Monday, September 29, 2025

Save the SMRT

We have a new page: https://lacrosseata.blogspot.com/p/save-smrt.html where we will update information about plans for the SMRT system. Please check it out and do what you can!

This page will have links, info, and updates about the potential ending of SMRT service and how transit advocates can encourage decision-makers to keep it.

We will update as new information is available.

For now, sign the petition at https://tinyurl.com/savethesmrt

Download one to print and circulate at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe9w0vB3BWBA3bAF7ih5dqw0broTMK7Kg1HWNoag0uAMW3XVw/viewform?usp=preview

In addition to signing the petition, 

We have heard that opportunities for the most impactful public input will be at the following meetings
  • October 8 at 8 a.m. before the Board's Executive Committee
  • November 5 at 8 a.m. before the Board's Executive Committee
  • November 10 at 5 p.m. before the full County Board
We were told that public comment can take place at any meeting where there is that option specified on the agenda and where the agenda includes something about SMRT.

In all cases, there are ONLINE OPTIONS for attending county board meetings, though there may not always be an online option to speak at the meetings.

Meeting agendas are published a couple of days in advance. If there are other meetings you speak at, we'll update this list.

Anyone wishing to help put a talking points document together can email our group or call 608-315-2693.


Sunday, September 28, 2025

Week Without Driving is HERE!

WEEK WITHOUT DRIVING is a way for us to consider what life could be like if our plans, our priorities, our public space, our budgets were managed with ALL people, including up to a third of our neighbors, in mind.

Check out the event page at https://tinyurl.com/WWDLaCrosse for all the events and details. Here are some special notes about events and actions you can take this week and going forward to make life accessible for everyone--children going to the library, workers going to a job, seniors going to the doctor,  going to class, someone with a disability going to lunch with friends, someone who can't afford a car going to the park with their kids.

PLEASE CONTACT YOUR CITY COUNCIL MEMBER AND ASK HER/HIM TO RIDE THE BUS WITH YOU and tell them your personal transportation story. So far, only ONE city council rep. has signed up to ride with non-drivers and/or bus advocates. You can find your council person and contact information here: https://www.cityoflacrosse.org/your-government/city-council/city-council-members  If you are not sure which district you are in, here's the current Aldermanic Districts map. Especially if you are a non-driver, your experience and telling your story to decision-makers is VERY important!

PLEASE CONTACT YOUR COUNTY BOARD REPRESENTATIVE AND ASK HER/HIM TO RIDE THE BUS WITH YOU, too. So far,only ONE county board rep has signed up to ride during WWD. Your county board rep can be found here:  https://lacrossecounty.org/countyboard/members  While the MTU is a city-run service, it also serves some surrounding communities but not all. Most importantly, the MTU is not great at serving regional transportation connections like the airport (only limited weekday hours and you have to request a route deviation) and Amtrak (no service within 1/4 mile of the station). In addition, some important workplace/business areas have very limited service including the industrial parks. 

Electeds may sign up here: https://tinyurl.com/wwdlaxleaderridesignup

PLEASE SIGN OUR "SAVE THE SMRT" PETITION! Sign the online form OR download, print, and circulate a paper petition. DEADLINE: OCTOBER 28.

On September 8 at a La Crosse County Board planning meeting, the La Crosse County Administrator presented a plan to cut the SMRT bus at the end of 2025 citing "low ridership" and budget deficits. We are gathering more information about the process but, at this time, we believe not enough information and marketing has been done over the past several years to let people know there even IS a SMRT bus system, not enough public outreach has been done to invite riders' thoughts, and not enough research has been done about possible other funding sources and other transportation options. 

If you are interested in helping to organize, collect information, reach out to decision-makers about this, please contact LATA. 

Remember to Fill Out Your WWD Bingo card to be entered into a prize drawing. Also, those who take the national WWD survey may be entered into a prize drawing.









Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Week Without Driving - coming soon!

WEEK WITHOUT DRIVING IS COMING SOON!

If you are able, join us at City Hall on Tuesday, September 23 at 9 a.m. when we'll hold a press event to officially kick-off Week Without Driving (WWD) in La Crosse

The Week itself won't start until October 28, but we want to give people time to think about signing up for the WWD experience (spending a week without driving a car), and to plan their trips. We also wanted to avoid Oktoberfest (Sept. 25 through 28).

La Crosse Mayor Shaundel Washington-Spivey will speak along with the MTU's Adam Lorentz and a stellar line-up of local non-drivers. The event should end by 9:30.

Please come if you can and show your support for WWD and for better transportation options and access for everyone!

