Public Transit News / Current Events (MN only)

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Nick
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Re: Transit News and Happenings

Postby Nick » November 29th, 2012, 11:16 pm

http://www.startribune.com/181475171.html

Plan calls for $20 billion in Minnesota transit tax hikes
Higher local sales taxes, gas taxes and vehicle fees are being pushed by Gov. Mark Dayton's task force on transportation and could help shape the debate on highway and transit funding as DFLers take control of the Legislature next year.

The draft recommendations call for raising taxes by $20 billion over 20 years and for shifting transit funding from the state to metro governments.

"It will be the beginning of a lot of discussion about transportation and transit finance in the next legislative session," said Susan Haigh, chair of the Metropolitan Council, which oversees Twin Cities transit. She said recommendations were expected to go to the governor by the end of this week.

Attempts to raise money for transportation met resistance during Gov. Tim Pawlenty's administration and from Republican lawmakers. But new DFL leadership of the House and Senate as well as the governor's office -- the first time in more than 20 years -- injects transportation funding proposals with new life.

Dayton created the task force a year ago amid growing calls to find new sources of revenue to pay for highways and transit. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has warned that the state faces tens of billions of dollars in shortfalls.

Despite talk of such new strategies as taxation based on the number of miles driven, the panel proposed greater use of traditional revenue sources.

[...]
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Re: Transit News and Happenings

Postby nasa35 » November 30th, 2012, 9:54 am

Crazy

We do not need rail, we need more miles of road. The rail costs us Millions and Millions every year. It loses so much money...and it is indeed chronic.

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Nick
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Re: Transit News and Happenings

Postby Nick » November 30th, 2012, 9:55 am

Crazy

We do not need rail, we need more miles of road. The rail costs us Millions and Millions every year. It loses so much money...and it is indeed chronic.
Yeah we've basically established at this point that you think we need more roads, we've proven how that doesn't work, and you keep posting the same thing.
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min-chi-cbus
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Re: Transit News and Happenings

Postby min-chi-cbus » November 30th, 2012, 10:11 am

Maybe there should be a SUBurbanmsp.com for people who like land, roads and sprawl....

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Re: Transit News and Happenings

Postby Tyler » November 30th, 2012, 10:15 am

Looks like this includes highways anyways. Nice title.
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Re: Transit News and Happenings

Postby VAStationDude » November 30th, 2012, 10:32 am

Seriously this would be the best thing ever.

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Re: Transit News and Happenings

Postby twincitizen » November 30th, 2012, 12:47 pm

I think we'll be hearing a lot more about this soon, perhaps deserving it's own thread. (The cocktail of transportation tax increases, not roads vs. transit...we already have an unused thread for that)

Southdale Transit Center P&R Update
http://finance-commerce.com/2012/11/tra ... le-center/
(Behind paywall, so I'll keep the summary brief. I wish this was available for all to read...lots of good stuff happening here)

There are plans for a new 136-space park-and-ride SW of York/66th, in an overflow parking area near J.C. Penney. The project was prompted by Bloomington-based StuartCo’s plans for a three-building, 232-unit apartment project on a five-acre parking area at the corner of York/69th. Metro Transit currently uses that space for a 102-space park-and-ride. Metro Transit is getting a free, permanent easement to build the hub but will spend $850,000 on heated shelters, real-time arrival and departure signs, electric vehicle charging stations and new landscaping. Hopeful for approval by the Met Council on Dec. 12, begin construction spring and to finish the work by September 2013. (ED: Seriously doubtful of meeting that agressive timeline, based on recent delays at Maplewood Mall P&R, etc.)


The difference in attitudes between the mall ownership/management at Southdale vs. Rosedale is huge. Simon Properties (Southdale, Maplewood Mall) seems increasingly supportive of transit, while Rosedale is backing away. The Park & Ride facility at Rosedale is gone, forever...due to "increased demand from shoppers". I mean...on Black Friday, sure, but what about the rest of the year? The Transit Center is still there, but as we are discussing in another thread, it is completely inaccessible to pedestrians. One must now arrive at the Rosedale Transit Center by local bus connection or car (dropped off by friend or taxi).

min-chi-cbus
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Re: Transit News and Happenings

Postby min-chi-cbus » November 30th, 2012, 3:30 pm

Additionally, Frauenshuh Comm RE Group just bought the mall Southdale Square, which sits kitty corner to where this proposed Park 'n Ride would go. Hmmmmm......

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/b ... quare.html

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mattaudio
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Re: Transit News and Happenings

Postby mattaudio » November 30th, 2012, 3:33 pm

And now for a little unrelated history...
http://www.mnvideovault.org/mvvPlayer/c ... opup=yes#0

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woofner
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Re: Transit News and Happenings

Postby woofner » November 30th, 2012, 4:32 pm

Wouldn't it be better to have the transit center on the France side? Are they saving that parking lot on the corner of France & 66th for anything?
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Re: Transit News and Happenings

Postby lordmoke » November 30th, 2012, 5:04 pm

And now for a little unrelated history...
http://www.mnvideovault.org/mvvPlayer/c ... opup=yes#0
I can't believe I just watched that entire thing. Funny how different this played out than how it was planned then.

