Fewer routes with more riders, or wider reach? Fitchburg and Middleton weigh bus changes
LUCAS ROBINSON
Updated
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A rider runs to catch a bus at the South Transfer Point in Madison. A coming redesign of Metro Transit's routes would do away with the transfer hubs.
KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL
A bus makes a stop at South Ridge Way and Highway Q, in Middleton. Officials in Middleton and Fitchburg are weighing whether a redesign of bus routes should focus on running fewer buses more often or spreading out coverage.
KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL
A bus driver ends his route at the South Transfer Point in Madison.
A redesign of Madison’s Metro Transit bus system is prompting officials in Fitchburg and Middleton to weigh major changes to their bus service, including providing supplemental transit services to fill in possible gaps caused by the redesign.
Milfred and Hands love Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway's commitment to improving public transit in Madison. A faster and modern bus system is long overdue. But those long, snazzy "bus rapid transit" vehicles that she's bring to Madison -- with $80 million of help from the federal government -- don't need to rumble up and down State Street, the city's premier shopping and entertainment district. Instead, Madison's signature street should become a grand promenade for outdoor cafes, public art, trees and music. The buses can stop nearby and still get people where they need to go. On this week's episode of "Center Stage, with Milfred and Hands," our political podcasters discuss the State Journal editorial board's meeting with the mayor last week and play audio clips of Rhodes-Conway's objections to a true pedestrian mall on State Street, which Downtown businesses and advocates have sought.
A map of transit priority areas for Fitchburg. Created by the city's transportation commission, these areas around Fish Hatchery Road, Rimrock Road and Verona Road have historically high transit use and popular destinations.
While I only started at the State Journal as a breaking news reporter in August, my four short months here haven't lacked exhilarating stories and in-depth dives into the community.
My very first day on the job the United States pulled out of Afghanistan. Though naturally I didn't expect it, the ripple effect of that withdrawal colored my reporting at the State Journal more than anything else.
A bus makes a stop at South Ridge Way and Highway Q, in Middleton. Officials in Middleton and Fitchburg are weighing whether a redesign of bus routes should focus on running fewer buses more often or spreading out coverage.
A map of transit priority areas for Fitchburg. Created by the city's transportation commission, these areas around Fish Hatchery Road, Rimrock Road and Verona Road have historically high transit use and popular destinations.
