In an era emphasizing the popularity of change, our transportation infrastructure is outdated, ineffective and damaging. With issues in the Middle East and the rising cost of oil, Americans must realize that we can't rely on this inefficient and depleting resource, which we have grown completely dependent on. To be specific, Americans consumed almost 180 billion gallons of motor fuel in 2005. Gasoline has been misused time and time again.
WISPIRG's Advance Public Transit campaign has come up with a solution for this in collaboration with a regional transportation authority. This would open up the possibility of a high-speed rail that would give many people the option to travel across the county in a clean, efficient way. Regional transportation authorities would also work to improve the county's current bus system. This would create more jobs, benefit the environment and economy and be available to everyone for use. As a safer mode of transportation, which has been becoming increasingly popular in the United States and Europe, trains would save taxpayers money in the future by decreasing spending on new roads and maintenance work.
High-speed rails are the way of the future, and as a continually progressive community, Madison is a great place to get involved in the newest and most efficient mode of transportation. In Advance Public Transit, we believe Madison needs to ""get on board"" and create an RTA in Dane County, which would respond to the needs of citizens and put us all ahead of the curve.
-Caroline Calewarts
The addition of a high-speed rail system in Wisconsin would create new jobs, connect more workers with their jobs, decrease global emissions, combat rising oil prices and move our transportation into the 21st century. Why not approve the formation of a regional transportation authority with all of these obvious benefits? Residents who are opposed to the creation of an RTA and advancing public transit in Wisconsin use the arguments that it is too expensive or that if an individual wants to continue to drive, there is no reason they should pay for something that doesn't benefit them.
The reason behind this opposition is the reason behind the negativity to many things, which is the idea that everybody should do what is best for themselves as individuals and seek a solution that gives them immediate gratification. Although creating a high-speed rail and improving our bus systems will improve the lives of many people and decrease damage to our environment, people opposed to this idea fail to see these benefits because they will take time and an investment to come about. In this economy, jobs are one of the most important things we need to create, and investments in transit produce 19 percent more jobs than similar investments in roads. It is time we all come together to see the big picture and realize that improving public transportation now will be much cheaper and more effective than it will be 20 years down the road when the situation will undeniably be worse.
-Emily Wanezek
Picture a world of concrete and blacktop, squealing tires and exhaust fumes, oil laden run-off, middle fingers and horns in congestion. Sound like something familiar? Sadly, it's the world we live in today. What can we do? Public transit is a proven solution to the addiction of automobiles and road construction. Transit lines carry more people, in less time, with less burning of fossil fuels. It also takes up far less space than our flawed and ever-expanding highway infrastructure. The current system continually needs upgrading and will never stop requiring our money or damaging our environment.
With the regional rransportation authority, we would be able to give people the option of public transportation instead of contributing to our environmental problems. How hard can it be to look to the future instead of continuing with the same old road systems? We need change and we need it now.
-Brad Bruun
