RTA's Draft principles for regional transit plan

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Draft principles for regional transit plan


RTA Board Chairman Dick Wagner drafted the following 10 points as a starting point for creating a regional transit plan. A final version will eventually include detailed financial information.

1. Expand Transit to a truly regional service using existing providers and selected new providers where needed.

2. Provide financially secure base for existing transit service and remove present transit costs from property tax being paid by citizens of Madison, Middleton, Fitchburg, Shorewood Hills, Town of Madison, Monona, Sun Prairie, Stoughton and Dane County (within RTA for elderly and specialized services).

3. Elements of regional service in the future will include express bus service from many parts of the region for prime commute times and may include Sun Prairie, Fitchburg, Stoughton, Middleton, Verona, Cottage Grove, Waunakee and McFarland.

4. Elements of regional service will include park and ride lots to access express routes and park and ride lots to access other mid-region locations for transit to reduce core congestion trips yet riders can chain errands with their overall trip.

5. Elements of regional service will include improved elderly and specialized transit for the RTA area.

6. Elements of regional service may include new types of service to be determined by the RTA like Bus Rapid Transit and Commuter Rail as analysis of their feasibility continues.

7. Elements of regional service will include a comprehensive fare system permitting differential rates and easy transfers across providers.

8. Elements of regional service will include commitment to green technologies with expansion of bus service by hybrid vehicles and other green options as they are developed.

9. Elements of regional service may include as communities express interest in better intra-service connectivity like shared taxi service used by some communities (at present Stoughton and Sun Prairie) or local circulators combined with express service.

10. Elements of regional service will include participation in a multi-mode transit hub for the region to be developed to accommodate regular mainline bus connections, express bus connections, and possibly BRT buses and commuter rail with inter city bus and rail service.