Transit Dreams Follow 'Wheel Tax' Proposal in Madison

After Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway proposed a $40 "wheel tax," otherwise known as a vehicle registration fee, the debate heated up about what the revenue could fund, or whether it's necessary at all.

1 minute read

October 15, 2019, 12:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Wisconsin Public Transit

lifeground seeker / Shutterstock

Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway included a proposal for a $40 vehicle registration fee in the city's draft 2020 budget, calling the fee essential to fund projects in a city hamstrung by limits on property taxes.

"The vehicle registration fee is expected to generate $7.8 million, and that money has to go toward transportation services, as required by state law," according to an article explaining the proposal by Rose Schmidt.

The proposal immediately proved controversial, and some councilmembers have questioned the necessity of the proposed tax.

A follow up article by Jamie Perez provides more insight into that debate, especially about the potential for the new tax to reduce congestion by contributing revenue to the city's transit system. Madison's Metro Transit and the Madison Area Transit Planning Board already have public transit plans in mind, releasing a study for an East-West Bus Rapid Transit line earlier this year.

Thursday, October 10, 2019 in Channel 3000

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Concrete Brutalism building with slanted walls and light visible through an atrium.

What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities

How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.

February 28, 2025 - Justin Hollander

Complete Street

‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge

Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.

February 27, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

Green electric Volkswagen van against a beach backdrop.

The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan

Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.

March 3, 2025 - ABC 7 Eyewitness News

Aerial view of single-family homes with swimming pools in San Diego, California.

San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule

The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.

16 minutes ago - Axios

Close-up of row of electric cars plugged into chargers at outdoor station.

Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives

A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.

4 hours ago - UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation

Blue train on coastal rail in Southern California.

SoCal Leaders Debate Moving Coastal Rail Line

Train tracks running along the Pacific Ocean are in danger from sea level rise, but residents are divided on how to fix the problem.

March 7 - The New York Times