Madison has made a significant investment in public transportation, including Bus Rapid Transit. The East-West BRT is providing an important service for many residents, helping people get to work, school, healthcare, businesses and other destinations across our city. 

 

At the same time, I hear from residents whose transit experience is not working as well as it should. The challenge may be BRT itself in some places, but it may also be the routes that connect to it, transfer times, frequency, reliability, accessibility or gaps in service.

 

As mayor, I will look at Metro as a complete transit network. I will listen to riders, Metro employees, people with disabilities, businesses and neighborhoods to understand where the system is working and where connections need to improve. We must build on the investments we have already made while making sure the entire network works together. 

 

A successful transit system is about more than one route or one investment. It's about whether people can reliably get from where they are to where they need to go.

 

Building a Regional Transportation Partnership

Our transportation needs do not stop at Madison's city limits. 

 

Every day, thousands of people travel between Madison and communities throughout Dane County for work, school, healthcare, shopping and recreation. Our roads and transit system increasingly serve a regional economy, yet Madison taxpayers continue to carry a significant share of the responsibility for providing that infrastructure and service.

 

As mayor, I will work with Dane County, surrounding municipalities and our state legislative delegation to pursue the state authority necessary to establish a Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) and create a fair, sustainable regional funding model. 

 

Wisconsin has a precedent for this approach. In 2009, state lawmakers authorized the creation of a Dane County RTA with the ability to impose a regional sales and use tax of up to 0.5% to support transportation. That authority was repealed in 2011 before the regional system could fully move forward. 

 

I believe it is time to reopen that conversation.

 

Restoring RTA authority would give Madison and neighboring communities an opportunity to determine together how regional transit should be governed, funded and expanded. Important questions, including the future role of Metro Transit, ownership of transit assets, representation of participating communities and how existing local transportation funding would change, should be addressed transparently as part of that process.

 

My goal is not simply to create another layer of government. It is to create a system where regional communities have a voice, regional users help support the transportation network they depend on, and Madison taxpayers are not expected to shoulder a disproportionate share of the cost.

 

My experience working with the Wisconsin Legislature has taught me that changing state law requires more than asking legislators for permission. It requires building a coalition. As mayor, I will work with municipalities, employers, community leaders, transportation advocates and legislators to make the case that a strong regional transportation system benefits all of Dane County.

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Making Public Transportation More Accessible

Madison has worked to keep public transit relatively affordable, and that is something we must build on. 

 

For residents who rely on transit every day, including students, seniors, people with disabilities and households without a car, even a modest fare can still be a barrier. Reducing that barrier can also make transit simpler and more attractive for everyone, encourage ridership and make it easier for people to move throughout our city.

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I want Madison to explore a responsible path toward fare-free public transportation if we can identify a sustainable way to pay for it without reducing service, reliability or frequency. 

 

As part of my broader fiscal plan, I will work with state legislators to pursue additional local revenue options for Madison. If we establish a sustainable funding source, I will work with Metro Transit, the Common Council and residents to determine whether fare-free service or other targeted affordability measures makes sense for Madison.

 

If a Regional Transportation Authority is established in the future, fare policy would also need to be part of that regional conversation. 

 

Our first priority should be a transit system that is reliable, accessible and easy to use. If we can responsibly remove the fare barrier too, we should explore that opportunity.

 

Safer Streets by Design

Madison has made important commitments through Vision Zero and Complete Green Streets. I support the goal of eliminating serious injuries and deaths on our streets, but achieving safer streets requires more than changing the number on a speed-limit sign. 

 

The physical design of a street influences how people drive.

 

When Madison reconstructs streets, we should use that opportunity to design them for the speeds and uses we actually want. That means safer intersections and crossings, appropriate traffic-calming measures, thoughtful street design, pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, and parking that reflects the actual needs of individual neighborhoods and commercial areas.

 

We also need to be realistic about implementation. Reconstructing streets and improving their design requires engineering, planning and capital investment. As mayor, I will incorporate these improvements into our long-term capital planning so that when Madison rebuilds a street, we have the resources to build it safer, not simply replace what was there before. 

 

Our streets must be safe by design, not streets where safety depends only on a sign telling people to slow down.

 

A Complete Transportation System

Transportation is about connecting people to their lives.

 

Madison needs a transportation system that works for:

• Bus riders

• Drivers

• Pedestrians

• Bicyclists

• Seniors

• People with disabilities

• Students

• Families

• Workers commuting into and around Madison

 

Different streets and neighborhoods have different needs. A downtown commercial street, a residential neighborhood, a major commuter corridor and a transit route must not automatically be treated the same way. 

 

As mayor, I will focus on safe streets, reliable transit and better connections between neighborhoods, while making sure people who drive can still get where they need to go and people who walk, bike or take transit have safe and practical options.

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We must give Madison residents more transportation choices, not force everyone into the same choice (because having only one "choice" means it's not a choice).

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My Transportation Vision

My transportation vision is straightforward:

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Reliable transit. Safer streets. Fair regional funding. More affordable transportation. Better connections.

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Madison has already made major transportation investments. The next step is to make those investments work better for more people while building a financial model that is sustainable for the future.

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We can lead on transportation without trying to do everything alone. We can make our streets safer without ignoring how people actually use them. And we can expand transportation choices while meeting the needs of people who rely on different ways of getting around.

 

I want to build a transportation system that works for everyone in Madison while recognizing that our city is the center of a growing and interconnected region.