Plenty of challenges in bringing bus rapid transit to Madison
Plenty of challenges in bringing bus rapid transit to Madison
By Dean Mosiman, Wisconsin State Journal
“Hoping to finally realize a transportation initiative that has been in the planning stages for a number of years, city officials are moving toward implementing a bus rapid transit system.
But dropping a faster, more efficient people mover into the middle of a densely developed city will be a daunting challenge. With little capacity to expand streets, Madison will have to make hard choices about whether to trade some on-street parking or regular traffic lanes for dedicated bus routes.
It will also be costly. An initial route roughly from East Towne to West Towne malls will require a capital outlay of $80 million to $100 million — plans call for much of that to come through federal funding — and could cost about $3 million annually to run.
On the benefit side of the ledger, supporters say, BRT would boost capacity for Metro Transit, cut travel times, serve as a catalyst for economic development, contribute to energy and carbon reductions, and provide a more equitable transit system because low-income people and minorities are most affected by long travel times.
Bus rapid transit, or BRT, is a high-frequency, high-capacity, limited-stop service that would run on city streets and dedicated lanes. It would use snazzier, 60-foot-long buses that bend at the center and have low floors, three doors and technology to extend green lights and other traffic signal improvements. Stations would be equipped with concrete platforms, shelters, benches and lighting, ticket vending machines, real-time bus information, bike racks and perhaps heating…”