Milwaukee has been given $54million taxpayer dollars to serve the taxpayers of Milwaukee and Wisconsin has lost Millions in light rail grant money says the Mayors office. http://city.milwaukee.gov/Mayor. Some want light rail some want buses, the mayor says we can have both. Yet we need to move into the future without wasting the present.
Investing in current advanced technology, electric buses, can do this. We can use the wisdom of the past and knowledge of what presently works to get a good foothold on the future. All while serving present needs without ripping up what is working now.
Everyone involved has insights that can contribute to solving our current and future needs. The MTCS has a depth of wisdom and knowledge in vested in experience drivers mechanic and administrators. The mayor has a vision of what the city needs. The cities Universities have a wealth of young talent that needs mentoring and training in the future technologies by wise knowledgeable persons.
Buses can work as well as a train but be more flexible. Have you see the Blue Angles fly in formation as one unit then break formation and each do it own little show? Unlike trains busses can do the sameas a formation of planes. I have see five full busses move through downtown Chicago like one giant train but on the road. Good bus drivers can do that just like planes or a fleet of ships.
If we had dedicated electric bus lanes like the freeway has speed lanes or trains have tracks electric busses would have an even easier time getting in and out of down town. Electric busses and our current busses could use them just like a trolley would but without all the mess needed to build new infrastructure. That money could be spent on equipment to service the new technology and train current and future personnel. Making a step into the future.
High speed rail could bring people here then have electric buses move them around and connect Milwaukee to the surrounding communities just like airplanesand large ships move products to port then trucks, buses and cars move people and cargo to the individual destinations.
All this could be modeled; I could build a working model for you we the people could too, complete with data and details. Imagine seeing it before you buy and being able to play with it to get good projections. I have made models at work, prototypes for engineers and professors. At work we built prototypes, hard to argue about something that sitting right in front of you. At least it could be a place where those who are discussing the problem now could come and work out their differences. Let’s model it before we rip up Milwaukee or Wisconsin or waste more time.
http://city.milwaukee.gov/Mayor
http://urbanmilwaukee.com/
http://getmilwaukeeonline.com/2011/10/milwaukee-streetcar-debate-heats-up/