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Re: Transit News and Happenings

Postby MNdible » November 30th, 2012, 5:29 pm

I don't know the current status of transit service here very well, but it appears that York has better service than France does. If our friends at google maps are to be believed, the 6 runs on York.

twincitizen
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Re: Transit News and Happenings

Postby twincitizen » November 30th, 2012, 7:35 pm

York/Xerxes is the "main" branch of the 6, for what it's worth. Also, I didn't include it in my article summary earlier, but there was a quote from a transit facilities planner speaking about the slight running time savings that this new transit station will achieve. With most of the Southdale terminating routes coming/going to the North and East, it sure seems they are putting the facility in the optimal corner.

Chances are that when SWLRT begins service, the France Ave branch of the 6 will no longer be a 6 at all, but a totally separate route that runs directly up France to West Lake Station.

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woofner
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Re: Transit News and Happenings

Postby woofner » November 30th, 2012, 9:26 pm

I get that right now York-Xerxes has more service than France, but I just think that might be part of the problem. France is always going to be faster and more connective than York, for the simple fact that it goes through to the north and south. Seems like when you build a transit station, you should put it where your service should be rather than where your service is, because the buses can be rerouted, the park-and-ride can't. Think about that future SWLRT shuttle - what if it is popular and they want to extend it south to Bloomington, so, you know, it has multiple purposes instead of just ferrying people between West Calhoun and Southdale? Then it would have to detour a half-mile to the east to get good connectivity. York buses are going to have to detour anyway (i.e. the 6, for which Edina is a logical terminus anyway because its greater northward range). Seems like usually (not always of course) you end up wanting the transit in the same place where the most cars are, after all if it wasn't the fastest and most direct route there wouldn't be all those cars there.
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Re: Transit News and Happenings

Postby mulad » November 30th, 2012, 11:56 pm

Route changes for Dec. 8th:

http://www.metrotransit.org/TransitArti ... cleid=1175

I won't summarize now, but I will say that the December Connect newsletter pamphlet was already distributed to an 84 bus I took this evening. I'm glad Metro Transit has gotten their act together on putting these out in a timely manner -- around 2 years ago, they'd barely get out by the end of a month...

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Re: Transit News and Happenings

Postby Tcmetro » December 1st, 2012, 2:16 am

York has the library, Cub, Target, and several high rises. France has Byerly's and Centennial Lakes, but also lacks sidewalks along one side of the road. York is simply a better transit street from 66th to 494.

As for the Dec 8th changes, there are many good service improvements. The 10, 19, 64, 675, and 721 are getting frequency improvements, Rosedale service is changing, and a new express to Rice and 36 is beginning. Additionally, there will be an extension of a couple of 852 trips to Ramsey Station.

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Re: Transit News and Happenings

Postby ECtransplant » December 1st, 2012, 1:05 pm

Crazy

We do not need rail, we need more miles of road. The rail costs us Millions and Millions every year. It loses so much money...and it is indeed chronic.
No. We need to stop incentivizing people to live in the unsustainable anti-social places that require all those miles of road to exist.

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woofner
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Re: Transit News and Happenings

Postby woofner » December 2nd, 2012, 5:10 pm

York has the library, Cub, Target, and several high rises. France has Byerly's and Centennial Lakes, but also lacks sidewalks along one side of the road. York is simply a better transit street from 66th to 494.
Plugging sidewalk gaps isn't exactly an insurmountable engineering problem. There will eventually be sidewalks on both sides of France. York has more households on it, but France has more jobs and retail destinations. In my opinion it's more important for transit to directly serve the latter type of use than to run right in front of people's houses - it's easier to figure out where the bus runs near your house than where it runs near a shop that you only visit when shopping for a xmas gift for your mom.

Not that there shouldn't be service on York, I just think that the transit should primarily serve France. York can be served by a squiggly feeder route since it requires a detour anyway - either the streetcar loop that Edina politicians pretend to support when pandering to DFLers, or else maybe squiggling through Bloomington, maybe covering the part of Lyndale after the 4 turns off it but before the 18 turns back on it.
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mattaudio
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Re: Transit News and Happenings

Postby mattaudio » December 2nd, 2012, 5:28 pm

Random question, anyone know why the 25 goes down McKinley instead of Stinson from Lowry to 29th? Seems strange to jog out of the way for four blocks.

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Re: Transit News and Happenings

Postby seanrichardryan » December 2nd, 2012, 9:08 pm

I always wondered that myself. I went to St. Charles Borromeo school, which could have something to do with it (traffic?).
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