In 2009, the Wisconsin State Legislature passed legislation enabling Dane County to create a Regional Transit Authority (RTA). The justification for the RTA was provided by the Transport 2020 Report. A careful reading of the report can be quite frustrating for those who have tried it. There are many inconsistencies, questionable assumptions and illogical conclusions. However, for me the "Summary Problem Statement" in Chapter 2 provides the easiest way to understand what's going on.
The graphic above is my summary of the issues. The problem is that population growth and other factors are putting pressure on the Dane County transportation system resulting in increased congestion, decreased air quality and decreased safety. Adding or expanding the road system is not an option since land is locked up in the Isthmus that runs between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona.
The rest of the report discusses the policy response comparing solutions based on either Rail Transit or Bus Rapid Transit (or both). The big questions left unanswered by the report are whether either response will actually reduce transportation system pressure and what will be the (1) sales tax consequences (since the RTA can levy a county-wide sales tax), (2) land use impacts and (3) CO2 reductions?
Another question left unanswered is what will happen if we do nothing. Will negative feedback from transportation pressure reduce population pressure and other factors creating transportation problems?
Since Dane County is in the middle of wrestling with these and other RTA-related issues, I'll have more commentary if future posts.
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