Milwaukee is an eager and enthusiastic partner with Chicago in its bid for the 2016 Olympics, with its potential to bring in billions of dollars in revenue for our region. Nevertheless, we have a long way to go before the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) final vote on Oct. 2, 2009.
Public transit, both its availability and access, has surfaced as a key factor in the decision-making process. This is evidenced by initial reports from the IOC's evaluation commission which ranked Chicago third among the other four cities on the ballot, particularly, because access between other critical venues, such as Milwaukee, is inadequate. This comes in light of the fact that both Madrid and Tokyo boast excellent transportation systems, both of which are currently ranked above Chicago as possible host cities.
Many see the potential for a Chicago-hosted Olympics as a golden ticket for funding highway and transit projects in our region. However, this perspective is flawed in its reasoning. Rather than being a trigger for the 2016 Olympics, this opportunity should be capitalized upon to construct a coordinated, efficient and affordable link between Chicago and Kenosha, Racine and Milwaukee, as well as other communities in between, as a long-term investment in our region's economic vitality and viability.
Ready to go is the KRM commuter rail project, which can provide access to a more talented workforce, a larger base of successful and growing businesses and a competitive position in the growing global economy. Public transit also offers advantages for low-income families, reducing their costs of commuting by as much as 65 percent. This not only lifts a major burden from property tax payers and citizens, but also strengthens the local economy through these families' increased purchasing power.
As a region, we must not miss out on the opportunity to fully fund new and existing transit initiatives. The Olympic bid is just one example of the many potential economic benefits of connecting the Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee region with Chicago. However, these opportunities will pass us by if we wait too long to take action. The time is now for our state and region to embrace a dedicated public transit funding mechanism and invest in our region's future.
Bob Mariano, a Chicago native, is chairman and chief executive officer of Milwaukee-based Roundy's Supermarkets Inc.
15 Comments
Having lived in Madrid, I can say that Chicago's public transportation does not compare too favorably. Madrid has the extensive Metro, an even more extensive bus system, the Cercanias commuter rail, about a dozen regional and national bus lines that connect to four major bus stations like Milwaukee's Intermodal Station but on a grander scale, and the huge train stations at Atocha and Chamartin which service high speed AVE trains.
Our region needs extensive public transportation not only for business but for tourism. The Midwest is America's secret tourist destination and gets a fraction of the tourist dollars that the coasts get. Milwaukee could share that revenue as a result of Chicago hosting the Olympics in 2016 but without adequate transportation we will see next to nothing. KRM could help. Tax breaks for Megabus, Coach USA and Badger Bus could help to increase use. Milwaukee itself could make it easier for smaller connector bus lines to begin operation. There are TIF districts for private building projects, how about TIF districts for public transportation franchise projects?
A reason to spend money on KRM is because of the 2016 Olympics?!? Don't we already have AMTRAK? You remember- that failed government run railroad that has difficulty operating now as a complete passenger rail monopoly between Chicago and Milwaukee?
I've been to Madrid a couple of times- Madrid is a densely populated city- not quite Milwaukee-Racine-Kenosha. Madrid has a decent transportation system that can be supported by its density. Most people in Madrid live in small apartments and if they are lucky can afford small cars. One of the reasons is that their socialist government takes and spends more of their money than does ours. I think it would be much less expensive for us if Mr. Martinez moves back to Spain, and while he is at, bring Bob Mariano with him.
PS- I'm waiting for one proponent of KRM to present hard numbers regarding number of riders, estimated cost per ride, etc. Instead we get blather about the Chicago Olympics and Madrid. The proponents don't want to talk specifics because they know if they did the taxpayers would understand what a boondoggle KRM is.
Thank you, Mr. Mariano. This kind of insight and vision is a perfect example of what is needed on this issue. And thank you as well, Mr. Martinez for the valuable perspective. We need intelligently planned regional growth to insure our success in the era of globalization. Public transportation and specifically KRM rail is a key component of that.
Oops. I guess I should've waited for the usual suspects to surface. Here we go again. Notice the use of words and phrases like "socialist," and "government takes and spends" capped off by a hope that the man with with the Hispanic name "moves back to Spain" and that he should "bring Bob Mariano with him." Way to go, Mr. Marsh. Sound argument. Good thinking. Well said. You have done yourself proud. Isn't there somewhere you could move? Like away?
