Support for new rail transit systems dips below 50%

Support for new rail transit systems has dipped below 50% in the Milwaukee area, while I-94 expansion receives stronger backing but still falls just short of a majority, according to a recent poll.

At the same time, The People Speak Poll found majority support throughout the four-county area for a new half-cent sales tax in Milwaukee County only to fund the county's transit system, despite skepticism about empowering a regional transit authority to levy a broader sales tax.

The Public Policy Forum's People Speak Poll is a tracking poll, designed to follow changes in public opinion on key local issues over time. The latest telephone poll of 386 residents in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties focused on transportation issues and was the third such poll in a year to ask about plans for high-speed trains, commuter rail and streetcars.

Last fall, 57% backed plans for high-speed trains linking Milwaukee to Madison and Chicago. Narrower majorities supported plans for commuter trains from Milwaukee to Kenosha and Racine and modern streetcars in downtown Milwaukee. Those results didn't change much in the spring.

But when the latest poll was conducted June 1-4, support had dropped to 41% for high-speed rail and 42% each for downtown streetcars and commuter rail, the Public Policy Forum reported.

By contrast, a new question about adding lanes to I-94 between Milwaukee and Waukesha drew 49% in favor to 39% opposed, with the rest voicing no opinion.

Those results reflect inroads by vocal rail transit opponents, as well as public concern about the economy and strained government budgets, Public Policy Forum President Rob Henken said.

Also, transit use is lower and traffic congestion is less intense in the Milwaukee area than in some other major U.S. metropolitan areas where the public has backed new rail systems, Henken noted. The poll found 74% never ride a public bus, while 64% drive a car every day and only 11% view traffic congestion as "a severe problem."

In a voicemail, Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker said the poll results showed agreement with his opposition to rail transit, based on its cost. Within Milwaukee County, however, narrow majorities continue to support all three rail plans, the poll found.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett's office did not return a call seeking comment. Barrett, who backs streetcars and high-speed rail and opposes freeway expansion, is the likely Democratic nominee for governor. Walker, who supports freeway expansion, is seeking the Republican nomination.

Sales tax: The poll found 53% of respondents support a half-cent sales tax as the best way to fund Milwaukee County's financially troubled bus system, even though the idea of a regional transit authority with sales-tax power continues to draw majority opposition throughout the area.

In a 2008 advisory referendum, Milwaukee County voters endorsed a 1% sales tax to replace property tax support and add new funding for both parks and transit, over Walker's opposition. State lawmakers approved a 0.5% county transit tax, but Gov. Jim Doyle vetoed it, saying he wanted a regional approach.

Karl Ostby, chairman of the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority, said he believed more people would back taxing authority for the RTA if a clear plan emerged.

Commuter rail: The RTA is pressing a $283.5 million plan for the KRM Commuter Link, which would connect Milwaukee and points south with 15 round trips each weekday. Federal officials have signaled they might allow preliminary engineering on the rail line, but would not help fund construction until public bus systems are financially stabilized.

Ostby said the KRM has been lumped unfairly into attacks on the planned $810 million high-speed rail line between Milwaukee and Madison. He also noted the poll did not include Racine and Kenosha counties, which the KRM would serve.

When the RTA sought approval for preliminary engineering, a minority report from Milwaukee County Board Chairman Lee Holloway and Supervisor Michael Mayo urged federal officials to reject the request because bus funding remains uncertain. State Reps. Robin Vos (R-Racine) and Jeff Fitzgerald (R-Horicon) sent a separate letter of opposition. A federal response is expected in two to four months, said Ken Yunker, executive director of the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission.

Streetcar: Barrett has proposed a $95.8 million modern streetcar line that would link the lower east side to downtown attractions. The city started preliminary engineering on the streetcar line last month, based on supportive comments from the Federal Transit Administration, although formal approval has yet to arrive, City Engineer Jeff Polenske said.

The poll found nearly one-third of area residents, and most bus riders, said they would regularly ride a streetcar line with a $1 fare.

Freeway lanes: The Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission has backed widening I-94 from six lanes to eight lanes between Milwaukee and Waukesha, but planners have called for more study before adding lanes within city limits. In recent years, debate has focused on whether to expand the Zoo Interchange.

The poll results have a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points. The University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee's Center for Urban Initiatives and Research and The Business Journal Serving Greater Milwaukee co-sponsored the survey.