April opportunities for advocacy!

On Tuesday, April 18, AARP will host Jonathon Stalls (@pedestriandignity on Instagram and TikTok) for Pedestrian Dignity Experiences throughout Wisconsin in April. Pedestrian Dignity events center the lived experience of all who walk, use a wheelchair and take transit as their primary form of transportation. We will move with the many gaps and opportunities facing all who walk, roll and use the bus in car-dominated built environments. Participants will be invited to connect to one another around pedestrian behavior related to practical trips (origins/destinations) and co-create solutions and next steps around what can be done to protect, honor and care for today's pedestrian. All who are involved in policy or planning that affect the daily lives of people that walk or roll are invited to attend.

The 90-minute Pedestrian Dignity Experience in La Crosse will begin at 10 a.m. at The Eagle Watch Area on Rose Street just north of W. Gregory Street.

LATA encourages everyone who is able to attend this event. It's a great chance to discuss sidewalk and pavement conditions (especially crosswalks!), crossing infrastructure (the stress-inducing 5 second crossing light sprint), bus routes and connections with important spaces (this starting site is not adjacent to a bus stop, for example), and more. We can also discuss event timing since the 9:42 bus arrives at the start destination five minutes after the start time!

Please join us on the #6 bus leaving the Grand River Station Transit Center at 9:12 to participate in this important event!

On April 30 LATA will table at the La Crosse Earth Fair from 11 to 4 at Myrick Park. We will be in the lower parking lot (near the Marsh Trailhead and the Rod and Gun Shelter) next to the MTU e-bus.

Can you help staff the table? Mostly, it's talking to people about taking the bus--how to figure out the route map, why it's a good thing to do, what you like about being a bus rider. If you can help out for an hour or more, please email LaCrosseTransitAdvocate@proton.me.

We are finalizing details about our May Ride the Apple Express outing to La Crescent on the #10 bus. We'll take the bus to La Crescent, have lunch together, maybe with some La Crescent bus advocates (do you have a fav place to eat? Let us know!) and then come back to La Crosse. The hourly service works well with this plan. Stay tuned!

We are finalizing another initiative, this one to track the use of audible stop announcements, recorded or called by the driver. Not only are these required by the Americans with Disabilities Act to help blind and visually impaired individuals find their stops, they are also useful for new riders, tourists, and those who might have trouble seeing where the bus is at night (especially buses that have wrappers over the windows and interior lights on) or on a crowded bus. We hope to roll this out later in April or early in May.