Our meeting ... next steps

Five of us met at the library and talked about ideas for improving ridership on public transit. I talked to the public transportation subcommittee of the Sustainable La Crosse commission about getting together with LATA members and public transit riders as they consider priorities for this year. I am also hoping to set up a March meeting with Jim Krueger, interim director of the MTU. As soon as something is set up I will contact you.

In the meantime, at today's Clean Cars Campaign press conference, Mayor Kabat said that the city is looking at buying some ELECTRIC buses and adding to its fleet of hybrids. That's good news.

And here's a great article about YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK trying to lure Chicagoans to Wisconsin by dissing their wonderful public transportation system. Not going so well. What could that $1 million plus ad budget have done to improve public transit here?

Chicagoans to Wisconsin: Thanks but no thanks. We'll take the train.

New resource for transit advocates

from T4A (Transportation for America)

Fight for your ride! 

New guide for transit advocates available today

Transportation for America's new guidebook, Fight For Your Ride: An advocate’s guide for improving & expanding transit, offers local advocates and transit champions practical advice for making real improvements to public transit. Drawing examples from successful campaigns and reform efforts in small, medium, and large cities across the country, the guide illuminates effective ways to speed up transit, expand its reach, and improve service for riders. It offers tactical lessons on building a coalition, developing an effective message, and organizing a campaign for better transit in your community.

Get your free copy right here.

Join us this Thursday for the launch

Hear two stories directly from local advocates 

Register now and join us at 2 p.m. EST this Thursday for the guide's launch webinar. Karen Rindge, Executive Director of WakeUP Wake County, will share the story of how a broad coalition led a campaign to pass long-awaited new funding to expand transit in Wake County, NC, part of the Raleigh-Durham metro area. And we'll hear from Houston METRO board member Christof Spieler, who led the effort to reimagine and redraw Houston's bus network to provide faster, more convenient bus service to more riders. In addition, we will walk through the new guidebook and show how you can use the guide’s case studies to shape your own successful campaigns.

Share this guide!

Spread the word on your social networks

Second try

Last year we hoped to get a LA Crosse Area Transit Advocates group started under the state Wisconsin Transit Riders Alliance. Unfortunately, we are all too busy! and it was hard to find a meeting time.

Here we are one year later and this year we will get going because transit needs our support and advocacy!

Our first meeting will be on February 12 at 5:30 p.m. in the Trustees Room of the La Crosse Public Library.  We'll briefly discuss goals for the year,  talk about future meetings,  and see some inspiring slides of public transportation in the UK and Netherlands.

If you can't make the meeting, there will be others.  If you are interested in joining,  please let me know and we'll email you with a schedule once set.

In the meantime,  consider attending the WTRA annual meeting on Monday,  April 30 at the Madison Public Library. Public transportation in La Crosse will be on the agenda with guest speaker,  Jackie Eastwood,  La Crosse County Transportation Planner. Here's the flyer.