Check out the WWD La Crosse web page at https://tinyurl.com/WWDLaCrosse for more details.

Here's a flyer for you to share. More versions are available at the web page


 

Tuesday, September 9, 2025

RED ALERT - SMRT

At the September 8 La Crosse County Planning Committee meeting, County Associate Administrator Sara Koopman recommended ending the Scenic Mississippi Regional Transit system at the end of 2025. 

There is a current budget shortfall (I don't think the cause was noted) and ridership is declining over the past two years. Among the 13 daily buses, three to Tomah, three to Prairie du Chien, and seven to Viroqua, there's been an average of 33 riders per day. 

Emplify (formerly Gundersen) employees make up the largest group of riders. Emplify is one of the business sponsors of SMRT. Other riders include workers and patients of Mayo, WTC and UWL students and fac/staff, members of the Amish communities, those going to the Amtrak station, youth, older people, and families. Some SMRT riders do not drive cars.

The SMRT system started in December 2012. This site provides a brief account of its origins. And here (at 36:55) is Peter Fletcher, at the time, head of the La Crosse Area Planning Committee, talking about the SMRT at the 2022 annual meeting of the Wisconsin Transit Riders Alliance.

We don't have the Sept. 8 presentation recording link yet but will post it when it's available.

Low and falling ridership and the high per-rider cost were provided as reasons to end the service. There was no research presented about why ridership was declining (Might fare increases in 2024 and 2025 have played a role?)

LATA has been promoting SMRT for several years including hosting group rides. Over the past couple of years, our group has sent suggestions to SMRT administrators to improve the rider experience, marketing, rider information, and infrastructure. To be honest, the system is not set up to invite new riders. In La Crosse, some pick up spots are not marked or the wrong spot is marked. There's little information on SMRT signs about which buses come when and where they go. There's no route map. There's little information about how to request a special drop off or how to find out if the bus is delayed. We don't know what kind of outreach has been done to employers, but we have not seen any local or social media advertising for SMRT. We don't know what outreach is being done to encourage regional economic development groups, tourism groups, and others to co-sponsor.

For older riders and those with disabilities, there are other options, but these are clunky, sometimes requiring that you set up a ride a day or more in advance, and expensive. On our group rides on the SMRT, we've encountered older people and their grandchildren going to visit family members or going to medical appointments, youth going to jobs, students going to classes, nondriving elders going shopping, Amish families going to the Amtrak station, and patients going for treatments. Without the SMRT, they will need to rely on less safe private car travel if they can get a ride from a friend or family member, or just skip the trip.

Earlier this year, Delta airlines required a large payment to consider bringing a route back to the La Crosse Regional Airport, a facility where other airlines already provide service. The county coughed up $250,000 for this fund with little discussion. 

The La Crosse Area Planning Committee is currently doing a study of Regional Transit Authorities, banned in Wisconsin since the Walker administration, and other options for funding and operating regional public transit. This move to end our regional transit before these options have been examined and, it seems, without considering other operating models or possibilities, seems premature.

There will be a presentation about the RTA study at the September 11 Committee on Transit and Active Transportation meeting at 3:30 p.m. in person and online (view agenda and access link here: https://www.lacrossecounty.org/docs/default-source/metropolitan-planning-organization/ctat-9-11-25-agenda-packet.pdf?sfvrsn=e58c849e_1

Please consider contacting your county board representative and letting her/him/them know that you believe regional public transit is an essential service and that the county should do more to identify ways to increase sponsorship and ridership, should do more to seek temporary funds to fill current gaps, should do more to improve outreach and marketing, and should do more to center low-income riders and nondrivers in transportation decisions.

This is exactly the reason we are promoting Week Without Driving, September 29-October 5. Most times, decisions about transportation projects, priorities, and budgets are made by drivers with (only) drivers in mind. A 14 year old needs to get around. A family that can't afford a car needs to get around. A person who can't get a driver's license needs to get around. Businesses need employees. We need to reduce the numbers of private vehicles spewing emissions, pollution, and plastic particles. We need safer, less expensive transportation options for rural residents.

We will post more about the timeline for making the final decision as soon as we can. For now, please contact your county board representative and ask them to protect regional public transportation. Find out who that is here: https://www.lacrossecounty.org/countyboard/members

And, consider signing up for the Transit 2 Trails ride from La Crosse to Coon Valley on the SMRT bus as part of Week Without Driving on Tuesday morning, September 30 (sign up here: https://tinyurl.com/crsct2twwd

And consider signing up to watch FREE TO RIDE at the La Crosse Public Library on Tuesday, September 20 at 5 p.m.