Milwaukee is one of the largest cities in the Midwest and the history of it's urban development has a long tradition of innovation. Throughout this project, I looked to study the history of Milwaukee's transit as it relates to the equity of transit today. According to Dr. Robert Bullard, "Transportation provides access to opportunity and serves as a key component in addressing poverty, unemployment, and equal opportunity goals while ensuring access to education, health care, and other public services." drrobertbullard.com/2013/01/23/a-call-for-transportation-justice-now/
Throughout my experience of living in Milwaukee for more than 6 years, I have come to observe that Milwaukee is a automobile focused city. As a person that does not own a car myself, I can state in my experience it is extremely difficult to navigate this growing city without the use of a car. I used to ride the bus for an hour and then walk a mile to get to my job for a trip that would take me about 20 minutes in a car. This inequity between public transit and automobiles does not make public transit an attractive option for many people.
With the invention of ride sharing apps, such as Lyft and Uber, it is easier to navigate the city if public transportation cannot get one to their destination, however, this option is not available to everyone. If one cannot afford a smart phone, they would have to rely entirely on public transit. Also, people that are bound to a wheelchair or would require any type of special accommodation could not use this type of easy app because it is impossible for them to get into a regular car. On an average day, 150,000 people ride the Milwaukee buses. Thousands of people ride the bus every day, and many people depend on the bus in order to get to work. According to 2017 annual report, 46% of people that ride the bus use it to get to work. httpwww.ridemcts.com/about-mcts With almost half of the people that ride public transit using it to get to work, bus services are necessary for the success of numerous families.
Milwaukee was not always an automobile focused city. Throughout this project I aim to observe the history of transit in Milwaukee to determine the development of the city into a car focused metropolis that is it today.
With the invention of ride sharing apps, such as Lyft and Uber, it is easier to navigate the city if public transportation cannot get one to their destination, however, this option is not available to everyone. If one cannot afford a smart phone, they would have to rely entirely on public transit. Also, people that are bound to a wheelchair or would require any type of special accommodation could not use this type of easy app because it is impossible for them to get into a regular car. On an average day, 150,000 people ride the Milwaukee buses. Thousands of people ride the bus every day, and many people depend on the bus in order to get to work. According to 2017 annual report, 46% of people that ride the bus use it to get to work. httpwww.ridemcts.com/about-mcts With almost half of the people that ride public transit using it to get to work, bus services are necessary for the success of numerous families.
Milwaukee was not always an automobile focused city. Throughout this project I aim to observe the history of transit in Milwaukee to determine the development of the city into a car focused metropolis that is it today.
Milwaukee's Transit History
The Milwaukee River's connection to Lake Michigan means that it is a convenient place for civilizations to grow. Native American tribes lived along these river ways for thousands of years before Milwaukee was founded. Many tribes, including the Potawatomi, Sauk, Ojibwe, Mascouten, Fox, and Menominee, all lived along the water because water meant that they could grow crops and have plentiful game. These tribes would trade with one another by using the rivers and walking trails. This early form of transit is still influencing Milwaukee today with the angle of both Fon Du Lac Ave and Forest Home Ave following the angles of the early walking trails of the Native peoples. www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/minority-health/population/amind-pophistory.htm
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The walking trails were used for hundreds of years and were essential to Native life. These trails acted as a way to connect with different tribes and also as a way to move goods to places that were not connected to water. These served as the first type of transit in Milwaukee.
Today, walking trails are used primarily as a recreational outlet for the people of Milwaukee. There are many trails that use parts of the original Native American trails. These are places that people use to escape the pressures of city life. Although the trails have developed throughout history, they still serve as an important part of everyday life for Milwaukee. county.milwaukee.gov/Trails8084.htm |
asdAfter Europeans discovered Milwaukee and its strategic position, they took the land and developed it into a city. In 1674, Jacques Marquette refered to this settlement and shared the land with his fellow fur traders. This land was a main trading hub between French Fur traders and the Native Americans because of its connections to the great lakes and the rest of the Midwest.
The land remained rather undeveloped until 1822 when Solomon Juneau built the first log cabin on this land. In 1835, Juneau began to survey the land and created the grid of the city that is still there today. The settlement's population exponentially grew after the plots of land were sold. Milwaukee was offically founded as a city in 1846 and continued to grow into the city that is there today.
The combination of population grow and the growth of industry in the area allowed for the waterways of the city to become essential for trade. The Erie Canal was completed in 1825. This allowed for the Great Lakes to be connected to the Atlantic Ocean, therefore, opened trade to the rest of the world.
The land remained rather undeveloped until 1822 when Solomon Juneau built the first log cabin on this land. In 1835, Juneau began to survey the land and created the grid of the city that is still there today. The settlement's population exponentially grew after the plots of land were sold. Milwaukee was offically founded as a city in 1846 and continued to grow into the city that is there today.
The combination of population grow and the growth of industry in the area allowed for the waterways of the city to become essential for trade. The Erie Canal was completed in 1825. This allowed for the Great Lakes to be connected to the Atlantic Ocean, therefore, opened trade to the rest of the world.
