Kenosha panel to consider potential bus route in Somers

A Kenosha panel that oversees public transportation is set to consider a potential bus route in Somers. A proposal asks Kenosha Area Transit to explore the feasibility of implementing an extended bus service” in the village and town of Somers. It also seeks to assist Somers with applying for grants to support the service.

It would call on the City Council to commit to collaborating with the village and the town to bring bus service that meets the needs of the Somers community while promoting economic development. The proposal will go before the transit commission at its April 21 meeting, according to Ald. Anthony Kennedy, the panel’s chairman.



The resolution, authored by Commissioner Andrew Schmidt, contains neither proposed costs nor budgetary details. It is intended to open a more formal dialogue with Somers’ administration and its elected leaders on the issue. Both Schmidt and Kennedy said regional public transportation has been an issue as development on both sides of the Highway 31 corridor — with Somers to the west and Kenosha to the east — continues to progress.

According to city ordinance, Kenosha’s buses already have the authority to operate within 30 miles of the city.. “If we’re going to really talk about a regional transportation system, the City of Kenosha is already positioned to be a big player in that.

However, everything costs money,” Kennedy said. “When you take a look at the number of apartment units that have been placed between Highway 165 and Green Bay Road and all the way up to (Highway) KR, that’s a lot of apartment buildings and yet, there’s not a lot of transit that serves this population,” he said. In addition to multi-family dwellings, development on the village’s side of the corridor includes two grocery stores, Walmart and Festival Foods, and continues to attract new businesses, including restaurants.

Kennedy “This is our way of trying to start ...

talking about how we serve these population centers that get the people from those apartments to where the jobs are, and how we start taking a look at transportation in a holistic regional approach, not just a city approach,” said Kennedy. Transit, he said, is Kenosha’s “second, most leveraged” operation. For every dollar it spends, 60 cents comes back from the federal government.

Only the Kenosha Regional Airport receives more at 80 cents to the dollar. He said collaboration with municipalities such as Somers would allow for federal dollars to help pay to serve their respective constituents. The city has already invested in the hardware, in this case, the buses.

The proposal has been in the works for the last six months, while the notion of extended bus service to Somers has been around much longer. It hasn’t gained traction in the village, however. Stoner Village President George Stoner said Somers has fielded overtures from city officials about a possible bus route extension since Walmart opened in 2009.

The answer, he said, has always been a firm “no.” Stoner said he wasn’t aware of any transportation issues with people living in the apartment complexes to and from their jobs. “It ain’t gonna happen because we’re not interested in doing that,” he said.

“They’ve been asking us for the last 15 years and we’ve been telling them no ...

we’re not interested in funding a bus line from the City of Kenosha to Somers.” Jason Hendrickson, who has been a Madison Metro driver for nine years, maneuvers his articulated, electric rapid transit bus around Capitol Square on Tuesday. Passengers on Tuesday wait for a rapid transit bus to arrive at the Baldwin Street station on East Washington Avenue.

Riders on the city's new bus rapid transit system can purchase fares via a machine that spits out Metro Fast Fare cards or by downloading an app on their phone. Tom Lynch, director of transportation for the city of Madison, explains the new Bus Rapid Transit system to city officials and media prior to a demonstration ride from the isthmus to the city's Far West Side. Ald.

Derek Field, who represents part of Madison's East Side, shows off a new Metro Fast Fare card, that will be used by many on the new Bus Rapid Transit system that goes live Sept. 22. Riders can also use an app on their smartphone or purchase a one-time ticket at a bus stop kiosk.

City and elected officials board an electric rapid transit bus on Tuesday at the Baldwin Street station as part of a demonstration ride. The new buses on the Bus Rapid Transit route are equipped with machines that allow riders to scan their phone, one-time ticket or a Metro Fast Fare card. An electric bus pauses Tuesday at a BRT stop along State Street.

Tom Lynch, transportation director for the city of Madison, explains details of the the Bus Rapid Transit system and the new electric buses used on the route. Members of the City Council, city officials and members of the media rode the bus Tuesday as part of a demonstration. Tom Lynch, transportation director of the city of Madison, holds onto a strap as a new electric bus makes its way along University Avenue Tuesday.

The electric buses used on the new Bus Rapid Transit system are articulated, can hold 50% more passengers and have interior bike racks. An articulated electric bus makes the turn Tuesday on to Junction Road from the Mineral Point Road off ramp. A charging system lowers onto the roof of an electric bus at a terminal on Junction Road.

Batteries are fully charged overnight, but buses use the terminals at the end of routes to add supplemental power. Jason Hendrickson has been driving for Madison Metro for the past nine years but like all other drivers is getting used to new electric buses and dedicated lanes that will improve commute times for riders. Hendrickson was at the helm Tuesday during a demonstration ride for city officials and media to experience the Bus Rapid Transit system that goes live Sept.

22. This station at Westfield Road is one of many along Mineral Point Road on Madison's Far West Side. Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.

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