Madison residents spoke out about a proposal to revamp bus routes throughout the city at a Transit and Parking Commission public hearing Tuesday.
Transit Route Planner Colin Conn said the changes are designed to simplify routes, increase on-time performance for bus arrivals and departures, and respond to public concerns about the transportation system. Conn said Metro Transit is talking with UW-Madison officials about the design of the campus-area Route 80, which would add a link between Walnut Street and Highland Avenue under the proposal.
It would streamline the route just beautifully and reduce the travel time between the hospital and the Memorial Union,"" Conn said. ""Basically what it does is it drops the cycle time enough that you can either provide the same level of service with fewer buses or increase the level of service with the same number of buses.""
Metro Transit General Manager Chuck Kamp said the company looked at customer and employee input and collected data to create the proposal, which calls for changes in bus routes and schedules. In addition to attempting to lower travel time and create more efficient routes, Kamp said the plan could also cut recent unexpected fuel costs.
""What we didn't anticipate is that the '08 budget '¦ and the way diesel prices are escalating leaves us with less ability to tell you that we have a way to pay for these [changes],"" Kamp said.
A packed room full of residents mentioned several problems with the changes during the public hearing. Sharon Williams, a Madison Metro driver for nine years, said despite the proposal's good intentions, pushing for faster routes could create unrealistic schedules for drivers to adhere to.
""Sometimes it always sounds good on paper but as soon as we start to drive it, it never works,"" Williams said.
The commission will vote on the proposed changes, which would go into effect in August, at their May 13 meeting.
