Hear Al discuss Bus Rapid Transit and more about transit below!
Bicycles
As a daily bicycle commuter, Al looks for ways
to help people get around by bicycle. Even those who commute by automobile should realize that this is to their commuting advantage. After all, the isthmus isn’t getting any wider. We don’t have room to widen the roads into downtown Madison.
The opening of the Lower Yahara River Trail was a happy day for those who get around by bicycle. Al Matano’s support for bicycles as a mode of transportation helped that happen. At the groundbreaking for the Trail, County Executive Parisi described Al as the County Board’s “leading advocate for bicycle transportation.”
This past year the Transportation Planning Board, which I chair, completed the regional bicycle plan. The plan identifies individual projects that are needed to make essential connections, which will lead to their completion as funding becomes available and Al will support its full and efficacious implementation.
Bus Rapid Transit
Bus rapid transit (BRT) is the focus of current efforts to improve our transit system. BRT buses run on local roadways but add some of the features of rail transit, providing for quick crosstown service to complement local service. A Transportation Planning Board study identified a north-south route and an east-west route to implement (Warner Park to South Transfer Point; East Towne to West Towne). Al is a leading advocate for efforts to secure funding to make this a reality, which would make transit far more convenient for workers and students across Madison who rely on it.