In a surprise to no one, ridership is down on the Milwaukee County Transit bus routes. As the Journal Sentinel reports it, ridership is down 9% this year and is at a 35-year low.

While the usual suburban suspects on right wing talk radio will no doubt giggle with glee over the numbers, the fact is that a strong mass transit system is critical to any metropolitan area just as it has been for the last 100 years.

So what makes Milwaukee unique in this area when other mass transit systems are seeing increased usage because of the recession? It’s simple, we’re cutting routes and raising fares. That’s a damaging combination to any service provider.

If you take an example outside of mass transit, the same would hold true. If Midwest Airlines were to cut the number of routes it offers and raised it’s fares by 50%, it would also see a decrease in ridership and go out of business.

Meanwhile, a year and a half since voters in Milwaukee County approved a sales tax for transit (along with parks and EMS services) we still have a bunch of politicians in Madison debating the same tired talking points they’ve been at for years. While mass transit doesn’t affect how they get to work or school, it sure does to hundreds of thousands of people here in Milwaukee.

Those in charge should get to work on addressing mass transit funding so the rest of Milwaukee can too.

More good news on the transit front; ridership on the Amtrak between Milwaukee and Chicago was up in December.

An Amtrak spokesman says more poeple are deciding to skip the crowded highways and take the train to Chicago. Ridership on the Hiawatha service from Milwaukee was up eight percent in December when compared to the year before.  – Pierce County Herald

Ironically, just this morning I heard yet another conservative talk show radio host make the tired blanket statement that commuter rail like the Kensha-Racine-Milwaukee (KRM) line is a waste because “NO ONE WILL RIDE IT@!@!#!“.

Apparently the people who are riding it – in steadily increasing numbers I might add – didn’t get the memo.

The Quality of Life Alliance, a group I’m a part of, released the following press release today asking for the Joint Finance Committee to include the voter approved 1% sales tax for Milwaukee County in the upcoming budget.

For the sake of our Park System, Transit, and Emergency Medical Systems, we are asking the Joint Finance Committee to include in the next State budget what the citizens of Milwaukee County have already approved: a one percent sales tax increase that will provide sustainable, dedicated funding for Parks, Transit and EMS.

“Please don?t continue to allow the voices of the 400,000 people who voted in November?s referendum to be ignored”, remarked Cheri Briscoe of Sierra Club-Great Waters Group and Quality of Life Alliance member. The referendum was advisory and requires action from the state to be enacted.

“Our Milwaukee County Park System, once proud and strong, is now limping along with an ever decreasing staff to perform daily maintenance and a log of deferred maintenance for its facilities of nearly $275 million,” added Jim Goulee, a QLA member who is also on the Board of Directors for Preserve our Parks.

This group’s attempt to gain local legislative support for enabling legislation from our state legislators was unfortunately, a tough sell. The Governor instead inserted the creation of RTA for Milwaukee, Kenosha, and Racine and funded by a sales and use tax in his proposed budget, leaving out any support for Milwaukee County Parks.

It is now becoming apparent that the proposal for the creation of the Southeastern Wisconsin RTA is not finding the necessary support from the Joint Finance Committee and may not be included in their version of the state budget. Instituting the sales tax increase in Milwaukee County would, in fact, provide the source of funding needed for a Milwaukee County RTA and could easily accommodate a broader RTA if and when it is created.

“Milwaukee County needs property tax relief and we need a solution to our looming transit and parks crisis,” commented County Supervisor Chris Larson, Quality of Life Alliance spokesperson. “Milwaukee County needs the 1% sales tax that was passed in referendum nearly months ago. Property tax payers can?t wait any longer, transit riders can?t wait, any longer, and all our neighbors who love our parks shouldn?t have to wait any longer to see these problems fixed.”

Quality of Life Alliance (QLA) is a grassroots organization made up of representing a wide swatch of Milwaukee County?s concerned citizens set out to improve our community for a stronger future. Members of the Quality of Life Alliance include transit riders, union leaders, parks supporters, and business men and women, and everyday citizens who are deeply concerned about the future of Milwaukee County and all of Southeastern Wisconsin. Quality of Life Alliance provided the advocacy effort that led to the passage of the sales tax/property tax relief referendum last November. The Quality of Life Alliance is a registered political action committee based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

It’s important the members of the Joint Finance Committee understand the importance of this dedicated funding source to the regions well being for decades to come. All we’re asking is to let the voices of the people of Milwaukee County be heard on this issue.

If you know any of the members of the JFC from the Milwaukee area like Rep. Tamara Grigsby, Rep. Pedro Colon, Sen. Lena Taylor or Sen. Alberta Darling, please contact them to voice your support.

Another major business leader in Southeastern Wisconsin is advocating for improved mass transit in the region, including a KRM line:

Ready to go is the KRM commuter rail project, which can provide access to a more talented workforce, a larger base of successful and growing businesses and a competitive position in the growing global economy. Public transit also offers advantages for low-income families, reducing their costs of commuting by as much as 65 percent. This not only lifts a major burden from property tax payers and citizens, but also strengthens the local economy through these families’ increased purchasing power. – Robert Mariano, CEO of Roundy’s Supermakets

I’ll point it out again, but the number of people who are opposed to mass transit in the region is steadily decreasing as more and more people start to see the benefits that a solid mass transit component bring to the overall well being of a region.

I’m also glad to see others are starting to catch on to something I’ve been talking about for yearsnow: the need for Milwaukee to be prepared for the 2016 Olympic games being held 70  miles to the south. We need to be prepared to take advantage of the once in a lifetime economic boom and attention to all that Milwaukee has to offer that the Olympics would bring.

Efficient and reliable mass transit is a big piece of that.