Last week was a major milestone for the average household in the greater Milwaukee metropolitan area - March 22 was transportation freedom day! That’s the date a typical area household has earned enough to cover its annual transportation costs.
So, you can celebrate, Milwaukee, you’ve earned enough to pay for your transportation for the year.
Here’s the bad news - it takes the average metro-Milwaukee family nearly three months’ salary (81 days of income) to pay off a year’s worth of annual transportation costs.
Translating that into dollars, the average metro Milwaukee family is spending $10,079 on transportation costs, 25 percent more than the average American household, which spends roughly $8000 on transportation.
Milwaukee isn’t unique. Transportation is a major expense for most American families, particularly those who are dependent on cars. Owning an automobile is expensive - between car payments, insurance, repairs, parking and gasoline, the average American household spends more than $8,000 per year on vehicles. Americans spend more on transportation than we spend on food, clothing, entertainment or health care - and far more than we spend on income taxes.
So, how can we save consumers money and lower transportation costs in the region? One strategy is to increase access to public transportation. Americans who live in areas with good access to public transportation tend to spend less on transportation than those who are fully dependent on cars. In some neighborhoods, the typical median-income earner achieves “Transportation Freedom” as soon as early-to-mid February. In others, Transportation Freedom Day isn’t until mid-to-late April.
People who live near transit - or in walkable neighborhoods with a mix of homes, stores and community buildings - spend less on transportation than people who live in car-dependent areas because they tend to own fewer cars, use their cars less often, and take shorter trips. They tend to travel more by walking or using more efficient, energy-saving forms of transportation, such as public transit.
For example, an individual switching from driving to public transportation in 2010 in Minneapolis could expect to save $9,884 in 2010, according to the American Public Transit Association.
When more people use public transportation, they also save money and hassle for other drivers. That’s because public transportation reduces the number of cars on the road, easing congestion. In 2007, public transportation avoided 646 million hours of roadway congestion - the equivalent of a year of work for over 300,000 people. Public transit’s $13.7 billion in economic benefits from reduced congestion was more than one-and-a-half times the total federal investment in transit in 2007.
On top of these benefits, we also know that public transportation reduced America’s dependence on oil by reducing consumption of oil by billions of gallons each year, which as a result also avoids emissions of tens of millions of tons of carbon dioxide, the leading pollutant responsible for global warming. And investments in public transportation consistently create more jobs than spending on highways.
State legislators have the opportunity to give consumers in Milwaukee and throughout southeastern Wisconsin more options and to save consumers money by enhancing regional transit. Passing regional transit authority (RTA) legislation will give residents more and better transit options.
Shortchanging public transportation is a classic case of being pennywise and pound foolish. Now more than ever, public officials must make transit a top priority. Not only will it save consumers money, but it’s vital to economic growth and development in the region.
At a time when many Americans are struggling to make ends meet, giving more people in Milwaukee access to transit makes good sense for our communities and for our pocketbooks!
Bruce Speight is the director of the Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group (WISPIRG), and Kathryn Tholin is the chief executive officer of the Center for Neighborhood Technology.
12 Comments
Couldn't agree more, great article! Getting people to and from work, school, etc., while cutting down on traffic congestion is a win win. Milwaukee needs dedicated funding for our buses and we need it NOW!
Of course Southeastern Wisconsin should have a Regional Transportation Authority like every other American population center already has, and what's taken us so long to get this, anyway? Wisconsin's notorious them-versus-us territorialism and regional political infighting? Come on, already, this constant talking and resultant waiting is costing property taxpayers who are picking up the burden for our substandard transit.
Bruce Speight explains the benefits well in his blog, but those benefits have been well-known by every other American metropolitan area for decades. If Southeastern Wisconsin hopes to attract the best and brightest, a reputation for backwardness is not going to look well on our resume.
When my wife and I moved to Milwaukee, we quickly realized we didn't need two cars. We now are looking at selling the one we have. Thank you Bruce, I really didn't realize how much I could save, But you're right we need a better transportation system for this to work for more people. I urge our representatives in government to embrace the RTA
We do not need another unelected, unaccountable, and incompetent taxing authority lording over us. The proposed RTA tax shift is a scam- our property taxes will go up to fill the void left by spending on public transportation. Also, not mentioned is that this supposed tax shift includes a $20 million tax increase. The proponents are already raising taxes but won't tell you!
As to the numbers thrown around in this editorial about transportation freedom and costs- do they include the cost to taxpayers to subsidize public transportation? Do the numbers include the lost time waiting for public transportation? Do the numbers include the lost time walking to and from the pick-up point for public transportation? And most importantly, the numbers don't include the total hassle factor of dealing with public transportation including items like having to work on public transport's schedule, bad weather, crime on the bus, and slow service. The public isn't stupid. If public transportation was such a deal, people would abandon their cars and would use public transportation. But typically, when someone earns enough money to get a car and abandon the bus, they do so. Don't get me wrong, the bus is necessary to serve those that can't afford a car. But it is no "deal".
