Madison will alter plans for the city’s second north-south Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line to restore parking to sections of South Park Street as well as relocate a handful of stations, the Wisconsin State Journal reports. The alterations come in response to complaints from area business owners, who feared that the elimination of already-limited street parking would harm their businesses.
Three areas on the thoroughfare will retain street parking as the city approaches a major reconstruction of the street from Fish Hatchery Road to near the Beltline, accommodating future Rapid Route B. Preserved parking areas include the southbound side of South Park Street between Vilas Avenue and Erin Street; the northbound side between Lakeside and Emerson streets; and the northbound side from Olin Avenue to Spruce Street.
The north-south BRT line will run from the north side at Northport and Troy drives, through the isthmus, down Park Street, and into Fitchburg to end near McKee Road once complete. Service will be provided at 15-minute intervals throughout the day.
Keeping some parking on Park Street will require the buses to move into mixed traffic, rather than stay in a dedicated lane, at points where there is street parking.