Mr. Mariano, you are right on the money. KRM (regardless of the 2016 Olympics) is a much-needed economic shot in the arm for southeastern Wisconsin.
Mr. Marsh, with all due respect, needs to ride the Metra (maybe he has, but it doesn't sound like it based on his post) to see the type of loyal ridership this service has. The Metra and Amtrak are two different animals.
We can remain stuck with the same type of "this will never work" thinking or we can look to the future. The Milwaukee-Chicago corridor has the opportunity to be one of the strongest economic regions in the nation. Read most any economic development plan for this area and you will see transportation -- the ability to move around efficiently -- as key to the desirability of the area.
If our governor (who continues to say that he supports KRM but seems to do little to make it happen other than appointing committees) would sincerely get behind this project and help make it a reality, southeastern Wisconsin might see the economic benefits long before they begin handing out gold medals.
Welke- Sorry, I won't cower to your Stalinist tactics of implying that I'm a racist- UY. My argument is that it would be less expensive for taxpayers to send the supporters to Spain- including you Mr. Welke.
As to KRM, do you mean to suggest that the government will not take and spend our money for KRM? Also, why are you running away from the word "socialist"? Spain does have a socialist government.
I'm still waiting for facts and hard numbers. Other than platitudes, the KRM supporters have presented nothing to support this train wreck. Still waiting....
Mr. Mielke, I lived in Chicago for several years and used the Metra, the CTA and Amtrak. Despite the population, congestion, and density of Chicago, Metra is a financial mess not unlike the CTA and Amtrak. I understand the Milwaukee-Chicago corridor idea. But, who will want to take a 2 to 3 hour train ride (considering stops) from downtown Chicago to downtown Milwaukee on Metra-KRM? Most commuters I knew in Chicago, including myself, preferred taking express lines with limited stops to get to downtown Chicago. Why? Because the Metra milk runs take forever.
Here is an idea- Chicago and Illinois, like Wisconsin, are taxing their businesses and citizens into oblivion. Illinois businesses would be ripe for the picking if only we could offer some incentive to move to Wisconsin. Have Wisconsin create a competitive advantage relative to Illinois with respect to taxes and cost of living, (Except for downtown living, I think we already have an advantage for lifestyle). Instead, we just keep making Wisconsin a more expensive place to operate and live in. So where do disgruntled business and citizens of Illinois primarily move to- Texas, Florida, Arizona, Georgia, etc. (all warm places with lower taxes). We could get a substantial piece of these relocations if we had some type of competitive advantage, but increasing taxes and spending money on boondoggles moves us in the opposite direction.
When it becomes a known problem of moving people from Chicago and its burbs to Milwaukee, then we should look hard at a new train line. Until then I'm waiting for some specifics on how many riders the KRM will have, how much it will cost per ride, how many people are known to work in downtown Racine, Kenosha and Milwaukee that commute in from near the downtown areas, etc. I'm not against new ideas, I'm against dumb ideas. Especially long-term expensive ones that I and my fellow taxpayers are paying for.
Still waiting....
Mr. Marsh.
I think any reader of your purple prose clearly understands your intent. As for your arguments, they are a dog's dinner of opinions that inevitably boil down to government is crooked, lower my taxes, which from my perspective, is as much of a "platitude" as anything. I lived in Chicago for twenty years and took Metra. If you live further out, of course you took the express. But milk run or express, it sure beat sitting on the freeway (especially when gas goes back up to $4). The time to determine a solution for a problem is before you have the problem. Otherwise it costs that much more to fix it. Or is that Stalinist?
Welke- I guess "Stalinist" went over your head. You suggest I'm a racist and then deride me for purple prose-funny- I still won't back off.
What are the commute times in Chicago vs. Milwaukee? How many people work in downtown Chicago vs. downtown Milwaukee, Racine or Kenosha? Where are the statistics? What are the costs? What is the TOTAL estimated commute time for users? Where are the facts? I'm not the one proposing KRM- the people proposing the thing should be producing more than platitudes. It is interesting to see that none of the supporters above, or that have done similar editorials in the Small Biz Times, have produced hard numbers- it all has been fluff! Still waiting...
Mr. Marsh:
Congrats on not backing off. And no, "Stalinist" didn't go over my head. It went beneath my dignity. Oh, and don't forget the dog's dinner description of your arguments. Have a nice weekend.
Purple prose is a misnomer, I'd probably call it more pink with a capital P and an O, suffix to say. It is comedy gold for a small, giggly group who think they are clever when they repeat word for word their favorite rushism. It's the best thing that passes for logical thought and critical thinking on the Circle-J ranch. Why strain your brain for an original thought? Bravo, BM, bravo. You are worthy of your initials.
As Americans we should concern ourselves for the greater good, with cost a secondary worry. Isn't that why we fight wars in places with names we pronounce incorrectly in a proud Texan accent? The greater good is a worthy investment especially when that greater good is for our fellow citizens who are needy. Every church and charity uses that idea to market their services effectively. An Alaskan bridge to nowhere could even be a worthy investment if it actually provides a permanent and large boost to a place that desperately needs it.
Metra may be in a financial mess like CTA and Amtrak and GM and Ford and AIG but they aren't knocking on the government's door for a billion dollar bailout for their CEO's multimillion dollar homes. For a democratic government that is "of the people, by the people, for the people" shouldn't we first invest in PUBLIC transportation before private businesses?
Hard numbers are out there for your education, plenty of tax dollars have been spent on studies. SEWRPC has plenty of online studies that discuss the economics of KRM and the larger benefits it will offer. There are justifications to persuade nearly everyone. Presumably you can read english which should make it a little easier to understand. Economics and engineering analysis might be a little tougher for the uneducated Joe but the reports always have an executive summary which spells out the important facts in easy-to-digest bites. Still, it will take some work to understand which is not as easy as saying, "it will not work", a contrario.
Commuter rail between Chicago and Milwaukee has been thought about in some form or another since the 18th century. This is an ancient idea that's run its course many times with the most logical result; it doesn't exist because there's no real demand for it.
I've hopped on Amtrak and taken airport bus services to Chicago from Milwaukee many times and find those systems to be adequate, and for the most part demand can support them.
There are two main reasons to move people around, to earn money, and to spend money. Most everything falls under those two categories.
Earning money has other more effective and modern solutions. If we can get past the 17th century need to sit down face to face a great many people can telecommute and save huge amounts of time, energy, and resources. Living in Milwaukee, I've applied for jobs in Chicago but have been told only local applicants will be considered because the commute from Milwaukee is too long and would make me unhappy and less likely to stay. When I mention telecommuting they either laugh or give me the deer in the headlights look. I telecommute on severe weather days right now and it works just fine. This need to have brick and mortar places for people to earn money and commuter rail to move them there is simply 17th century thinking. Of course there are always exceptions like seeing a medical specialist and other unique services, but those are few and other modes of transport are available for the exceptions.
Spending money is usually done by moving people to where products are. It's probably less expensive to open transport outlets or some sort of PO boxes in Milwaukee and Chicago to have ordered products transported en masse on a daily basis to pickup points closer to the people rather than the ancient idea of moving the people to the product. This seems to work for quite well today for supplying retail and can be modified to service the public.
It may be easy to justify commuter rail using antiquated ideologies about the actual need to move people, but it must be recognized that the justification is based on antiquated ideologies.
We should really try to move into the present with an eye towards the future.
Bill Lang writes: Commuter rail between Chicago and Milwaukee has been thought about in some form or another since the 18th century.
Bill, your comment would make lots of sense if you had posted it on April 1st or if this was The Onion blog.
Railways are very old technology. It works for moving freight long distance but is vastly inefficient for moving people. Ridership is often quoted as a measure of success but cost per rider is the correct metric. The cost per rider is 9 times more per rail rider than for brt rider. The second claim of increased proprty development has been proven to be link to changes in zoning and and TIF's.
The numbers cannot be made any better for rail. It is just too inefficient at moving people. Public transportation will always be subsidized, let's not spend money that does not carry value just to say we have a rail. Rather, let's spend the money intelligently.
Mr. Martinez- I understand there have been studies done on KRM- paid for by the government proponents of the deal with inherent conflicts of interest. Who would buy a large piece of real estate at a price based on an appraisal from an appraiser selected and paid for by the seller? My point is that the proponents of KRM are not selling the plan based on any statistics, hard facts and numbers, or solid projections. None of the proponents want to get into the details because they don't have solid numbers to sell the deal. But the taxpayers are suppose to fork over hundreds of millions of dollars because the proponents think its a "good idea". Even Chairman Bob isn't crazy enough to spend that kind of money on a "good idea" at Roundy's with no hard numbers to support such a large expenditure. Still waiting...