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This presentation outlines why Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett's proposed streetcar line is a fundamentally bad idea for a plethora of reasons - 2011
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Say NO to the Milwaukee Streetcar
A Presentation by Bobby R.
What is it?
• Mayor Barrett proposed a streetcar project for downtown Milwaukee
• 2.1 mile loop
Cost
• $64.6 million – $56.9 million = Federally Subsidized– Leaves $9.7 million on Milwaukee taxpayers
• Utility Relocation $70 million!– Conservative Estimate of cost– Full burden of cost, one way or another,
would be saddled by Wisconsin Residents
Operation Cost
• Estimated at $2.65 million each year– In other streetcars, around 10% of operation
costs are covered by fares, sponsors, etc.– Leaves a generous estimate of $2.4 million for
Milwaukee taxpayers.
• Grand Total of over $90 million!– Represents approx. 6% of 2012 Milwaukee
County Budget.
Logistics• Relocating downtown utilities would leave
Milwaukee streets in shambles for months.
• Snow removal– How would the streets be plowed with a
streetcar running nearly at the curbside?
• Hundreds of street side parking spaces would be unusable– This would actually detract from local business
rather than encourage it (intent of the project!).
Ridership
• Is this project even worth it?– The comparable streetcar built in Portland,
Oregon has received approx. 4 million annual ridership.
– The Milwaukee system could expect just 665,000 annual ridership.
• This means the streetcar can expect just 1800 riders each day
– Individual MCTS bus routes serve an average of 3,000 people daily
Alternative
• A couple of trolley style city buses could be fully funded and paid off for many years before the cost even approaches that of the streetcar.
• A bus is not anchored to the ground in one spot, it can travel anywhere.
• A bus still works in the event of a power outage.
Summation• Who would benefit?
– A small % of those who would pay for it.
• Bang for your Buck?– Too much money for a project that would struggle to
break even, much less make a profit
• Logistics?– Logistical nightmare, many issues
• Overall, this project would defeat its own mission, to attract potential consumers to businesses on the perspective route.
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