Commuter rail link a tool for development
Stronger links within the region and to Chicago would boost economic development and are the best argument for building the line.
From the Journal Sentinel
May 18, 2008

The reason to build a commuter rail line linking Kenosha, Racine and Milwaukee to each other and to commuter rail in northern Illinois is simple: It will help move people to jobs.

It will help a young couple that moves to the Racine area, where the wife has just landed a job but the husband works in Milwaukee. One can take the car to work, the other, the train.

It will help an unemployed young man or woman in Milwaukee without a car by widening the area in which he or she can work. Taking the train to S.C. Johnson from Milwaukee will be simpler and cheaper than buying a car.

It will help the young professional in northern Illinois who can take the train to a new job in Kenosha or Milwaukee.

The problem so far in helping those workers has been funding. A local sales tax is probably the best way to fund a regional transit system, but state and local leaders need to settle on one funding source and make sure that's included in the next state budget.

There is no doubt that KRM has potential. According to figures put together by the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, in 2000, there were 913,000 jobs within a one-mile radius of the stations along the proposed KRM commuter rail line corridor and the existing commuter rail in Chicago and northeastern Illinois.

In addition, according to SEWRPC:

A majority of residents in Kenosha and Racine counties live within three miles of proposed KRM stations, and a healthy proportion of Milwaukee residents (41%) live within the same distance of proposed stations in Milwaukee. Many of these people are minorities and a number of them don't have access to an automobile.

In addition, KRM could help add jobs to the corridor. According to SEWRPC, development within a half-mile radius around the nine stations in Wisconsin may be expected to total 71,000 jobs and 33,000 housing units. That's a 55% increase in jobs and a 230% increase in housing units over existing levels, representing an increase in assessed value of $7.9 billion. SEWRPC says 17,100 of these jobs and 12,800 of these housing units (60% to 65% of the increase) may be expected to occur only with the implementation of commuter rail.

SEWRPC also says that the average commuter time from Milwaukee to Kenosha on the 33-mile commuter rail line would be 52 minutes, compared with 54 minutes by car at peak travel time and 83 to 108 minutes by bus. And don't forget that travel by car is becoming less attractive and less feasible for some as gas prices continue to rise.

SEWRPC also says that commuter rail could be expected to attract more than twice the ridership of buses and would attract riders taking longer trips, as well, with commuter rail passenger-miles representing four times the passenger-miles of buses - 25.2 million passenger-miles vs. 6.2 million for buses.

KRM needs to be seen as an economic development tool that will be part of a quality regional transit system encompassing rail, buses, roads and airports.

The business community seems to have come to that realization and has begun to take a leadership role. "This has to be a great place to attract people," said Chip Brewer of S.C. Johnson. "Younger employees look at the quality of life in an area, and to many of them, that includes a quality transit system."

And Tim Sheehy of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce says that KRM could be "another backbone in an economy that's only going to knit closer together. We should do it right, and we should do it together."

What's needed is the same kind of realization from local politicians and the public. What's needed is leadership.

KRM has been under discussion for several years. But it's been kind of like the weather; everyone talks about it but no one does anything about it. That's unfair to a few leaders such as the folks at SEWRPC, Transit NOW, the Milwaukee 7 and the Regional Transit Authority for Southeastern Wisconsin. It's also a little unfair to legislators such as state Reps. Jeff Stone and Jim Kreuser, state Sen. John Lehman and some local business and community leaders.

But the fact is that there hasn't been enough of a push from the region to make KRM a reality. And the stumbling block has been money: figuring out how to finance construction of the $198 million system and then pay for the annual $6.3 million in net operating costs. A local sales tax to cover KRM, buses and the airport is probably best. It's what other municipal areas with a modern transit system do. Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker's proposal to reserve some of the increase in the state sales tax for regional transit could also work, as could transportation improvement districts designed to operate like tax incremental financing districts.

It is also critical to make sure the funding source covers the Milwaukee County Transit System and other local transit systems in the region. As one interested party put it, getting KRM done before fixing MCTS is like spending your money on a nice new dining room set when your roof has a gaping hole in it. KRM is a theory. MCTS is a reality. And it's a reality that is in a death spiral that needs to be stopped.

Walker, Racine County Executive William McReynolds and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett say they support KRM but then balk at proposals to fund the rail line, such as a new sales tax. The most recent proposal - a hike in the car rental tax - found supporters in the state Senate but foundered in the Assembly.

RTA officials will recommend several funding options in a report in the next several months. Local leaders need to come to agreement on one of those recommendations. The governor then needs to include that funding mechanism in his budget by the end of the year. Early next year, legislators will need to approve that budget as well as legislation authorizing the RTA to operate and fund a regional transit system.

It won't be easy. It will require debate, public hearings, meetings and compromise. But despite the failure so far to get KRM done, the fight isn't over. In fact, it's just beginning.

Jobs

Within 1-mile radius of stations, year 2000:
Downtown Milwaukee: 110,300
Milwaukee County: 21,600
Kenosha and Racine counties: 28,200
Chicago North Shore suburbs: 95,100
Chicago north side: 58,500
Chicago downtown: 599,400
Kenosha County: An estimated 96,000, or 64%, of Kenosha County residents reside within three miles of the two proposed KRM train stations in Kenosha County, some within walking distance and others within a short connecting bus or shuttle ride or drive or drop-off by automobile. Of these county residents, 20%, or 19,000, are minorities, and 8% do not have access to an automobile.
Racine County: An estimated 108,000, or 57%, of Racine County residents reside within three miles of the two proposed KRM train stations in Racine County, some within walking distance and others within a short connecting bus or shuttle ride or drive or drop-off by automobile. Of these county residents, 30%, or 32,000, are minorities, and 11% do not have access to an automobile.
City of Milwaukee: An estimated 245,900, or 41%, of city of Milwaukee residents reside within three miles of the two proposed KRM train stations in the City of Milwaukee, some within walking distance and others within a short connecting bus or shuttle ride or drive or drop-off by automobile. Of these city residents, 59%, or 145,400, are minorities.

Source: Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission