Opinion

By Amy Litzer, Wausau WI
November 20,2021

A public transportation system that does not keep their bus stops cleared of snow and ice and protected from the wind during a harsh Northern Wisconsin winter speaks to the degree of importance given to the mobility needs of our elderly, disabled and poor residents.

A public transportation system that does not reach centers of employment opportunities and provide service around the clock prohibits economic stability for working and poor families and individuals.

In Wausau/Marathon County, we have a public transportation system that has been given a once in a lifetime opportunity through the American Rescue Plan funding to address these chronic inadequacies needs to ACT on the needs and grievances of the people most impacted and dependent on such support.

Addressing the needs of the most impacted will benefit the economy and well being of all citizens throughout Marathon County.

Transit Advocacy is about riders who are grounded in their experiences, which I have been. I have been riding bus in the local Wausau area since early in 2009 and 2010 with my cousin Patrick Doyle and his mom Julie Doyle who runs an furniture reupholstering job in Wausau. That is when I discovered when I also was going to school for computers at North Central Technical College for computers before dropping out of school, that transit is very vital to mobility and is critical to the health and well-being of our communities and the greater transport region.

Why i really love Webex and the whole business part of transit is because it is safe and secure while working from home in my office of my bedroom at River View Towers. My last encounter with transit with Metro Ride was so intimidating that I had to stop riding due to my mental health concerns and well-being. That has left me with visible scars on my stomach and arms due to the anxiety and trauma of increased harassment, the negligence from some of the bus drivers in the past and now that our county has become willfully ignorant and absurdity is climbing, with the unvaccinated. Aspirus is seeing the highest Covid positivity since December of 2020 and that makes me sad, since the Aspirus family medicine clinic I go to for my own medical care is not on the bus line—I am among other bus riders who use the same clinic but do not have ways of getting there other than taxi or Uber or a Lyft just because metro will not pay higher wages to hire new bus drivers to fill in the vacancies right now in the positions that are empty.

As well, I had started also a petition on change.org for a Rib Mountain bus route. At the last count there were 58 supports on that petition along with 12 supporters that wanted Weston, Schofield. Rothschild and other municipality bus routes expanded. A public transit system that does not clean their bus shelters or or that is non-compliant with the ADA law should be turned in for a lawsuit. There is no reason for this to be an issue. Other bus companies have to comply with state and federal laws–why is Metro Ride getting off the hook so easy? When bus riders have to wait in frigid below-zero temps in those bus shelters that are not cleaned of snow and ice and sleet, this makes it so dangerous for the bus riders themselves it also puts them in harm’s way of oncoming snow plows if they would fall.

A public transportation system that does not reach centers of employment opportunities and provide service around the clock prohibits economic stability for working and poor families and individuals.

Mass transit needs to be available to all disabled students, workers, shoppers, and open access to shopping, clinics, businesses, and nature parks in Marathon County. Mass transit needs to be available to events held through the City of Wausau area events company and include the following municipalities in our transit program: Schofield Weston, Rib Mountain, Little Chicago, Marathon City Mosinee, Kronenwetter, Rothschild as well as, regionally, Merrill Tomahawk, Rhinelander. If all communities pitch in the effort we will all benefit long term from this opportunity from the transit grants as well we as the American Rescue Plan.

A Petition to extend Metro Ride bus service in Rib Mountain, WI is here.

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