May Updates

Please take some time to review the draft chapters of the updated La Crosse Comprehensive Plan. You can find them here: https://forwardlacrosse.org/ At least be sure to review the Transportation section. It seems like every new plan that comes out includes, “increase transit ridership,” as a goal, yet we have yet to see any funding increases proposed to help do that. Increasing ridership will not happen with half- or one-hour service that ends relatively early on weekends and misses many important public facilities, job centers, and neighborhoods. Our comments are important. Please do this one thing if nothing else. DEADLINE: MAY 15!

LATA is collecting some data and you can help. Did you know stop announcements (either recorded or by the driver) are required by the Americans with Disabilities Act? Not every stop must be announced, but it is required for transfer points, major intersections and destinations, and points along a route sufficient to help riders with visual impairments be oriented on the route. We want to know if there are gaps in this important service and you can help. Though the end of this month, when you ride the bus, please pay attention to stop announcments. If you can, note which ones you hear. Fill out the form at https://tinyurl.com/LATAStopTest for every ride you remember to keep track. We'd also like you to note if a stop is unintelligible, too soft to hear, or too late to do any good. Let's see what happens!

Join us on Saturday, May 20 (NOT 21!) for a little trip on the Apple Express. We'll leave the La Crosse Transit Center at 10:42 and land in La Crescent, Minnesota a bit after 11. We'll have lunch together and then return on our own (last hourly service leaves La Crescent at 3:42). There's no official sign up, but you could email LaCrosseTransitAdvocates@proton.me if you have a suggestion for lunch location.

For the past several weeks, Susan Gaeddert of 1000 Friends of Wisconsin has led a Community Transportation Academy at UWL, with a look at many aspects of transportation and advocacy. There will be a program about the academy, including a few local participants, next Wednesday, May 17 at noon. Learn more and register for the link here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYsfu6urTgsHtX3BMmz2PnXO87HT1yW2DRl#/registration

We will table at Juneteenth this year! The Juneteenth event is on Sunday, June 18 at Riverside Park. If you could be at our table for an hour or two, please email or call 608-315-2693. The event begins at noon and ends at 7 p.m. You're going anyway! So, please consider spending some time at the LATA table talking about the importance of public transportation. Please let us know when you are available.