Today, the Dane County Board of Supervisors again debates the merits of a Regional Transportation Authority. Incited by our rapidly growing community with no clear system of growth other than opportunistic sprawl, we now have a proposal that reinforces building our county around people rather than cars.

Delaying a new plan will cost taxpayers increased congestion, decreased air quality and undoubtedly more money spent on developing road infrastructure to accommodate more people with more cars. This would create a feedback loop of excess with little chance of return on our investments � a cycle that won’t end until we run out of oil or land to pave.

But let’s look at the positives. Reports show that Madison Metro Transit�s ridership is reaching record highs, projected to overcome the previous record only two years from now, at more than 13.4 million riders served a year. A large part of this success comes from healthy partnerships with local business entities and campuses, including our own. Even so, it is clear that citizens of all backgrounds in Dane County see public transportation as viable, and it is time for the board to get on board.

It is important to note that alternative transportation doesn’t just accommodate our needs in downtown Madison, but also our neighbors in outlying communities. A diversity of transit options that are equitable and efficient not only preserve our beautiful rural communities from being trampled by new highway development and low-density subdivisions, but also maintain the health and vitality of our economy, the environment and the equity of our populace.

Furthermore, it gives students a reasonable way to explore and participate in the opportunities that exist outside the bounds of our campus. For many, this could mean living downtown after graduation while having the opportunity to work outside the city � forgoing the expense and hassle of owning a car.

In order to do this, we must account for the symbiosis of not only the various types of communities, but also the modes of transportation offered. We already have miles of great bike trails, and companies like Budget Bicycle Center, which have implemented bicycle-borrowing programs.

Our bus infrastructure has also been tweaked through the years, and provides options for low-income, elderly and disabled patrons every day. Rail lines once intended for local travel lie dormant even though light rail cars are cheaper to maintain, last longer than buses and are significantly cleaner. The basic infrastructure is in place, and it’s time to turn our thinking toward unifying them, providing safe and clean storage facilities, paths built to complement each other, efficient transfer points and well-planned transportation routes.

Scaling alternative transportation options that have already proven successful � such as bus rapid transit systems and light rail � within our current infrastructure, and negotiating the unique challenges that we face as a community, is only a matter of conviction and dedication on our lawmakers’ part. We look to our government to guide our county forward in an intelligent and efficient manner; we must encourage them to do this job and make order of a currently directionless plan.

We should welcome an urban revolution that engages us with our rural neighbors in viable transit solutions, increasing our already high standard of living while providing new jobs and efficient access to existing ones. It is this community�s vibrancy that attracts people to live, work and pursue an education here; to maintain it, we must rethink our relationships and modes of transportation in a comprehensive and systematic manner.

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Wyndham Manning ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in communication arts and environmental studies. He is also a District 5 candidate for the Dane County Board of Supervisors.