Law-First Plan
3. Imaginative Alternatives
E-bike and cargo-bike lending library
Fit for Sheboygan High. Short distances, flat lakefront
Law check Wisconsin defines Class 1, 2 and 3 e-bikes (Wisconsin Bike Fed municipal guidance)
Verdict Do in Phase 1, low cost
E-bike and scooter share
Fit for Sheboygan Medium to high, seasonal
Law check 2019 Wisconsin Act 11 legalized e-scooters; Wis. Stat. 349.237 lets the city regulate, permit or ban rentals
Verdict Pilot by city permit
Microtransit vans
Fit for Sheboygan High at night and on the edges
Law check Demand-response service must meet ADA equivalent-service rules
Verdict Already in plan for overnight (about $378K a year)
Car-share
Fit for Sheboygan Medium. Supports going car-free for the occasional big trip
Law check No special state barrier found
Verdict Pilot near downtown and the harbor; partners welcome, never required
Water taxi
Fit for Sheboygan Seasonal and fun; little time savings after the bridge
Law check Coast Guard OUPV or Subchapter T rules (Section 1)
Verdict Summer experience, not a commuter backbone
Gondola
Fit for Sheboygan Low. Trips are short and the bridge solves the river
Law check No legal barrier, but no trip it serves better than the bridge or a loop
Verdict Not recommended. Honest no
Covered skyway-style links
Fit for Sheboygan Low to medium. Can pull life off the street
Law check TIF capital eligible if in the project plan
Verdict Prefer arcades and sheltered stops at street level
Autonomous shuttle pilot
Fit for Sheboygan Medium, as a harbor or downtown loop
Law check Precedent: goMARTI in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, a free year-round May Mobility service, free through at least 2028, with manual driving in severe cold. Wisconsin's rules for driverless operation are an open question
Verdict Pursue a supervised pilot in Phase 2
Employer vanpools
Fit for Sheboygan Medium for shift work in the region
Law check Ordinary vanpool programs; partners welcome, never required
Verdict Offer, do not depend on any one employer
Regional coach
Fit for Sheboygan High value
Law check Indian Trails already runs Sheboygan to Milwaukee (a 7:10 AM departure arrives 8:20 AM). States must spend 15% of 5311 funds on intercity bus (5311(f))
Verdict Pair with Lakeshore Link
Rail
Fit for Sheboygan Long term
Law check The Hiawatha extension study (FRA Corridor ID, $500K) runs Milwaukee to Green Bay via Fond du Lac, not Sheboygan. The I-41 Thruway bus ended October 1, 2025 and never served Sheboygan (WisDOT)
Verdict Connect by coach to Milwaukee; advocate for a lakeshore study
Lakeshore Link and Brown Deer. MCTS Route 68 serves the Brown Deer East Park and Ride weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays, about every 30 minutes; the last weekday southbound trip is about 9:45 PM (MCTS Route 68 timetable). Lakeshore Link times should meet it, and late trips past 9:45 PM need a Milwaukee-side answer.
Electric buses in winter. Expect about a third less range in deep cold (NREL study of Duluth transit, doi 10.2172/1887443). Fleet counts must include this.