Skip to main content

Rider Insider TSAC 11/2019


Transit Services Advisory Committee
What You Should Know About It and Why
By Jeffrey Jordan
What TSAC does:
The Transit Services Advisory Committee (TSAC) provides citizen input regarding the Milwaukee County Transit System to the County Board Committee on Transportation Public Works & Transit. Primarily the group is charged to represent the riders and the public in transit issues facing the County Board. TSAC is asked to submit reports and advice to the Board's Committee.
How TSAC members are chosen, and who they meet with:
The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors created TSAC in June of 2005. County Supervisors appoint members of TSAC. 
TSAC members have monthly meetings with MCTS staff, a representative from the bus drivers and mechanics union, and other guests. The sessions are mostly informal - TSAC members provide a sounding board for MCTS staff ideas. Occasionally TSAC members vote to support or oppose policies, and this is passed along as advice given to the County Board Committee on Transportation Public Works & Transit.
Transit discussions:
Recently, TSAC meetings have included discussions about NEXT (the complete bus system redesign), funding challenges at county/state/national levels, union negotiations, and more. 
The county's transit system is vital to many people for many reasons. 
If someone doesn't use the bus, they might be tempted to think, "Why should I care about the bus system?" Consider this: every bus rider could be another car on the road if the bus weren't available. Buses provide an efficient and sustainable way for people to get around. Buses get people to work, and bus riders work in all industries- so a better bus system enhances the economy. 
Some bus riders have few (or no) other transportation options, and other bus riders have options yet prefer to take the bus. People with disabilities, people without drivers licenses, tourists, students, people on limited incomes, people who prefer not to drive, and people going to destinations with limited parking are just some of the people who rely on a healthy bus system. Each year, thousands of seniors must decide if they should continue to drive. If there is no mass transit for them, they face two options; isolation or operating a vehicle that they are not competent to handle
Are you concerned about MCTS’s future?
If you have concerns about Milwaukee County’s transit system, contact your county supervisor, or reach out to TSAC. You can direct your questions, complaints, or ideas to TSAC's Facebook Page. Start by “Liking” the page and then make your entry on the timeline.
Jeff is a freelance writer and patron of MCTS. He was for a brief period a member and the chair of the Transit Services Advisory Committee.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Diversity

As we look forward to celebrating the Pride we have in our Gay population, (Yeah, I couldn't resist the pun.) I'm pleased to report that diversity in the mix of our residents here in the Fox River Valley continues to surprise me. Example: As my wife and I waited for friends, in the lobby of the Marcus Hollywood Theater on the west side of Appleton, I witnessed three AfricanAmericann ladies buying snacks. Behind them was a Latino couple. At the end of the line, behind was an Asian fellow with three kids. We represented the WASP's. This is in a community that when I first visited in the nineteen sixties, if a black man walked down the street, he more than likely played football for Green Bay. After that, there was a rather pronounced immigration of Hmong and quieter arrival of Latino's. For a while, the worst keep secret was that the new Italian restaurant was actually owned by Mexican's. Since returning to the Valley, I've grown use...
Post a Comment
Read more

A rustle in the hustings

I am trying to stay away from politics on my blog. I know that some of my intended readers do not share my feelings. As well, I don't entice dialogue. Occasionally my readers will address something I've written about. For the most part, they are merely saying something like, "Oh yeah, I felt that way too," regarding some experience, that I related. However, I have to share these particular feelings about the new Ryan Healthcare proposal that is sailing through the House of Representatives. Market-driven healthcare provision: This concept proposes that if put on the free market health care insurance will become more affordable. The theory is there will be competition among insurers to gain market share and lowering the prices will be a possible outcome. None of the insurers want customers who are old people or people with a pre-existing health problem ( heart disease, cancer, etc...) Older people, who are not on medicare, have more health care ne...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ring The Bell

 It appears there is a tradition in the radiology department at Ascension Hospital that patients, upon completing their course of treatment, ring a bell. ( We know not for whom this bell tolls.) Ring the Bell with My Sweetheart Jeanne. Jeanne drove me to all but two of the appointments. Pam Frautchi took me to the other two. Today, after being zapped thirty-two times, I rang the bell. This begins a roughly one-month recovery period where the effects of the radiation abate and, I'm assured, a return to normalcy occurs. In my case, I anticipate more energy and greater awareness. Books, Books, & More Books I am simultaneously celebrating the end of the third year of volunteering for the All Saints Hunger Book Sale. Next week, we will wrap up the preparation for the sale and open our doors on August 3 for the public. I ran into this humourous but quite accurate cartoon on a T-Shirt that shows most of the volunteer's sentiments at this point. If you think the printed and bound p...
Post a Comment
Read more