@BM, Currently taxes used for public transportation in Milwaukee are paid for by property taxes. That means that 100% of the burden is on the shoulders of Milwaukee County property owners. A sales tax would be that around 33% of that money would come from people who are visiting Milwaukee but don't pay property taxes. They are basically sucking money out of Milwaukee (by using the roads, fire/police protection, Summerfest shuttles, and the list goes on) and not paying for a dime of it. Milwaukee simply can't afford to keep subsidizing those who don't live here this way. Shifting transit to a sales tax will help.
Milwaukee County Transit has seen a reduction in service (both in frequency and routes) and a high fee for almost a decade straight! It's simple math, more expensive + less service = less ridership. And the fact that the status quo will continue down that death spiral means that we must change the situation. We must get a dedicated funding source for Milwaukee County Transit or many more than the already 40,000 jobs that already have, will become inaccessible.
@Bill Marsh. Regional Transit Authority is governed by the State. It cannot raise taxes without authorization by the State. It cannot even raise taxes with only authorization by the County, unless the State gives the County the authority to do so. RTA would be accountable to three elected authorities: the Governor, the state Legislature and the County government.
With all three entities controlling the tax level it would be hard to describe RTA as unaccountable. RTAs are more accountable than any one of the three of its "parents" that control what an RTA can do.
What no advocate wanted here was an RTAuthority that was untied to elections.
We could, of course, design RTA to be elected directly but regional elected authorities would probably reduce the power of local rule (County, City); and that is something I personally thought was a bad idea. Regional cooperation is difficult to achieve, but it's a worthy goal - Counties and Cities working together to compete in the global economy.
These unelected taxing authorities should be banned across the state. The proposed RTA, like MMSD, MATC, and the Wisconsin Center Board will be unaccountable to the taxpayers. These unelected taxing authorities are not democratic and in direct conflict of the idea of no taxation without representation. Why should we believe an RTA will be any different from MMSD, MATC or the Wisconsin Center Board?- each continually wanting more taxes and fees, each unaccountable to the taxpayers, and each run like fiefdoms. When I don't like what the RTA is doing, who do I vote out of office? Who is my specific representative on the RTA board that is directly accountable to me? No one.
As to the public transportation budget being paid by property taxes, what is the percentage of non-county residents that are using the Milwaukee County Transit system? Less than 1% is my estimate, but please tell me I'm wrong with some evidence that we are subsidizing a large number of non-county residents.
Finally, where is the binding referendum for Milwaukee County on this issue? The referendum that was previously run was not specific to this current RTA proposal. Why are the proponents afraid of binding referendum that specifically addresses the current RTA proposal and sales tax increase? Because the people don't support it.
Once again, Bill Marsh twists his facts. No, make that he just makes up his "facts." There was a referendum. And it specifically called for taking mass transit off the property tax rolls and putting it on a dedicated sales tax. It could not have been any clearer. And it was overwhelmingly approved by voters. And that's the way it most urban areas handle mass transit. It WILL provide property tax relief, and people passing through the region will help pay for mass transit, just like we do when we buy things while passing through other regions.
I swear, some people put up political blinders that shield them from reality.
Today when I went grocery shopping, I found that the supermarket was out of aluminum foil. "The entire stock?" I asked the manager. "That's right, " he replied. A "Mr. Marsh" was just here and cleaned us out. "Said he needed some new hats." "Of course, " I replied. "We need our brains protected from the 'unelected, unaccountable and incompetent.'" And so I cannot cook a chicken. But I await my instructions as to whom to vote out of office.
Russin: The non-binding referendum specifically called for money going toward the parks, mass transit, and emergency services. Just mass transit is not the same. The "overwhelmingly approved" referendum passed 51% to 49%. Also, the referendum did not mention a $20 million tax increase. See the following news article- http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/82084967.html.
This dishonest hijacking of a non-binding referendum that passed 51% to 49%, and which did not specifically solely address the RTA, is just an indication of how the RTA will be corruptly run, the taxpayers be damned. If the referendum did not have the word parks in it, it would have never passed.
Welke: As usual, you made some thought provoking points regarding the topic. You are consistent.
Citizens demand good rail transit. Even amidst recession, St. Louis County citizens on Tuesday, April 6, 2010 approved Proposition A, a half-cent sales tax increase to support MetroLink light rail and bus service.
Unofficial returns showed 63% of those voting supported the tax, not only to operate but to provide up to $90 million per year to pay for expansion of the transit system, including growth in light rail routes in the bi-state St. Louis metro area. Milwaukee passed its referendum and I predict the RTA question will pass solidly in the rest of Southeastern Wisconsin.
What can be done about lowering long term costs by getting more people on public transit? The free public transit day was a great idea to raise awareness, but more must be done. There must be a high availability of options for public transit as well. Or maybe just one well-working system? Who knows, but I think getting more people on the public transit system will lower costs in the long term.