Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett unveiled his "Comprehensive Transit Strategy for Milwaukee" in an e-mail and online post on Fri., Feb. 16.

He also endorsed the development of a Downtown Circulator, a system that was first written about on OnMilwaukee.com. The Circulator is a proposed downtown neighborhood rail-based system that "will vastly improve movement around all major employment centers and attractions Downtown, such as the Midwest Airlines Center, the Milwaukee Public Market, the Maier Festival Grounds, the Lakefront, Cathedral Square, Park East, and the Bradley Center."

Madison also is studying a similar system.

Barrett's plan also introduced Bus Rapid Transit through a new service called County of Milwaukee Express Transit (COMET). Stated the mayor, "augmenting and upgrading the buses of the Milwaukee County Transit System, COMET offers comfortable, competitive, high-quality rides and utilizes state-of-the-art technology." COMET is further positioned to "meet the needs of the 23 percent of Milwaukeeans who do not own a car by linking two highly critical employer based routes."

The mayor's plan carries a local price tag of $16.15 million, and a total estimated cost of $107.65 million. The outline also supported the K-R-M commuter rail linking Milwaukee to Kenosha and Racine. It makes no mention of the Downtown trolley loop or the Milwaukee Connector, a plan the the Mayor vetoed in May 2006.

"Milwaukee demands a Comprehensive Transit Strategy that creates jobs, meets the various demands of different users and provides seamless connectivity. My plan accomplishes these critical goals and moves Milwaukee forward."