Search found 347 matches

by thespeedmccool
March 22nd, 2024, 6:57 pm
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Green Line Extension - Southwest LRT
Replies: 5265
Views: 1247294

Re: Green Line Extension - Southwest LRT

Didn't read the whole article because I know how much KSTP loves to hate light rail, so the gist is there was a hiccup in which recently installed light rail track in the Kenilworth Corridor was one foot too close to the parallel freight track. https://kstp.com/5-investigates/new-problem-uncovered-...
by thespeedmccool
March 21st, 2024, 7:02 am
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Street, Road and Highway Projects
Replies: 1388
Views: 603962

Re: Street, Road and Highway Projects

What are inside the red circles with the lines through them?
I think those are rendering errors
by thespeedmccool
March 20th, 2024, 2:14 pm
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Street, Road and Highway Projects
Replies: 1388
Views: 603962

Re: Street, Road and Highway Projects

Sounds to me like a certain Boy Mayor's administration heard from a business or two about parking and intervened. If the transit lanes really are A. bus-only for the entire work week and B. actually enforced then this isn't a serious problem. A shameful telegraphing of the mayor's and county's prior...
by thespeedmccool
March 20th, 2024, 2:10 pm
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Northern Lights Express
Replies: 510
Views: 497663

Re: Northern Lights Express

I think MN was denied funding because our environmental review was out of date, yeah? Will that be updated before the fall funding round?
by thespeedmccool
March 20th, 2024, 10:09 am
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Street, Road and Highway Projects
Replies: 1388
Views: 603962

Re: Street, Road and Highway Projects

I sure hope they haven't changed it last minute with no input. The posted layout still shows "BUS ONLY" road markings, so it could be just an oversight and these are still planned to be bus only. But the big text box that reads "ADDITION OF PART-TIME TRANSIT PRIORITY LANE" makes ...
by thespeedmccool
March 19th, 2024, 10:31 am
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Uber/Lyft
Replies: 29
Views: 2835

Re: Uber/Lyft

We really shouldn't back down. We shouldn't let capital bully us into backing off our minimum wages . Except the rates set by the city council will, according to the state study, be well in excess of the Minneapolis minimum wage (after accounting for costs borne by the drivers). I think the thing t...
by thespeedmccool
March 18th, 2024, 6:22 pm
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Uber/Lyft
Replies: 29
Views: 2835

Re: Uber/Lyft

Some alternative rideshare companies have already said they're investigating coming to MN. We really shouldn't back down. We shouldn't let capital bully us into backing off our minimum wages . We shouldn't acquiesce to Wall Street's attempt to punish a progressive city whose only crime was to be so ...
by thespeedmccool
March 15th, 2024, 10:47 am
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Uber/Lyft
Replies: 29
Views: 2835

Re: Uber/Lyft

I'm pretty skeptical that the city level is the correct place for regulation of rideshare companies. But I have no sympathy for the companies themselves. From the start, they've abused information asymmetries with their "employees" to subsidize their anti-competitive pricing. The entire m...
by thespeedmccool
March 14th, 2024, 3:59 pm
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Uber/Lyft
Replies: 29
Views: 2835

Re: Public Transit News / Current Events (MN only)

I am pretty confident the State Legislature will preempt Minneapolis. They'll set a statewide minimum rideshare wage akin to the current state minimum wage, and change the law to prevent MPLS from setting their own minimum. The likelihood we see the day when Uber actually leaves the state is like 10...
by thespeedmccool
March 9th, 2024, 9:33 am
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Gold Line BRT (Gateway Corridor)
Replies: 458
Views: 147377

Re: Gold Line BRT (Gateway Corridor)

Gold Line is on the verge of being officially delayed. There was substantial trouble getting some utilities moved (I think) and that delayed a large part of the work for a while. The project committee had to sign off on reordering the project's construction schedule and authorize more winter work th...
by thespeedmccool
March 6th, 2024, 12:54 pm
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Blue Line Extension - Bottineau LRT
Replies: 1749
Views: 976363

Re: Blue Line Extension - Bottineau LRT

DC Metro recently changed all their signage to indicate when routes go "via downtown DC."

