High-speed trains heading north from Switzerland into Germany bend into the Rhine Valley and around the hills and mountains that mark the Black Forest. Approach Freiburg—Madison's sister city—passengers' views include wine vineyards and verdant hills. Inside a sleek white train modem, amenities make for incredibly comfortable rides. Then, over the loud speaker comes this announcement: "Sehr geehrte Fahrgäste, im Kürzerem erreichen wir Freiburg. Ausstieg rechts," or "Ladies and Gentlemen, we will be arriving in Freiburg shortly. Exit to the right." That's the call for departing passengers to leave the train upon arrival at Freiburg's main station.
The station is bustling. The bus station is adjacent, and above the platforms a bridge carries three of the city's four tram lines. The eight tracks carry trains of every type to distances near and far, ranging from Paris to Moscow.
Head northwest about 45 minutes and you arrive in Strasbourg, Freiburg's twin city on the other side of the Rhine—and the French border. The city's distinct and dramatic cathedral towers over rooftops, mirroring Freiburg's Minster. These twin cities share a storied history. Over the centuries they've fallen under the rule of the Austrians, Germans and French. When Marie Antoinette moved from Vienna to Paris for her ill-fated marriage, her last night on then-Austrian soil was spent in Freiburg, her first night on French soil in Strasbourg. Decades later, these two cities are college towns with innovative and progressive populations, centers of sustainable design, thinking and living. Exiting Strasbourg's main station is a similar experience to that in Freiburg: Trains connecting all of France and others heading deep into German adds a futuristic air to the old train shed. Part of the city's six-line tram system glides below ground before heading into the city center at street level.
This is a vision of what Madison's transportation system might look like in the future, an ironic example of how the Old World can still manage to stay ahead of the New. These are also the cities to be visited on a planned learning trip by city officials preparing a new transportation master plan, produced by the Sustainable Madison Transportation Master Plan Oversight Committee. This is an image that needs to become reality for Madison and it is past 'high time' to see this type of layered transportation in the city.
Common Council members generally expressed support for this trip and the potential outcomes, however support was not unanimous when the resolution was presented by Mayor Paul Soglin (and later passed) Tuesday night. Concerns were raised by Ald. Shiva Bidar-Sielaff, District 5, who said "I haven't seen how the previous trips really translate to our decision-making" that same night. Funds for this trip come from sources already dedicated to official city travel.
Other alders, such as Ald. Denise DeMarb, District 16, and Ald. Maurice Cheeks, District 10, both were among those who expressed enthusiasm for the trip.
"I was quickly persuaded by the fact this would expand our horizons and expand the way we're thinking about transportation," Cheeks said. DeMarb added in a telephone interview Wednesday afternoon this is important to get first-hand experiences and that the results of traveling and seeing examples like Freiburg and Strasbourg are remarkable.
On both counts, Cheeks and DeMarb understand exactly why this trip is necessary: First-hand experience is remarkable and it is much more powerful an incentive to change and take bold action than seeing pictures. During the academic year 2012-'13 I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to live and study in Freiburg, Germany. I used this incredible transportation system every day and even traveled to Strasbourg more than once, where I was able to see the city's great transportation system. It's incredible how well people can get around European cities (and Europe as a whole) without everyone needing to get in a car. As much as this vision is a dream that will hopefully one day be reality in the United States, it is hard to not understand Bidar-Sielaff's concerns: Will anything come from this trip?
She raises a legitimate concern. Madison has great collections of long-term master plans. There is one for everything: transportation, neighborhoods, the UW-Madison campus, parks, sustainability and so on. But how much of these do we ever see implemented? Regarding transportation, little seems to get done. The city still lacks any sort of rail transit, even after multiple plans have been proposed; there isn't even a direct connection to Amtrak. Buses stop running before midnight, despite the large population of young people who would likely benefit from easy and cheap transit at bar time. Madisonians aren't even lucky enough to have some rapid-transit bus routes. The city's transportation system is held together entirely by conventional buses.
When you look at trends, I feel the discontent and honestly, the lack of vision. It seems like the city's government is full of grand plans, but nothing to show for them. That shouldn't discourage us, though and despite reservations about the value of such trips abroad, this should be an opportunity to reignite our common imagination for a more dynamic, livable and connected Madison.
Returning from Freiburg and experiencing the lack of transportation options in the U.S. compared to those in Germany was frustrating to say the least. This has inspired louder calls for better and bolder plans to improve transportation on this side of the Atlantic. A trip by city representatives might do the same. Seeing the layered and well-integrated systems in Germany and France should encourage local politicians to exert themselves more in the name of transit. Bold visions and big thinking are what we need—not only in Madison, but the Midwest as a whole—to create a transportation system that rivals those in Europe. We deserve nothing less.
"Timid" is the word best used to describe the proposals presented for transit in the past. Yes, practicality needs to play a role in planning and decision making, but we're falling behind and if Madison and the Midwest want to compete in an increasingly integrated and competitive world, we can't be timid, we have to be bold. This trip will show how even smaller cities (both Freiburg and Strasbourg are similar in size to Madison) can have successful rail-based transit systems and strong inter-city connections.
Madison needs to create a rail-based transportation system that moves people through the city quicker, connects surrounding communities in the region to the opportunities on the Isthmus, and is big enough to partner with other government and planning entities to include high-speed rail connections to other major Midwest cities. New plans can be so much more and include planning for a new main station in Madison, something more impressive than the plans for a station tucked under Monona Terrace.
Such a system shouldn't be seen as a tool just to improve the region's environmental sustainability. Comprehensive transpiration systems are tools for economically and socially sustainable communities as well. It increases access to work opportunities, provides jobs, enables easier access to schools, entertainment and health care, and builds upon healthy modes of transportation like walking and biking.
For Madison, these are bold visions. They seem even unrealistic. But this isn't fiction, this is reality for so many people in so many cities, including Strasbourg and Freiburg. We should mirror their success and their ability to change the faces and fortunes of their cities for the better. This planned trip is a necessary part of making this vision turn into a plan that can and hopefully will become reality.
Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
