BBus & Rapid Transit Work

Associate Professor Robert Schneider led a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) workshop course in fall 2016. This second iteration of the course followed a summer when the initial Milwaukee County East-West Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Corridor Feasibility Study was approved by the City of Milwaukee, Village of Wauwatosa, and Milwaukee County Board. In the studio students focused on messaging to communicate potential benefits and challenges of BRT to key audiences and visioning to identify opportunities and to address key challenges as the East-West Corridor BRT project moves forward and future phases of BRT are considered in the Milwaukee region.

Students hosted eight guest speakers during the semester, listened to several near west side residents and leaders in a public meeting, received feedback from local and national planning professionals in a Practitioner Workshop in November, and presented their analysis and recommendations in a Final Workshop in December.

The Final Presentation and Final Report, available on the SARUP website (https://uwm.edu/sarup/uwmilwaukeebusrapidtransitworkshop/), shows the benefits of BRT, strategies to address challenges related to implementing BRT, and potential designs for dedicated BRT lanes, stations, and routes.