Amtrak sale

For a Limited Time: Book a Roomette, Bring a Companion for Free

Looking to upgrade your travel experience? Now through October 31, book an elevated, First Class experience in a Roomette and bring a friend along on the journey for free.

For those seeking extra space, privacy and comfort, Roomettes feature two comfortable seats that transform into upper and lower beds by night and include a big picture window, newly upgraded bedding, pillows, towels, and linens. A dedicated First Class attendant provides turndown service, assists with meals, and helps with luggage. All customers in private rooms receive complimentary lounge access at major stations, priority boarding, and complimentary meals onboard.

This flash sale is available for travel aboard several world-famous routes including: Northbound Auto Train, California Zephyr, Cardinal, City of New Orleans, Coast Starlight, Crescent, Empire Builder, Floridian, Lake Shore Limited, Silver Meteor, Silver Star, Southwest Chief, Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle.

Book by October 31, 2024 for travel November 1, 2024 - January 31, 2025. Enter code C104 on the Amtrak app. 

More details here: https://www.amtrak.com/roomsale

Bus 2 VOTE!

If you would like to bus to vote this year but aren't sure how to ride, please contact LATA (LaCrosseTransitAdvocates@proton.me or 608-315-2693) and we will send a Ride Guide to help you learn how to schedule a ride, read the maps, use the apps, and ride the bus.

In person absentee (AIP) voting begins on Tuesday, October 22. Any eligible voter may vote during hours and at locations designated by city clerks. And, what better way to get there than by bike or bus!

Here is the chart of voting times and places for City of La Crosse. If you live in a different municipality, check this La Crosse County page or contact your municipal clerk. When you vote AIP, anyone from any district may vote at the designated sites.

Your AIP ballot will be stored by your clerk, along with other absentee ballots returned in person or by mail, to be counted on election day. So, technically, this is not early voting because no votes are counted until November 5. Get more information about registering, what kind of ID to bring when you vote in person, how to request an absentee ballot, and more at https://myvote.wi.gov.

More and more voters are choosing to vote absentee in person before election day. If you work, AIP voting lets you schedule a time that works better for your schedule. You don't have to worry about not having time to get to the polls or a last minute work emergency. Some AIP voters like to go when weather is good in case weather is bad on election day. Some people get together with a group of friends for brunch and voting. Those who volunteer at the polls or in local Get Out the Vote efforts take care of their voting early so they can devote full time and attention to ensuring as many as possible vote.

Again, please contact LATA if you would like to take the bus to vote any time between October 22 and November 5.

Coulee Region Liz Fryseth!

Super activist  and LATA leader Liz Fryseth is featured in Coulee Region Women this month! Check out the article at their site!

https://www.crwmagazine.com/

More updates

Thanks to all who participated in some way in the Week Without Driving as co-sponsors or participants. Remember to turn in your WWD bingo card by October 13 to a bus driver, at the transit center, or at the city park & rec window. If anyone would like to help plan Transit Equity Days events this winter (around February 4) or next year's WWD OR if you have feedback, ideas, or suggestions, please contact us.

 

Review your WWD experience or share your ideas and complaints at https://tinyurl.com/laxwwd24Review.

LATA Leaders will meet via Zoom on Wednesday, October 9 at 5:30 p.m. Please contact us for access information. We will NOT meet in November but will meet on Wednesday, December 11 at 5:30 p.m. to plan Transit Equity Days.

And, please support this important event organized by Liz Fryseth, White Cane Safety Day, on October 15 at 8:30 a.m. at the LA Crosse City Hall Council Chambers:

White Cane Safety day was introduced by congress on October 6th 1964 designated into law on October 15th. Blindness and severe visual impairment affect approximately 109,000 Wisconsin residents and the majority of these people use travel aids. These travel aids include a white cane or service animal to get around public streets, sidewalks, and places of public accommodation. These travel aids are universally recognized as symbols representing vision loss. 

Wisconsin’s White Cane Law requires that motorists come to a full stop before approaching closer then 10 feet to a pedestrian who is using a white cane or service animal.

Greater awareness of the White Cane Law leads to safer, more attentive driving in general. Enhancing the safety of all pedestrians, including children, elders, and people with disabilities.

 

Join and support our local B/VI (Blind and Visually Impaired) community and elevate the importance of White Cane Safety Day as well as pedestrian safety year-round.

