At our Oct. 16 meeting, the membership approved the following resolution:
Support MetroForward Rapid Transit Plan
WHEREAS the Dane County Democratic Party recognizes climate change as an urgent and existential crisis; and
WHEREAS the party supports measures that provide more economic opportunities for our underserved populations; and
WHEREAS lack of access to transportation disproportionately impacts people of color, low-income families, the elderly, and those with disabilities; and
WHEREAS Madison and Dane County’s current public transportation offerings do not provide adequate support to those who work irregular hours or who work or live outside of the city center; and
WHEREAS the proposed MetroForward rapid transit plan will increase bus service across the county, expand the hours of service, reduce travel times by up to 25%, and subsidize the fares for low-income riders, allowing more people to use the bus system as their main mode of transportation; and
WHEREAS increasing the number of bus riders will remove single-passenger vehicles from the roads, which will ease congestion, reduce emissions, and reduce the need to expand roads and construct more parking decks in the isthmus; and
WHEREAS the reduction of single-passenger vehicles and conversion to an all-electric bus fleet by 2023 will reduce our combined carbon footprint and allow Madison to achieve its goal of carbon-neutrality by 2030;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Dane County Democratic Party supports the MetroForward rapid transit plan and calls on all elected officials in the county to support measures expanding service to their municipality.