If Milwaukee County had light rail, would you use it? (Oak Creek: construction, casino)

[jjacobeclark]

Just curious if there is a demand for it out there. I have been living in Denver for the last 4+ years and one thing I actually did like about that city was the fact they had light rail. My biggest gripe with it is that it doesn't serve densely populated areas of the city like Capitol Hill or Cherry Creek, it runs alongside preexisting rail lines in an industrial valley and along the T-REX expansion of I-25. The stations are all Park 'n Rides and currently don't serve the airport or City Park where the natural history museum and Denver Zoo are located. Voters approved the Fastracks proposal in 2004 to expand in every direction including Boulder and DIA, bringing them from 6 lines to 13 when they're finished in 2015.

Milwaukee County could potentially accomplish everything it needed to with just 2 light rail lines. Using the Oak Leak Bike Trail as a right-of-way you could link Bayshore Town Center with UWM, North Ave, Brady St, the Art Museum, Summerfest, and Downtown, then you could proceed along the Menominee River Valley and include stations at Marquette, Potowatomi Casino, Miller Park, State Fair Park/Milwaukee Mile, Milwaukee County Research Park, the Zoo, and termintate at Mayfair Mall with a single light rail line. A second line beginning at Midtown Center could follow along densely populated Fond Du Lac Ave through Downtown, the Third Ward, the new Intermodal Station, Walker's Point, Bayview, and terminate at either Mitchell Int'l or MATC Oak Creek Campus.

I think Milwaukee is way overdue for a rail based mass transit system. Even Little Rock has light rail where the hell is ours?

[Milwaukee City]

I would prefer an El system, however the train route would have to serve or get close to all the entertainment venues, Potto, Miller Park, Bayshore, Goerkes Corners for commuters, airport and such. I would for one of those venues but not for work I need my car for work.

[jjacobeclark]

Elevated trains would be much more expensive, and therefore unrealistic as Milwaukee is thrifty. I suggested the Oak Leaf Trail because it already runs near UWM and the East Side and those are the people who don't own vehicles. It's cool too because it runs below street level and would be like a subway. I know the mayor is all for it, but the county executive is the one holding the purse strings and standing in the way.

[city414]

Originally Posted by jjacobeclark

Elevated trains would be much more expensive, and therefore unrealistic as Milwaukee is thrifty. I suggested the Oak Leaf Trail because it already runs near UWM and the East Side and those are the people who don't own vehicles. It's cool too because it runs below street level and would be like a subway. I know the mayor is all for it, but the county executive is the one holding the purse strings and standing in the way.

there could be a mix, philly has an el amd rail busses. it wouldnt be a bad idea to have at least 1 subway line that runs north (from the county line areas of brown deer road to to the east of brown deer road as a split on the same line) heading to southand conjoining back as one set off tracks in the western areas. i think people wou;d use it, if we had it

itll never happen our city is too conservative(the same) like and not too adaptable to urbanizaition execept for downtwon whos building itself up(high rises)

[city414]

I know the mayor is all for it, but the county executive is the one holding the purse strings and standing in the way.

well who keeps voting this bastard in office.....

[karfar]

Yeah, don't count on Scott Walker to do anything that would benefit people w/out cars or who would just like to not use their car. I for one would totally use light rail or whatever they would go with. Our bus system, while it's ok, is definitely not as good as it should be.

[zz4guy]

Uhh why? Milwaukee has the traffic problems of a city a fourth its size. Denver, Philly, Dallas have light rail but their traffic is horrendous.

[city414]

Originally Posted by zz4guy

Uhh why? Milwaukee has the traffic problems of a city a fourth its size. Denver, Philly, Dallas have light rail but their traffic is horrendous.

cleveland
Rail Transit in Cleveland

maps
http://www.riderta.com/pdfs/maps/Rapid.pdf

[ccjarider]

good call zz4guy

There would be very little demand in Milw.

Why finance such a boondoggle especially when gov't has already proven fiscal incompetence time and time again.

[EnjoyEP]

The big question for all of you who support this:

Answer who would pay for the construction and maintenance of such a system. We are talking billions and billions and BILLIONS of dollars.

Who is writing the checks?