That seems sensible to me, considering what a destination downtown is in comparison to Brooklyn Park.
by thespeedmccool
March 5th, 2024, 1:51 pm
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Riverview Corridor Streetcar
Replies: 1194
Views: 553954

Re: Riverview Corridor Streetcar

For everyone who laments the mistaken alignment of SW light rail (2c was far superior - should have gone thru uptown - would have saved money (no tunnel) and improved ridership), I would urge you to NOT support a street car. Why can't this be light rail? Either build light rail, or go with ABRT. Do...
by thespeedmccool
March 4th, 2024, 3:45 pm
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Riverview Corridor Streetcar
Replies: 1194
Views: 553954

Re: Riverview Corridor Streetcar

Good luck getting MnDOT to cooperate with a dedicated lane on Highway 5 by the airport. The traffic by the airport is rarely backed up as far as the highway. You would not need a bus lane along the freeway to avoid the 54 being caught in traffic at the terminal. Bus shoulders would do the trick whe...
by thespeedmccool
March 4th, 2024, 2:40 pm
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Riverview Corridor Streetcar
Replies: 1194
Views: 553954

Re: Riverview Corridor Streetcar

Has anyone here ever actually tried taking Route 54 on Glumack Rd to or from Terminal 1 during Uber/Lyft drop off peak hours? If you had, you would understand the problem with buses on this corridor. A problem that could probably be solved with some red paint and a new bus lane. A $2-3 billion doll...
by thespeedmccool
March 4th, 2024, 2:13 pm
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Riverview Corridor Streetcar
Replies: 1194
Views: 553954

Re: Riverview Corridor Streetcar

I am a big supporter of SWLRT. Even with higher costs, it's an amazing, bang-for-our-buck project that's compared to similar projects nationwide. It provides a service that currently isn't offered and enhances surrounding services and will support massive development opportunities in currently under...
by thespeedmccool
March 3rd, 2024, 10:18 am
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Riverview Corridor Streetcar
Replies: 1194
Views: 553954

Re: Riverview Corridor Streetcar

Look, I know LRT is best for Riverview, but quite a few of you are making perfect be the enemy of good. I think there should instead be a focus on the options Ramsey County has put on the table and advocating for the best one, which is Streetcar Option 1. It's not LRT, but it's pretty close to it w...
by thespeedmccool
March 1st, 2024, 11:25 am
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Riverview Corridor Streetcar
Replies: 1194
Views: 553954

Re: Riverview Corridor Streetcar

That's the thing: this can never be easily converted to a real, full LRT without completely rebuilding everything north of the shared portion with the Blue Line. By the time we get around to an LRT conversion in 2060, it will be a $10 billion project. It's unacceptable that the best possible outcom...
by thespeedmccool
February 29th, 2024, 10:23 pm
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Riverview Corridor Streetcar
Replies: 1194
Views: 553954

Re: Riverview Corridor Streetcar

That's the thing: this can never be easily converted to a real, full LRT without completely rebuilding everything north of the shared portion with the Blue Line. By the time we get around to an LRT conversion in 2060, it will be a $10 billion project. It's unacceptable that the best possible outcome...
by thespeedmccool
February 29th, 2024, 3:36 pm
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Blue Line Extension - Bottineau LRT
Replies: 1749
Views: 976363

Re: Blue Line Extension - Bottineau LRT

Whenever I see Blue Line plans or otherwise, it's always stipulated that West Broadway in Minneapolis will also be reconstructed even though the train is no longer running along it. I wonder if that's in the project budget. Realistically, that reconstruction is like $40 million tops, maybe like $80 ...
by thespeedmccool
February 29th, 2024, 3:30 pm
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Riverview Corridor Streetcar
Replies: 1194
Views: 553954

Re: Riverview Corridor Streetcar

If I were a state legislator, I would write a bill to kill this. I can smell from a mile away that is gonna see massive overruns and fail to enhance transit ridership or experience. Fund Blue Line Extension and a regionwide LRT study, but this project in its current form needs to be stopped before i...