Juneteenth

 

Help plan the future of regional transit!

 At their May 27 public input virtual open house, SRF Consultants introduced the next access points for public input into their Regional Transit Development (TDP) planning process for the La Crosse Area Planning Committee (LAPC). Please take advantage of these opportunities!

From the Public Meetings and Materials web page:

Help us shape the future of transit in the La Crosse region! This 10-minute survey is one part of the La Crosse Regional TDP, which will provide a vision for transit over the next ten years. The survey will help the planning team understand existing travel behavior, help create service recommendations and prioritization, and provide La Crosse Municipal Transit Utility, Onalaska Shared Ride, and Scenic Mississippi Regional Transit with customer service feedback. Please provide your input by taking this 10-minute community survey: www.surveymonkey.com/r/LaCrosseRegionalTransit

Please help us spread the word by sharing this survey with your family, friends, colleagues, and networks. Responses will remain confidential and will not be shared or used for any other purposes.

You may also leave specific comments on the map of this interactive website. Add your ideas to the map by clicking on “Add Comment” or “Add Bus Route.” You can zoom in or out on the map to place points or draw routes in specific locations in the community.

More opportunities for public input are coming, including in-person events. You are also welcome to email. Again, from the LAPC TDP web page:

We want to hear from you!

• What do you like about existing transit service in the region?
• What don't you like?
• How can service be improved?
• What do you want service to look like in 10 years?
• If you're not a current transit user, what would encourage you to start using transit?

If you couldn't make the May 27 meeting, you can view the presentation and its recording.

Comments and questions can also be directed to project staff:

• Menno Schukking, SRF Consulting

What could K-Mart be?

Let's get some CREATIVE THINKERS at this event!

KMART REDEVELOPMENT PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE & INPUT SESSION

What: Public Open House & Input Session regarding the Kmart Re-Development

When: Wednesday, May 26th, 5:00 - 6:30 p.m.

Where: 2415 State Road, La Crosse, WI (Inside the old Kmart building)

You are invited to attend a public open house session on Wednesday, May 26th, from 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. in the old Kmart building, located at 2415 State Road, La Crosse, WI.

The purpose of this working session open house is to listen to surrounding neighbors and community members to receive input for the Redevelopment of the Kmart Site. Our goal is have community identify high-value neighborhood assets, define “what is missing,” outline areas of pedestrian constraints to the Kmart Site, and vision what the site could become.

Jack Zabrowski

Associate Planner

Be a transit advocate - May 27 open house

One of the most important ways individuals and households can reduce their greenhouse gas emissions is to stop driving fossil fueled vehicles. Using "active transit," walking, biking, or taking the bus, not only is major climate action, but it also makes for less congestion, healthier people, cleaner air, and a more equitable community.

If you don't take the bus, why is that? To be sure, while our service is good for Wisconsin, it's not so great for those who don't live near a bus line, have to go places outside of service hours, or have other issues. But, that shouldn't be an invitation to forget about the bus. It should be a call to get involved in advocating for better bus service--more and more frequent service, more convenient routes, better connections.

Not everyone can, should, or can afford to own and drive a car (the national average cost to own and maintain a vehicle is more than $9,000!) Should that relegate them to living half-lives, unable to go to an event because the bus has stopped running, unable to take a job because the bus doesn't go there, unable to visit friends because there's no service?

If those of us who claim to care about the climate, about economic justice, about equity, about community would advocate for better public transportation, it would make a difference.

Here's your chance:

The La Crosse Area Planning Committee is embarking on a process to create a 10-year Regional Transit Development Plan, and your input is needed!

A virtual open house will take place through Zoom on Thursday, May 27, 2021 at 5 p.m. to discuss future transit service improvements for La Crosse Municipal Transit Utility (MTU), Onalaska Shared Ride (OSR), and Scenic Mississippi Regional Transit (SMRT). We want to hear from the community – transit users and non-users alike – about how bus service could be improved, and what it should look like in the future. Please click the link below to register for the open house meeting.

Register in advance for the open house on Thursday, May 27, 2021 at 5pm here:

https://srfconsulting.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_g8tgKQYpQNWWO6D2LhP3bQ

Passcode: LCRTDP

The TDP will report existing conditions, public feedback, community needs, and recommendations for how the area transit operators should align services to meet the needs of a growing region. We want to hear about your experiences with La Crosse regional transit services and gather feedback on how we should prioritize service improvements.

Share this open house invite with others in the La Crosse region! Please help us spread the word by sharing this open house invite with your family, friends, colleagues and networks.

The project is an initiative of the La Crosse Area Planning Committee (LAPC). Visit www.lacrossecounty.org/metropolitan-planning-organization/LAPC-Home/regional-transit-development-plan for more information.

 

May 21 Bike to Work Day

And you don't have to dress like you're a competitor in the Tour de France, either!

Downtown Mainstreet and Drift Cycle are hosting Bike to Work Day on May 21. You could also Bike to the Library, Bike to the Grocery Store, or Bike to School.

Stop by the DMI office at 422 Main Street for a little treat and to learn more about Drift Cycle Bike Share Program.

• 7 am to 8:30 am
  360 Nutrition will have power teas and power bars.
  DMI will distribute OJ and treats from downtown businesses.
• 11:30 am to 1 pm
  Meet Mayor Mitch Reynolds!
  DMI will distribute sub-sandwiches and lemonade.
• 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm
  Drift Cycle Swag and Membership Special – half off an annual membership, $50 only $25 at our event.
  Membership includes unlimited half hour rides with each additional half hour is only $1
  Drift Bikes can be returned to any of the six Drift Bike stations in downtown.

• There will be a Drift Cycle demonstration at each time slot.
  Drift Cycle is offering:
  FREE 1-hour ride Referral Code for new members
  FREE 1 hour Promo Code for existing members.

Go for a solo ride. Take a photo. Share it with the world. Show how #BikesUnite.

Tips for bike commuting:

* Get a comfy upright bike with fenders (or get some light-weight clip-on fenders)

* Wear normal clothes (invest in a rain suit for wet days#)

* Don't race! Easy pace!

* Have a basket, panniers, or rack trunk to carry your lunch, water, wallet, phone, etc. Backpacks work, too, but they might be uncomfortable.

* If it might be rainy, take a bag or seat cap to keep your saddle dry.

* Agitate for secure covered bike parking close to your workplace or classroom.

* Agitate for PROTECTED BIKE LANES on all major routes so anyone of any age or ability (AAA riders) can safely and joyously ride to work, school, or wherever they want to go.

* If needed, you can put your bike on the bus.

And pick a route that you'll feel comfortable riding--as straight as possible. Often, one street over from the busy street is a super quiet street you'll have mostly to yourself. But don't be satisfied with crappy routing and second-class status.

# There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes.