The Lost Years

Scott Walker is all about jobs. At least that's what he keeps saying.

Part of his electoral success was due to his message of stopping rail expansion in Wisconsin. Trains are so antiquated; we shouldn't be spending taxpayer dollars on these pie-in-the-sky rail initiatives.

[We'll put aside, for the moment, the fact that the Federal government was going to pick up much of the cost, and we'll ignore all the jobs that would have been created.]

Using public transportation options to more easily and efficiently connect citizens and business over a larger area (in this case: from Gary, IN to Minneapolis, MN) just didn't make sense to Scott Walker.

Now, with terrible job growth and and burgeoning pressure to provide good economic news, Gov. Scott Walker endorses Milwaukee-Chicago metroplex initiative.

Hmmm, how odd. Mr. Economy wins two elections claiming job growth omnipotence and belittling transportation linkages. Now reality has shown (again) Republicans' claims of knowing 'how to grow the economy' are bullshit!

So, what does Mr. Economy do now? He flip-flops and takes the position of his opposition (connect the region, and use public transportation to help facilitate such), which he has railed (no pun intended) against for the past few years.

Of course Walker hasn't called for improved rail linkages. But just admitting there is something to be gained, economically, from better regional linkages is a big step in the right direction.

Wisconsinites have had the misfortune of waiting years for Mr. Walker to have this economic revelation. Time wasted, money lost, and jobs squandered.

Wow! Imagine that, working with others is more economically-beneficial than trying to simply poach jobs with platitudes ('Open For Business').

For Further Reading:
Great Lakes Megalopolis
Great Lakes Megaregion
Megaregions

Rail Transit

Light Rail Transforming Cities

... what could have been.

Off Track

Pat is back attacking rail transportation.

He finds buses to be a stellar alternative. McIlheran claims, "And taxpayers do not subsidize the tickets." Whom does he think pays for the roads that the buses travel on? He also spouts, "Building the [rail] line commits taxpayers to unbounded expense." Just as building more and more roads commits taxpayers to their maintenance. Not to mention the cost of our addiction to oil and the automobile.

For Further Reading:
All Aboard
Blood on the Tracks
Money For Nothing
Note To Critics: Roads, Freeways Subsidized, Too
Road Warriors

Blood on the Tracks

I've never been to Waterloo, and I'm sure its a quaint and beautiful town, but a high-speed rail line will not reduce property values and isolate neighborhoods, as a town alderwoman, Laura Cotting, states.

Mrs. Cotting, with typical NIMBYist attitude, is offering nothing but red herrings. Wisconsin's major metropolitan areas are one of only a few in the entire country that do not have some sort of regional rail transit. If Wisconsin's economic indicators - unemployment rate, job growth, etc. - were exceptionally better than the rest of the nation, such a belief may be justified. "They've all tried the rail thing, and they're doing worse than we are." But the opposite is actually the reality. Cities and regions which have instituted cohesive rail systems have seen the best and most stable growth.

John DeWitt, a developer offered his (misinformed) thought, "“Looking down the line there are so many different views on whether high-speed rail is good at all, and, to an extent, I think it’s hard to say.” The consensus is that rail is better for jobs, growth, and the environment.

Most of the country has actually decided rail is a good thing. And, most of the studies done on the subject have shown growth near transit stations and in the neighboring area, alongside increased property values.

For Further Reading:
Average Cost of Owning An Automobile
Economic Development & Smart Growth
Effect of Rail Transit on Property Values
Light Rail Can Turn Into Money Train
Milwaukee Needs to Lose Its Rail Phobia
Public Transportation Produces More Jobs
Trains and the City
Transit Oriented America
True Cost of Owning a Car
Why You're Better Off Not Owning A Car

Production Possibilities

James Rowen, at the Political Environment, weighs in on the potential benefits for the area from rail production.

Super Steel

Milwaukee has a company - Super Steel - that actually produces train cars. We are one of a handful of cities that do not have, nor are we planning, a rail system. We are in tough economic times with a need for jobs and catalytic economic projects. Why are we not fostering and promoting this local comparative advantage (Super Steel)? Super Steel should be building train cars for a regional light-rail network as we speak. This would lead to clustering and agglomeration economies (peripheral activities/businesses connected to this project). It would lead to increased employment and establish Milwaukee's future viability for business and residents. This is a perfect stimulus project with job, infrastructure, and long-term transit, business, and regional implications. What have we been waiting for?

For Further Reading:
The Magnitude and Causes of Agglomeration Economies
State to Purchase Two Trains From Spanish Company Locating Here
State Touts No-bid Deal With Spanish Firm
Transport Investment, Agglomeration and Urban Productivity

Update:
Super Steel Could Build Trains Without Jeopardizing Contracts

All Aboard

Road are expensive to build and maintain. And, it appears, we're not maintaining them very well. "In many urban areas nationwide, 30-60 percent of roads are in poor shape," according to an American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials report.

One solution, which would also be good for the environment, is to invest more in rail networks. A study by the HNTB Corporation found rail networks induce development and increase property values.

Here is a recent article from John Gurda, Milwaukee historian, on his experience with the rail system in Zurich. Elisabeth Rosenthal, in a piece for the New York Times, tells the story of Vauban, Germany, and their experiment as a car-free city.

A Streetcar Named Insufficient

This is a nice start, but why not just begin with a light-rail system. Come on! Let's be bold. This is no time for trepidation. We need leaders willing to take on vested interests and get big projects done for the sake of our citizens (creating jobs) and our region's future (competitive infrastructure).