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March 21, 2008 Dear Editor: Madison Metro is in trouble and refuses to admit it. A recent article compared ridership levels to the record set in 1982. These numbers are so disingenuous and unsophisticated, it's enough to make my head spin. In 1982, Metro did not have thousands of UW student riders hopping on the bus every day to go every few blocks, as is the case today. Metro didn't have large employers such as the UW and the city of Madison offering free bus passes to riders. And Metro didn't have the infamous transfer point system, which forces more to make transfers to get from point A to point B. In other words, coming close to breaking 1982 ridership statistics shouldn't be all that difficult. We must ask City Council members: How many of you have actually looked at a Metro schedule? In case you haven't, it's a catalog! Imagine a recently arrived Madisonian trying to navigate this disorganized mess. I assume most give up and decide to drive to work. I invite all of the City Council members to turn their car keys in for one week and solely depend on Metro to get around town. I can hear them begging for their car keys back already! Taking Madison Metro around town shouldn't be all that difficult. It's as if today's riders are second-class citizens. I never thought the day would arrive that I would write these words, but here it goes: Madison Metro is truly a waste of taxpayer money.
Adam Young, Madison In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. |