[milwaukee-electric] Re: Electric railways, streetcars, interurbans, trams, light rail lines and trolley buses worldwide. City officials announce Downtown Milwaukee streetcar route.

[Don L. Leistikow]

Ken and list:   No contest.... No one is going to do that.  This will be
a circulator, obviously intended for the convenience of UWM students and
Faculty.  The attraction will be the Fare Factor.              

Senior Citizens retruning to the CBD will find it useful, particularly
those who no longer can Drive an automobile.                

There is a very definite plus side, that being the introduction of
non-air polluting streetcars.  With UWM at one end and  Amtrak at the
other end yes, there will be riders.  No more problems with finding a
Parking lot, expensive as they are, will be a significant attraction.                              

Rebuilding the Central Business District will be the answer to the still
declining population in the City of Milwaukee.  The real porblem is;
What comes first, the Chicken, or the Egg?                                 

Some 24+ Cities have swung over to electric rail transit, in one form or
another. The response has been phenominal.  Once established,  Ridership
in thsoe Cities jumped so quickly and strong, that extensions are
quickly planned and built.  some Cities are now in their thrid expansion
of rail transit.                            

Wisconsin lags drastically as the Highway Lobby and the Road Builders
Associations, continue to push for Freeway extensions and widening
programs.  We don't need more Freeways and we don't need to spend
endless dollars for more cement and asphalt.  We need, balanced
transportation.  Toll Gates on the Freeways of Wisconsin, will
automatically reduce rubbertired vehicles and give us a return on
investment.           

The magical formerly introduced when funding for Freeways was
considered... was then 90% Federal monies.  All other transportation was
funded at only 50%.  Of late, the 90% from the Feds, is long gone.  What
the highways and freeways get from the Feds today, I am not aware.   

A strong CBD is what we need in the Metro Area. Wihtout that, the Metro
Area is doomed to bedroom communities with high taxes tp pay for public
services... electricity, gas, water, garbage, snowplowing... to name a
few.....              

FWIW... Don L.