WisARP annual meeting March 27

The Wisconsin Association of Rail Passengers will meet online this year:

Due to the pandemic and restrictions on the size of meetings, the WisARP spring meeting will be held as a Zoom videoconference. The meeting will be March 27th, from 9:00 am until Noon. Tune in and get the latest Amtrak and WisDOT news. Speakers will include Arun Rao, Passenger Rail Manager for WisDOT. 

IMPORTANT: If you plan to attend, please contact the WisARP chair. The Zoom license has a participation limit and we need to know if we will need to increase that limit. Thanks.

LATA Celebrates TRANSIT EQUITY DAY

On National Transit Equity Day, the La Crosse Area Transit Advocates join hundreds of others organizations and individuals around the country in celebrating the importance of accessible, affordable, useful public transportation in our communities and region.

In honor of this day, the La Crosse MTU is reminding riders about the historic struggle, led by Rosa Parks, to desegregate the Montgomery, Alabama public transportation system. 

Recognizing the importance of public transportation for access, equity and our environment, the Coulee Region Sierra Club has passed a resolution committing to support, at the federal, state and local levels, legislation that will increase public transportation funding, eliminate or reduce fares for certain populations, increase access for those with disabilities, increase public transportation and related infrastructure union jobs that prioritize hiring of the economically disadvantaged, people of color, those from communities underserved by public transportation, and people from other marginalized communities.

Our current transit-advocate mayor will be leaving this spring, so La Crosse Area Transit Advocates reached out to candidates wishing to replace him with a seven-question survey about local and regional public transportation. So far only four five candidates--Katherine Blanchard, Martin Gaul, Jessica Olson, Mitch Reynolds and Samuel Schneider--have responded. We'll update the response page if we receive more candidates' comments. Read the responses here and contact and follow up with candidates who did and did not respond. Let them know how important public transportation is to you and why you want them to be strong transit advocates and prioritize improving local and regional public transportation. If you need more reasons, read the Transit Equity Day Principles and watch the Community Hearing livestream.

Join us this year to grow and strengthen LATA so we can ensure that public transportation is included in budget and planning priorities as the new year unfolds. Help us plan programs, talk to elected leaders, organize events, and work with our state partners in the Wisconsin Transit Riders Alliance.

MTU Celebrates Transit Equity Day, February 4

 

 The City of La Crosse MTU would like to invite you to participate in Transit Equity Day on Thursday February 4^th, 2021.

 

For the past four years on February 4, a network of transit rider unions, community organizations, environmental groups and labor unions have organized Transit Equity Day–a national day of action to commemorate the birthday of Rosa Parks by declaring that public transit is a civil right. Rosa is an iconic figure of the civil rights era who chose the tactic of refusing to give up her seat on the bus to demand an end to segregation in the Montgomery, Alabama, transit system. We make the connection to this act of resistance to highlight the rights of all people to high-quality public transportation run on clean/renewable energy.

The MTU will Honor Rosa Parks by reserving one seat on each bus by placing the poster shown (left) along with a single rose.

Mayoral Candidates Survey coming on February 4!

Thanks to everyone who submitted questions for the mayoral candidate survey. We are beginning to receive responses and will publish all here on NATIONAL TRANSIT EQUITY DAY - February 4.

Also, mark your calendar for our MARCH event! New State Senator Brad Pfaff will join us for an online Talking Transit hour on Thursday, March 18 at 6 p.m. More details soon! 

We are in the process of finalizing our relationship with Wisconsin Transit Riders Alliance which will give us a new web address and other benefits. Right now we are not set up to accept membership donations, so for 2021, membership will be FREE! Please consider joining us, so we can grow our group, increase our reach, and strengthen our advocacy efforts.

Thank you, Bridget, for our new logo and banner!

National Transit Equity Days, February 3 and 4

 

NATIONAL TRANSIT EQUITY DAYS

FEBRUARY 3 AND 4, 2021

HERE’S WHAT’S PLANNED:

The Community Hearing on Transit Equity: A National Conversation

Wednesday, February 3 and Thursday, February 4, 2021 

Open for public participation, the Community Hearing will feature testimonies from workers and riders who depend on transit. Community and labor organizers will act as hearing facilitators. Our goals are 1) to develop a vision and platform for transportation rooted in the experience of those who are most dependent on public transit; and 2) to influence the hearts and minds of decision makers, who play an important role in the survival of robust public transportation systems. We need to guarantee workers and riders from all walks of life have safe, affordable and reliable means of transportation to get to where they need to be, when they need to be there, without struggle, financial stress or prejudice.

Transit Equity Day of Action

Thursday, February 4, 2021

We will continue to lift up the grassroots local and state-level actions that take place on February 4, Ms. Rosa Parks’ birthday,  demanding that local officials address the  need for fiscal support of safe, equitable and affordable public transit that supports a climate-safe economy. As with prior Transit Equity Days, we are choosing Rosa Parks’ birthday because she is an iconic figure among many of the civil rights era who chose the tactic of refusing to give up her seat on the bus. We want to make the connection between this act of resistance and the rights of all people to high-quality public transportation powered by clean/renewable energy.

Visit the website for more details, ideas for action, tools to spread the word, and more!

 

Ask the mayor (candidates)

There are officially  ten candidates for mayor. We would like to compile a questionnaire about transit issues for mayoral candidates and release results on February 4, National Transit Equity Day.

Our current mayor is a strong public transportation supporter and a bus rider. We would like to make sure that we know where candidates stand on this important public service.

If you have suggestions for questions, please COMPLETE THIS FORM or email mtufriends at hotmail