Wyndham Manning

Related event: Transit and Parking Commission meeting, Jan 13, 6pm. On the agenda: reconsideration of denial of fare increase.

The Madison Metro bus system, for all of it’s misgivings, is a great asset to our community and does a good job at getting riders around a pretty significant geographic region fairly efficiently. Even this morning with all of the snow on the roads my bus was only a few minutes behind schedule. But there are still a number of barriers that make me reluctant to use it as my primary mode of transportation. With Metro in the news a lot recently, between the Mayor and Metro management’s proposal to raise fairs from $1.50 to $2.00 and the ensuing battle with the Transit and Parking Commission, now is a good time to start thinking about ways to encourage more riders to use the system and work away some of that deficit. Here are some observations and suggestions for ways I would improve Metro:

• Google Transit integration. With Google setting up shop in Madison there is no reason not to integrate public transit options into the maps and directions like other cities have already done. Metro’s website, while usable, can be extremely intimidating for the uninitiated.
• More room/options for bikes. Obviously not so much a problem in the winter, but there are times in the summer when I ride into work in the morning on my bike and then, either due to poor weather or mechanical issues, would need to catch the bus home. Buses only carry two or three bikes without the option to bring them onboard, so it is questionable whether I am even be able to get a ride home unless I ditch the ride and try again the next day.
• Have a line between the airport and downtown. Seriously, how has this not already happened?
• Focus on the main arteries. To get to work on University in Middleton, the 70 goes down University for a while and then takes a diversion through a few neighborhoods before popping back out onto University Avenue maybe a half mile down. Because of this, it doubles what should be a 15 minute trip into a trip that takes as long as it takes me to ride by bike. The bus is usually empty for that portion of the ride. I’m not suggesting to neglect the neighborhoods, but rather look into bus rapid transit systems for the main arteries and a more sophisticated feeder bus system servicing the neighborhoods.
• Heat lamps. It is damn miserable waiting outside for 10 minutes for a bus to come in the negative temps. Make them solar powered, charging a battery during the day, with a button and timer on it so it isn’t running all the time.
• Make the politicians use it. I guarantee you that if more people who had the ultimate decision on what to do with Metro ditched their cars and actually used it as their primary mode of transportation that the ideas would come pretty fast.