Event Details

October 15th at 8:30 a.m. at the  La Crosse City Hall Council Chambers.

Proclamation read promptly at 8:30 am by Mayor Mitch Reynolds

October updates

Take a few minutes to complete the La Crosse Area Planning Committee Transportation Survey. Take the Survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LAPC_MTP To learn more, visit the APC Website or reach out to Erin Duffer at 608-785-5597 or eduffer@lacrossecounty.org.

LATA leaders will meet on Wednesday, October 9 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. online. We are hoping Leo Strand, the city's new sustainability coordinator, will hop on for a few minutes. His job is to help the city actualize its climate action plan action steps, many related to transit. If you would like to join in, please contact us for the link to join.

Also on Oct. 9, from 5 to 6 pm, 1000 Friends of Wisconsin is hosting a FREE webinar with Daniel Herriges of the Parking Reform Network. Daniel is a guest speaker for the Kenosha Transportation Academy, and they are opening this session up to the public. Register here for the Zoom call.

We are seeking RIDE GUIDES, volunteers who can help new MTU riders learn how to use the schedule and ride the bus. We'll provide simple training. If you are interested, please sign up here: https://tinyurl.com/LATARideGuideApp

Week Without Driving. Sign up for the WWD Challenge! Even if you know you will need to drive during the week, the purpose of the exercise is to spend that time being mindful of our transportation practices and considering how non-drivers deal with similar situations. If you participate and share your WWD experience, you will be entered in a prize drawing the national organizers. https://weekwithoutdriving.org/join

Please visit the local event page to get more information about what's happening in La Crosse, download a WWD Bingo card to print (you can also get them at the Transit Center, the Libraries, and the UWL Student Union desk), and find more information about this event. https://tinyurl.com/LaXWWD24.

Free fares on MTU all week. On Tuesday, October 1 only, free fares on the SMRT buses if you have a WWD Bingo Card! And one hour free during WWD on a Drift Cycle with the special code: wwddrift.

• Monday, Sept. 30 – noon press event at city hall (please come if you can!) and at 6:30 p.m., an online book chat with bicycling and disability rights advocate, Anna Zivarts, author of “When Driving is Not an Option” and two local advocates. Register at the library's website: https://www.lacrosselibrary.org/event/hold-week-without-driving-book-talk-38097 or call 608-789-7122.

• Tuesday, Oct. 1 – 10 to 2, tabling at UWL clock tower and 3 p.m. campus area walk audit

• Wednesday, Oct. 2 – SMRT trip to Prairie du Chien (sign up at tinyurl.com/SMRT2PdCRSVP and two evening bike rides – Hear Here starts at Pearl Street Brewery at 5 p.m. and Drift Cycles ride starting at 6 p.m. at The Nature Place

• Friday, Oct. 4 – Informal Transit Talk, from 4:30 to 6 p.m., with LATA at the Cameron Park Farmers Market

• Saturday, Oct. 5 – Transit to Trails event from 9:30 (new time) to 11:40 a.m. with Coulee Region Sierra Club (register at tinyurl.com/CRSC-T2TRegister) and, at 12:30 p.m., Teaching Safe Bicycling clinic hosted by Wisconsin Bike Fed at the Black River Beach Neighborhood Center (free)

Wisconsin Association of Rail Passengers (WisARP) will hold its fall meeting in La Crosse on Saturday, October 26. LAPC's Erin Duffer is one of the featured speakers! You may attend in person or online. There will be more information about the Borealis and about other rail connections being planned in our state and region. Learn more at https://wisarp.wordpress.com/category/events/

While the Minnesota DOT survey about regional rail is closed, you are still able to submit comments with a letter or email to MnDOT (MNRailPlan@state.mn.gov). Read more about it at https://www.minnpost.com/community-voices/2024/09/regional-rail-could-transform-minnesotas-cities-now-is-the-time-to-act/

Early (absentee in person) voting for the November 5 election begins in La Crosse on October 22. Find out when and where you can vote in the city at https://www.cityoflacrosse.org/your-government/departments/city-clerk/elections-and-voting/vote-absentee and check your registration and other voting details at https://myvote.wi.gov Check out this discussion about Project 2025 and public transit with Beth Osborne of Transportation for America. https://usa.streetsblog.org/2024/07/23/podcast-gops-project-2025-is-a-wreck-for-sustainable-transportation