From bus routes to a new train service, University of Wisconsin-Madison students are fueling alternative transportation options in Madison.
A 2023 UW Transportation Services survey showed 70% of students walk or ride the bus on good weather days and 80% on bad weather days.
UW-Madison currently has 9,000 parking spots for 76,000 faculty, staff and students, according to UW Administrative Services.
Andrew Liedl, the Madison Metro Transit marketing manager, said UW-Madison’s four biggest bus routes — routes 80, 81, 82 and 84 — make up 2.2 million rides every year and 18% of ridership overall.
“The university has been an important part of our community for many years,” Liedl told The Daily Cardinal. “Our transit system and the city itself would not be the same without it.”
Liedl said the Metro would not be able to offer the same frequency of service without the populations of students, visitors and school staff in Madison, and the region's Metro Transit system would “look very different.”
Bikes are another popular method of transport used on campus. BCycle — a popular electric bike company — called Madison “one of the country’s most bike-friendly cities” on its website, as well as providing tips for campus riders.
Shawn Koval, the Dane County program manager for the Wisconsin Bike Fed, told the Cardinal making biking and walking accessible for students should be a high priority for the city.
“[Madison] is a growing city with a lot of outdoor recreation opportunities and a lot of fun things to do, so making sure non-car transportation opportunities are the easy choice for students is critical,” Koval said. “For students, having a holistic experience while here in Madison and for Madison to receive the benefit of student activity and business is important.”
Koval cited a study showing students who actively commuted to school were “positively associated with visuospatial skill, working memory, attention and general intelligence, as well as with grades, arithmetic scores, and reading fluency and comprehension.”
The benefits of biking outside of academics are still numerous, according to Koval. He noted traffic safety, healthier students, community involvement and environmental benefits as reasons why students should opt to bike.
Although Madison does not currently have a train service, the city officially sold the state's former Human Services building to Landmark Development on June 2. The building will feature a train station for Amtrak’s Hiawatha West — a service providing two daily round-trip routes between Chicago and Milwaukee.
The executive office of public affairs of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) told the Cardinal expanding a rail service to Madison “has been a goal of the state’s rail plans for many years.”
“Students would likely comprise a significant share of riders on any passenger services in Madison, as they are nationwide,” WisDOT said.
Amtrak does not plan to offer the service until 2030, with updates to bridges and rails required before operation begins.
Liedl also said student involvement is crucial as transportation grows and changes in Madison.
“As Madison continues to grow, students will remain important voices in building a transportation system that is more efficient, environmentally responsible, and better connected to education, employment, housing, and other opportunities throughout the region,” he said.
