Marquette campus stops among new Bus Rapid Transit line’s most popular

MCTS’s CONNECT 1 BRT buses free to ride through Sept. 30

According to early ridership data on Milwaukee County Transit System’s first-ever Bus Rapid Transit line — called MCTS CONNECT — stops on the Marquette University campus are among the BRT’s most popular.

According to the Milwaukee Business Journal, the east-west BRT line between downtown Milwaukee and Wauwatosa averaged 2,800 riders per day during its first week of service this month. Stations on the Marquette University campus were the destination of 500 riders per day.

Downtown Milwaukee stations were the most frequent destination for riders, accounting for about 700 people exiting the bus per day, including 300 at the station near North Water Street and East Wisconsin Avenue. The Milwaukee Regional Medical Center on the western end of the line saw about 200 people exit the bus per day.

The BRT’s nine-mile route, which opened on June 4, features new dedicated bus lanes. Nine state-of-the-art platform stops with improved technology features and 32 stations total feature off-board fare collection and raised platforms for easy boarding. Eastbound and westbound stations on the Marquette campus are located along Wisconsin Avenue at 9th Street, 12th Street and 16th Street.

Passengers can ride CONNECT 1 free through Sept. 30 thanks to a sponsorship deal with Umo Mobility, MCTS’s new transit app partner.

MCTS CONNECT 1 BRT LINE: WHAT COMMUTERS NEED TO KNOW

Resource: MCTS Dedicated Bus Lane How-To Guide

How to use dedicated bus lanes

Dedicated bus lanes will be designated using pavement markings and permanent signage. Access will be maintained to parallel parking and driveways. After yielding to buses, motorists will be permitted to enter the dedicated bus lane for right turns and parallel park in designated areas. Motorists are not allowed to travel in the dedicated bus lanes, but cyclists are.

At high-demand times, bus lanes easily move far more people than traffic lanes. To keep traffic running smoothly, motorists, cyclists and pedestrians should follow these guidelines:

For motorists:

  • After yielding to the bus, motorists may access the dedicated bus lanes to access driveways and designated parallel parking.
  • After yielding to the bus and obeying pavement markings (dashed striping), motorists may access the dedicated bus lanes to make right turns at intersections.
  • When parking in designated parking areas, make sure your entire vehicle, including side mirrors, is inside the parking lane, and use caution when opening doors as buses, bikes, and vehicles could be approaching from behind you.
  • Never park your vehicle in the bus-only lane, even temporarily.

For pedestrians:

  • Only cross the dedicated bus lanes at designated crosswalks, wait for the appropriate signals, and look in all directions before crossing the dedicated bus lanes.
  • Never cross or run in front of an approaching bus and avoid entering the dedicated bus lane from between two parked vehicles.
  • Take a break from your electronic devices. Remove your headphones so you can hear traffic in the dedicated bus lane, and don’t walk and text when crossing the BRT route.

For cyclists:

  • Cyclists are allowed to travel in the dedicated bus lane.
  • Be aware of approaching vehicles.
  • Use hand signals to indicate turning.

MCTS CONNECT fares and UPASS availability

CONNECT will be fully integrated into MCTS, and the cost to ride will be the same as the cost to ride other MCTS services. Currently, an adult MCTS fare is $2 per ride using an M-CARD or the Ride MCTS app, and $2.25 if paid in cash. The MCTS system will also accept UPASS and MCTS daily, weekly and monthly bus passes.

Passengers can ride CONNECT 1 free from June 4 through Sept. 30 thanks to a sponsorship deal with Umo Mobility, the transit app contracted by MCTS for its new WisGo fare system.

On-street parking

Due to the dedicated bus lanes, on-street parking will no longer be permitted on Wisconsin Avenue on Sundays. Parking information for Church of the Gesu parishioners and visitors is available online.

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