First, THANK YOU! to those who participated in our Transit Equity Days programming,
January 29 through February 4. We had positive feedback, good media
coverage, and increased ridership. We were also fortunate to have the
opportunity to speak about transit with several elected leaders from
our area. Our event
page has been updated with links to programs and media stories.
If you missed the Transit to Trails webinar, you can view it at https://www.facebook.com/SierraClubWI/videos/1823149808147267/
PLEASE
SIGN OUR VIRTUAL THANK YOU CARD
to our area public transportation entities is still live; we'd like
more signers! www.kudoboard.com/boards/GqNjtDaZ
The February 5
national TED live stream was great and included lots of great
information and news. You can watch it at the Labor Network for
Sustainability YouTube channel:
https://www.labor4sustainability.org/transit-equity-2024/livestream/
The
LNS also offers regular programs on different transit-related topics.
Just recently a local transit advocated participated in their
Disability in Transit webinar. The link for that is not yet
available.
America
Walks has put together a very important letter to elected leaders in
Washington, DC, asking them to redirect transportation funding from
highway expansions to maintaining existing roads and highways,
improving public transit, and invest in communities that have been
harmed by highway construction and expansion. It is signed by 195
organizations (8 from Wisconsin). PLEASE
SIGN THE ACTION ALERT and
encourage others to act. For more details, view the action toolkit.
Three bills you can help promote:
Sen. Markey's Green Streets bill directs
the Department of Transportation (DOT) to establish the Transit to
Trails Grant Program to award grants to certain entities (e.g., states,
local governments, and metropolitan planning organizations) for projects
that increase transportation access and mobility to public lands,
waters, parkland, monuments, or recreational opportunities for
critically underserved communities.
Senator Booker's Transit to Trails Act directs
the Department of Transportation (DOT) to establish the Transit to
Trails Grant Program to award grants to certain entities (e.g., states,
local governments, and metropolitan planning organizations) for
projects that increase transportation access and mobility to public
lands, waters, parkland, monuments, or recreational opportunities for
critically underserved communities.
1000
Friends of Wisconsin hosted a webinar last week about TheFuture of Passenger Rail in Wisconsin. Passenger rail is an important link to connect the local to the world. Plans for new rail and accompanying feeder bus service can make a huge difference in how we get around. (Still no public transit from Eau Claire to La Crosse, though!)
Our
one-hour LATA leaders meeting is this coming
Wednesday, February 14, at 5:30 p.m. online.
We will talk about TED and take notes for next year's event plus
start planning for our spring SMRT 2 Viroqua ride and talk about our
Ride with a Guide program. If you are interested in attending, please email for the link. If you'd like to officially join LATA, please
fill out this form (free
this year).
The
Wisconsin Sierra Club's monthly Transportation
Equity and Access Team will meet next
Wednesday, February 14 at 10 a.m. If you are a Sierra Club member (or
want
to join), it's a great way to work with others from around the
state on fair and equitable transportation budgets, processes, and
systems. Learn more here:
https://act.sierraclub.org/actions/Wisconsin?actionId=AR0319098
The
MTU Board will meet on February 20 from 4 to 5 p.m.
online and in person at City Hall. The meeting is open to members of
the public. Meeting details are not yet available but can be found at
https://cityoflacrosse.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx
On
February 21 at 7:30 p.m., join a free one-hour “Transit
Activism Training: How to make your transit fantasies reality”
with Carter Lavin, a
climate and transit advocate from California and Hayden Clarkin
(@the_transit_guy). Learn
more and register here.
The
Wisconsin
Transit Riders Alliance annual meeting will be on March 9 from 10
a.m.
to noon. It's open to all. The first hour is a public program with
guest Dave Steele, Executive Director of MobiliSE, a Milwaukee area
non-profit that operates FlexRide, a microtransit system that gets
people from Milwaukee to area jobs. FlexRide
is an outgrowth of a civil rights suit against WisDOT’s highway
expansion program of about a decade ago and uses a pot of money that
is separate from that of the regular bus system but the funding
sources are ending soon. The talk is called MobiliSE:
Addressing Immediate Needs, Focused on Long Term Solutions.
From 11 to noon, the annual business meeting will take place. You can
register here for the program and/or the meeting:
tinyurl.com/WTRA0324
The
Wisconsin
Association of Rail Passengers' spring meeting will be on April 6
in Wisconsin Dells. Details aren't yet available but you can get
updates at
their website
and we will update at ours when things are firmed up. For the past
few years, they have offered an online option.
Finally, we are looking for people and organizations interested in planning for a Week Without Driving in late September/early October. Please email us if you are interested!
