MKE Connector Comments

I attended the MKE Connector public meeting last Thursday and it was great to see the Mayor and Ald. Bauman there in support.

During the presentation, I learned that the city plans to have a system operating by Spring 2014!  Of more immediate concern, is the selection of a locally preferred alternate route by January.  Before a decisions is made, the Steering Committee has requested public comments.

It is important to let the planners know how you feel about the three options (#1, #2, #3), with a particular focus on how you would be affected (i.e. how, when and where you would use it).

You can leave your comment at http://www.milwaukeeconnector.com/public_comment.html

Here is the comment I submitted:

I excitedly await deployment of a streetcar connector in Milwaukee. As a young attorney, my quality of life is highly influenced by transit. I live on Kane Place but will be working downtown and often taking advantage of the cultural opportunities available there. Getting in a car to accomplish either is a highly undesirably option. And to be honest, I have considered leaving Milwaukee for a city with better transit options because I feel public transit is the most effective way to build a vibrant city center.

In my opinion, Option #1 is the best selection because it most effectively connects the dense commercial and office concentrations of downtown Milwaukee with the mass of residents who live on the Lower East Side. Beyond the maps of office/retail/residential density that reflect this distribution, I also have noticed that Option #1 follows the route that I and my friends/neighbors take when driving from downtown to the East Side.

Living on Kane Pl., I would gladly walk to Brady St. or even Ogden for a ride downtown. Though the frequency of cars must be in the 7 to 10 min range, or I would probably continue with the 25 minute walk downtown to avoid waiting. Additionally, I hope that the near-term plan includes connecting UWM to the downtown, as that route would connect the dense residential Lower East Side, the student population of the university with the downtown retail and commercial opportunities.

Once this system is up and running, I will consider getting rid of my automobile, which will be feasible as long as I am connected to the job opportunities of downtown and have access to a supermarket.