Smart Madison. Shared Madison.

How should Madison design its future smart transportation system? How will we use smart transportation technology to get around?

Those are the questions we are asking you to respond to so we can better prepare our proposal for the $50 million Smart Cities Challenge.

The Smart Cities challenge, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation and Vulcan, asks mid-sized cities to submit their visions for a smart transportation future. One city will win the prize intended to launch the Intelligent Transportation revolution. This will include: Driverless and electric vehicles; automated transit corridors; vehicle-to-vehicle communication; advanced parking management; and open data sharing facilitating a truly multimodal system.

We envision a transportation future in which shared data creates a more equitable and responsive transit system. People have the information they need to make the best transportation choice for each trip, and connections between transportation modes are easy and intuitive. Frequent buses serve main routes, while on-demand shuttles connect people to destinations across the city - day and night. Connected vehicles find the most efficient routes and drivers are guided to the best parking spots from blocks away. A smart delivery system connects regional farmers and other producers with city vendors and buyers. Without building or expanding roads, we create a safer, cleaner community and protect Madison’s environment.

Share your ideas at www.cityofmadison.com/smartmadison

We will be collecting ideas until January 18, 2016.