's what we need to push for now.

If you would like to join the Zoom planning meeting in April 17 at 6 p.m., please email or text for access information. We are trying to collect more data and would like to host a public forum or town hall in late spring or early summer to bring attention to this ongoing need and illustrate that solutions are possible and must be investigated.

Saturday, 3/28 - WISARP spring meeting

 

On Saturday, March 28, 2026, WisARP will hold its Spring Membership Meeting. We’ll hold this event online, starting at 9:00 AM for a couple of hours.

—> Register Here (Free) <—

Originally, we planned to hold this event in Milwaukee. The upbeat atmosphere and connections we’ve had at recent in-person WisARP events can’t be beat!

The reason that we’ve switched this meeting to online is because nationwide No Kings rallies were announced for the same day we planned on. And the reason that we didn’t just pick another date is that WisARP’s bylaws currently require holding this meeting on the last Saturday in March (we’re working to change this for the future).

We know that some WisARP members want to attend both our membership meeting and a No Kings event because you told us, proactively—thank you. And even for those not interested in No Kings, those events have been big, bringing out tens of thousands of people in cities like Milwaukee. This would probably have caused trouble for everyone traveling to and from the WisARP meeting.

Bipartisan bill to support rural transit

Rounds Introduces Legislation to Support Rural Transit

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) introduced the Investments in Rural Transit Act, legislation that would help rural transit providers improve their services. Rural transit operators provide essential lifeline services to millions of Americans, getting them to work, school, grocery stores, medical appointments and more. Co(sponsors included Minnesota Senator Tina Smith and Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin.

“Whether you are in a big city or a rural part of our state, every Wisconsinite should have access to good public transit. Unfortunately, that is just not the case in too many places and limited transit options are a significant barrier for folks trying to get to work, the store, or the doctor,” said Baldwin. “Our bipartisan legislation will invest in rural communities so workers and families are better connected to what they need.”

Specifically, the Investments in Rural Transit Act would:

• Increase federal share for operating costs. 
• Cut red tape. Rural transit providers are often small and efficient, but federal reporting requirements and other rules add significant administrative burdens to their operations without meaningful benefit. 
• Make procurement easier. 
• Support Tribal transit agencies.

Learn more here: https://www.rounds.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/rounds-introduces-legislation-to-support-rural-transit

Email or call Senator Baldwin and thank her for supporting rural transit.