Bus advocates face several hurdles to improve service in Fitchburg

By Kurt Gutknecht
Fitchburg Star Editor

 
May 17, 2007

It's apparent that cars reign in Fitchburg. While the city continues to pin its hopes on commuter rail, that's in the distant future.

The real future of mass transit in Fitchburg and other Madison suburbs is with Madison Metro buses. Last year, the city council allocated $29,000 to expand bus service here for four months, in addition to the $180,000 it pays for existing service.

Maintaining the expanded service next year will cost an additional $60,000 annually.

Do we get our money's worth? It depends on whom you ask.

Ald. Steve Arnold usually commutes by bus to his job at the university. For him, it's nearly ideal – convenient and less expensive than commuting by car.

Arnold is the type of commuter served by Madison Metro – someone who heads to an 8 to 5 job downtown.

"It becomes prohibitively expensive trying to accommodate the schedules of those working second or third shifts. We've never done a good job at that, even in Madison," said Colin Conn, who makes the schedules for Madison Metro.

And that's the problem for many of those who rely on buses as the primary source of transportation: It's often difficult to get anywhere else at other times. Riders also say bus service on some routes has become increasingly dangerous.

Bus service has deteriorated, said Susan De Vos, chair of Madison Area Bus Advocates. She attributes much of the decline in ridership to the decision to rely on transfer points.

But that was the result of larger forces, including a decline in state funding for mass transit. Property taxes, which used to account for 50 percent of Madison Metro's budget, now fund 70 percent of the service, she said. She commends the city of Madison for increasing its support but said such actions are "nonsustainable" due to complaints about high property taxes.

The state continues to devote most of its transportation funding for roads. "Even Gov. Tommy Thompson was better about mass transit than Gov. Jim Doyle, who's not a leader at all in this area," De Vos said. "Doyle talks about ethanol and biofuels but not increasing use of mass transit."

Madison Metro's "spaghetti" service is the result of trying to serve several incompatible functions, including combining core service and express routes. "Madison Metro's hands are tied," De Vos said. She doesn't see matters improving until the state addresses inequities in the system of taxation and requires businesses to pay more.

Fitchburg resident Cathy Casper, who has relied on the system for more than three decades, said service has declined in recent years and become increasingly inconvenient for many residents who are most dependent.

For many residents, getting to and from work involves a trip of several hours, coupled with increasingly dangerous conditions.

Schedules don't conform to the work schedules of many employers, particularly hospitals, which are major employers in the area, she said. Hospitals offer a variety of jobs, many suited to semi-skilled workers, Casper said.

A nurse in her neighborhood has to be at work at 6 a.m., when no bus service is available. To get there, she calls a cab at 5 a.m. and is prepared to leave shortly thereafter. If she doesn't call that early, cabs may not be available due to other, more lucrative fares.

Other hospital workers would prefer to rely on buses, particularly since employers provide free bus passes, but can't due to the lack of service. "The violence is the worst. I'm not one to be afraid, but you are stuck if there's a fight (on a bus) because they'll end up in your lap," Casper said.

Although video cameras have been installed in some buses, it's unclear who reviews the tapes and whether there's any follow-up on violations, she said.

Casper said Madison police seldom respond to calls for help. Bus drivers are prohibited from calling police directly and must call a dispatch center. Most calls are low priority.

She cited an incident in which more than a dozen teenagers were kicking and beating a boy on the ground at the West transfer station. She called the police and an officer did finally arrive, he simply took the injured victim home without trying to find the attackers.

Ann Gullickson, assistant general manager for Madison Metro, said 15 of the 197 buses now have cameras and plans call for 30 buses to be equipped with them. Tapes are reviewed or pulled if an incident is reported. Many incidents involve people of school age. If they can be identified, the school is contacted. Often, identification isn't possible, she said.

Physical assaults are uncommon, Gullickson said but other disruptive behavior, such as vulgar language, "are fairly common, perhaps 10 or 15 times a month," she said. Cameras were installed at the south transfer point last year and there's funding to install cameras at all additional transfer points this summer. The transit system isn't large enough for its own police force. Gullickson said all police departments in the area are "very responsive."

Recent changes in routes have reduced service to residents of the Belmar - Allied Drive area who are more dependent on buses, Casper said. For example, there's no bus service to major Fitchburg-based employers, such as Placon. It's now nearly impossible for Belmar residents to get to and from the Jamestown area, for example.

Casper said Route 18, which runs between the south and west transfer points, is particularly bad, due to fights, litter, harassment and filthy language.

She criticized the decision last August that reduced service on the route, eliminating six stops and Fitchburg, forcing residents to walk to Red Arrow Drive to avoid Allied Drive.

Casper said the South transfer point was the worst, characterized by drug use and dealing, drinking, loitering, fighting and violence. The nearby McDonald's has hired two security guards to deal with the problems, she said.

The bus schedules make it nearly impossible for residents to attend meetings at City Hall, Casper said, which is one reason why many residnts of her neighborhood didn't appear at meetings to object to changes that reduced the number of stops in the Belmar – Allied Drive neighborhood, she said.

Conn said schedules are largely determined by ridership levels and reactions to existing service. "We never really have the luxury of talking to customers. We create a service and modify it according to feedback," Conn said.

"It's nice when we can organize a meeting in advance, but they're cumbersome," he said. He said meetings in Fitchburg regarding bus service are usually well attended.

De Vos said she doesn't drive but doesn't oppose cars. Cars should be one component of a balanced transportation that includes walking, biking and mass transit.

Until the state provides more funding, she doesn't think the Madison area will be able to change its auto-centric ways.

Ahrnaray Bizjak, the city's transportation project engineer, said many of the proposed changes to Fitchburg service are designed to improve service to the Orchard Pointe development, site of the Target store, which is likely to be a major employment and shopping hub.

Many of the changes were dictated by the Madison Metro's need to maintain route schedules that reach transfer points every 30 or 60 minutes.

The city would eventually like to establish Fitchburg transfer points for greater connectivity and to avoid limitations imposed by the need to arrive at transfer points.