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Study looks at improving options for commuters

JANESVILLE — Paying $4 a gallon for gas is tough for anyone, but it’s especially tough for one in four Rock County workers.

Those are the Rock County residents with jobs outside the county, spreading from Madison to Rockford, Ill., to the northern reaches of Chicago.

For the past year and a half, the South Central Wisconsin Commuter Transportation Study has been looking for alternatives for those workers. The group has nearly finished its work and will present its ideas at an open house Wednesday.

About 23 percent of workers living in Rock County—nearly 14,000 people—worked outside the county in 2000, up from 20 percent in 1990, according to the U.S. Census. The number was estimated at 26 percent in 2006.

About 7,000 workers do the opposite—commuting into Rock County from other counties—adding even more stress to the region’s roads.

“The data is showing more people from Rock County are going to need to be working outside Rock County, so making sure they have transportation options is prudent,” said Alexis Kuklenski, Janesville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization coordinator.

The study began as a search for ways to connect Rock County to the Chicago area, such as extending the Metra line from the Harvard, Ill., station. Sen. Judy Robson suggested the study and got the state to pay $249,000 for a consultant, said Bob Soltau, metropolitan planning coordinator for the Stateline Area Transportation Study.

Representatives from various government groups, including Rock County, Janesville and Beloit, filled out the study group.

The group quickly realized Chicago might not be its best focus because most Rock County commuters travel to Madison or Rockford, Soltau said.

The study looked at seven travel alternatives between Madison and Rockford, including commuter rail, express buses and a feeder bus from Janesville to Harvard.

Commuter rail received a lot of attention from the public, but the demand doesn’t seem to justify the price, which could run to $500 million just for infrastructure, Soltau said.

Even creating a new bus service could mean more than $500,000 a year in operating costs, he said.

Instead, the group decided to focus on improving existing services. Its two main recommendations will be creating discounted fares on Van Galder buses from Chicago to Madison and promoting pre-existing vanpools.

The group is working with Van Galder Bus to create a commuter brochure and offer “significant” discounts on 10-ride, 20-ride and unlimited semester ticket packets, Kuklenski said.

“All this requires is a little better marketing and coordination,” she said.

The study also will promote local vanpools. For example, the state will provide vanpools to Madison as long as at least one pool member is a state employee. Chicago’s Regional Transportation Authority probably would provide vanpools to the Harvard station if there’s enough interest, Soltau said.

The group isn’t abandoning the idea of commuter rail, either, Soltau said.

“Even if now is not the time to promote commuter rail—and it very well may not be, yet—preserving those lines is important for the future,” he said.

Local governments can revisit the issue in five to 10 years and build on the study’s work, he said.

The important thing is to get the ball rolling on transportation options, Kulenski said.

“We’re talking about phases and steps here,” she said. “This is a first step.”

IF YOU GO

What: Open house to present the ideas of the South Central Wisconsin Commuter Transportation Study.

When: 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Where: Blackhawk Technical College, 6004 Prairie Road, Janesville, room 2227.

For more information: Call the Janesville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization at (608) 755-3095 or visit www.co.rock.wi.us/Dept/SCWCTS/index.htm.