Bill Sell's pen name is dedicated to the grief of the children whom Socrates was convicted of ruining and for which he was ordered to drink the hemlock. Any resemblance to the goings on in the 21st century are purely intentional. Sell became a transportation maven during the study of a bicycle path on the Hoan Bridge (Milwaukee) and the inability of Wisconsin's Department of Transportation to dedicate space for bicycles after an exhaustive study proved its value and safety. He gave up his own car five winters ago.
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BusStop - Report from Michael Cudahy upon meeting with Barrett and Walker
Posted October 16th, 2008 by SocratesChildren
BusStop. Report from Michael Cudahy upon meeting with Barrett and Walker.
At the October 14 meeting of the UEDA Coalition for Advancing Transit Meeting, Michael Cudahy, philanthropist and lover of Milwaukee, presented his Streetcar Backbone proposal to rejuvenate Milwaukee public transportation. He described the meeting he had with the two leaders of Milwaukee: Mayor Tom Barrett and County Executive Scott Walker. Mr. Cudahy summarized this meeting in a memo, which BusStop proudly reprints. It was Mr. Cudahy's explicit wish that we feel free to circulate this wherever we wished.
To: Scott Walker, Tom Barrett,
Copies to: Tim Sheehy, Julia Taylor, Mark Kaminski
From: Michael J. Cudahy
Subject: Public Transportation
Date; August 8th, 2008
Recently, I asked Mayor Tom Barrett and County Executive Scott Walker to meet with me and see if I could "broker a deal" relative to the long standing dispute they've had about public transportation in this community.Yesterday, on August 7th, 2008, these gentlemen and I meet privately and, perhaps, made some progress in this regard.
At this meeting I presented a "streetcar backbone" plan (enclosed) that would connect with many major points of interest (yellow dots) throughout the East Side and West Side of Milwaukee, plus a spur diagonally to the Northwest. (This is a plan that has evolved over several years with many studies.) I argued that Milwaukee needs the stability of a "fixed backbone" of rail ... with bus service connecting to all other vital points. I said this would send strong signals to those who might be considering manufacturing or other facilities here.
I outlined the cost of construction of the system at about $162mm. I said that with the existing and additional federal funds, plus university, business and private funds, we could build such a system.
Mayor Barrett stated that he was 100% in favor of the plan, but County Executive Walker argued that it could further increase the operating losses of the existing public transportation system.
I pointed out that with this new "streetcar backbone" system in place, it would be necessary to redesign the entire bus service in Milwaukee County, being very mindful of the public needs, and that the new system would certainly eliminate many bus routes. And that the true overall operating costs of the entire transportation system might not be adversely affected.
After some discussion, County Executive Walker agreed to have his transportation people conduct an immediate study in this regard. He said that they have all the data necessary in hand and that they would work closely with the consulting firm of HNTB. He said the study would take 30-60 days.
MJC
StreetCarBackbonebyMichaelCudahy
submitted by Bill Sell
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Michael Cudahy's idea for streetcars would be a boon to Milwaukee's transportation system. It sould also gain Milwaukee blue ribbons nationwide for being visionary and innovative. Let's hope that Mayor Barrett's 100% approval of this plan prevails and that County Executive Walker's muddled, fossil-fueled cogitation returns with him to the lower depths of the private sector -- the sooner the better.
Michael Cudahy's plan
This plan certainly has potential. It seems to me that it should go into the UWM campus beyond Okland and Kenwood. A loop through the Third Ward with its high density housing would also be helpful. This could be part of a line to a storage and maintenance facility on the near Southside which is not shown. I suspect that Mr. Cudahy is proposing the "Portland Streetcar" model of construction and vehicle type. Those vehicles would be built in America. The Fond du Lac Avenue line should go beyond North Ave. to just Northwest of Capitol Drive.
Cudahy's Streetcar Backbone
Mr. Cudahy calls his proposal only a backbone. Extensions would come in due time. And even this design could be modified in the front upon closer analysis with demographics. A line into Bay View would also make sense.
Bill
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