Milwaukee was a heavily industrial city at the turn of the century. The influx of German immigrants lead to the development of a lot of technological advances, especially in manufacturing. Milwaukee was now able to develop coal, leather, and beer that was exported all over the world. The main way to ship these goods was to put them on a ship and then let the ships travel to other cities on the Great Lakes or go out the ocean
www.milwaukee.gov/ImageLibrary/Groups/portAuthors/webphotos/Milwaukeemag_PortStory.pdf
In 1848 Chicago was connected to the Mississippi by the Illinois Canal. This meant that Chicago was connected to the Gulf of Mexico, which meant more development of trade. Milwaukee became a great place for ships to stop between Chicago and Canada. Even today, Milwaukee ships goods all around the world from its port. Although the exports have developed through the years, Milwaukee's waterways still remain an important part of its transit.
www.biztimes.com/2018/industries/international-trade-exports/wisconsins-exports-on-the-rise/
www.milwaukee.gov/ImageLibrary/Groups/portAuthors/webphotos/Milwaukeemag_PortStory.pdf
In 1848 Chicago was connected to the Mississippi by the Illinois Canal. This meant that Chicago was connected to the Gulf of Mexico, which meant more development of trade. Milwaukee became a great place for ships to stop between Chicago and Canada. Even today, Milwaukee ships goods all around the world from its port. Although the exports have developed through the years, Milwaukee's waterways still remain an important part of its transit.
www.biztimes.com/2018/industries/international-trade-exports/wisconsins-exports-on-the-rise/
Milwaukee also traded using rail. Rail in Milwaukee started in the mid 1800s. This allowed for Milwaukee to be a competitive city economically. The rain moved both goods and people around the country. The rainways would transport coal and lumber to states further inland.
www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS39
Milwaukee's most famous train, The Milwaukee Road, allowed for goods and people to travel around the midwest and connect to major train depots in Chicago. Rail was able to move goods to places that were not connected to the waterways and this lead to a lot of economic development in Milwaukee.
www.american-rails.com/milwaukee-road.html
www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS39
Milwaukee's most famous train, The Milwaukee Road, allowed for goods and people to travel around the midwest and connect to major train depots in Chicago. Rail was able to move goods to places that were not connected to the waterways and this lead to a lot of economic development in Milwaukee.
www.american-rails.com/milwaukee-road.html
Today, rail is still used for transporting goods, but not as frequently. After the creation of the Interstate Highway system, using trucks became more cost effective and dependable. The main goods transported by rail today are goods that are too large for trucks or large dry goods, such as coal. As Milwaukee stopped developing as much coal, the amount of train transportation fell. Over the years the use of public rail has fallen dramatically. www.history.com/topics/interstate-highway-system
As well as a loss in the amount of good being shipped by rail, Milwaukee's government has stopped funding public rail as much as it used to. The specific funding information can be found at this website: www.wisconsin.gov/Pages/Home.aspx
A lot of funding has gone to other projects such as new road developments, meaning that the government is more focused on creating roads for trucks and automobiles, rather on public transit options.
publicpolicyforum.org/sites/default/files/MilwaukeeTransitCrisis.pdf
As well as a loss in the amount of good being shipped by rail, Milwaukee's government has stopped funding public rail as much as it used to. The specific funding information can be found at this website: www.wisconsin.gov/Pages/Home.aspx
A lot of funding has gone to other projects such as new road developments, meaning that the government is more focused on creating roads for trucks and automobiles, rather on public transit options.
publicpolicyforum.org/sites/default/files/MilwaukeeTransitCrisis.pdf
Milwaukee's grid plan allowed for people to use horse drawn carriages to move within the city. The use of horses caused many issues in sanitation and Milwaukee incorporated automobiles into the city as soon as they were commerically avaible. Only the wealthy could afford cars at this point, so most people walked or used street rail to move around the city. In 1936 the first trackless bus was introduced to Milwaukee and this revolutionized the way that residents of Milwaukee moved around the city. Now the bus could take them to the neighborhoods that were not accessible by track.
www.ridemcts.com/about-mcts/history
The buses allowed for people to start moving out to the suburbs of Milwaukee and ride into the city. This meant that many of the residents of inner Milwaukee were able to move out and have the stereotypical American dream house of a yard and a white picket fence. The poverty stricken were stuck in the city and had to rely on the public transit to get around.
www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS502
www.ridemcts.com/about-mcts/history
The buses allowed for people to start moving out to the suburbs of Milwaukee and ride into the city. This meant that many of the residents of inner Milwaukee were able to move out and have the stereotypical American dream house of a yard and a white picket fence. The poverty stricken were stuck in the city and had to rely on the public transit to get around.
www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS502
Today Milwaukee has implemented many buses around the city, but many neighborhood are left un-serviced by buses, making it almost a necessity to own a car. There are many people that live in these neighborhoods that are not able to drive a car, so they rely on friends and family to get them around. Many people do not have a network to rely on, so they are left to fend for themselves in an unfair situation.
Overall, Milwaukee is an automobile centered city and not equitable for residents without cars. Impoverished, elderly, and handicapped people do not have the same amount of access to transit. This means that they are not able to connect to jobs, food, and health services as easily as a person that owns a car. Throughout its diverse history, Milwaukee has been able to experiment with many different types of transit that worked well for all residents. The dynamic of Milwaukee today is one of car ownership and it does not allow for everyone to have the same access to essential services.
Overall, Milwaukee is an automobile centered city and not equitable for residents without cars. Impoverished, elderly, and handicapped people do not have the same amount of access to transit. This means that they are not able to connect to jobs, food, and health services as easily as a person that owns a car. Throughout its diverse history, Milwaukee has been able to experiment with many different types of transit that worked well for all residents. The dynamic of Milwaukee today is one of car ownership and it does not allow for everyone to have the same access to essential services.