Senate Bill 329 -- The Catch-22 that may catch you!

There is a bill going through the Wisconsin legislature that would defeat the purpose of building extra parking spaces on campus. The text of this bill follows, with my explanatory comments:

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

Section 1. 349.13 (1k) of the statutes is created to read:

349.13 (1k) (a) As provided in par. (b), a local authority, with respect to highways under its jurisdiction including connecting highways within corporate limits, may authorize persons whose residences abut a highway in a zone where parking is prohibited by official signs, guests of such person, and commercial enterprises providing services to such persons to park their vehicles in the highway zone without regard to the posted prohibitions. [In other words, if the provisions below are met, a local authority (city, village or town) can make an exception to local parking prohibitions for area residents, guests of residents, and business entities in the area.]

(b) If a University of Wisconsin System college campus located in a 1st class city [note, there is only one "1st class city" in the state of Wisconsin, namely Milwaukee] creates 721 parking spaces on campus [which, amazingly enough, is the exact size of the Klotsche parking structure], a 1st class city may initiate a program to reserve 721 parking spaces for persons who residences are adjacent to the University of Wisconsin System college campus, guests of such persons, and commercial enterprises providing services to such persons. [In short, the gains that UWM intended to make by providing extra parking at Klotsche could be canceled by reserving an equal number of near-campus parking spaces for residents, guests and businesses.] If a University of Wisconsin System college campus located in a 1st class city creates additional parking spaces on campus, a 1st class city may reserve an equal number of parking spaces for persons whose residences are adjacent to the University of Wisconsin System college campus, guests of such persons, and commercial enterprises providing services to such persons. [So the city of Milwaukee would not only be able to cancel the effect of the current Klotsche parking garage, but also every future parking structure that UWM may choose to build.]

This denial of access to campus cannot be tolerated. Wisconsin lawmakers need to be informed of the horrors of trying to find a place to park now and how such a disastrous bill would only make things worse. The primary business of Milwaukee's East Side is the university; making it impossible to get there will only stagnate the area.