urbanMSP

Didn't feel like this necessarily warranted it's own thread, but I just spent most of the afternoon driving around taking pictures, and jeeeez it was annoying. I mean on a straightaway it was quicker than walking, but that seems to have been offset by having to circle and find parking for ten minutes whenever I got to a new place. This probably isn't news to anyone. A sizable portion of my experience driving is as a designated driver, so I'm used to more interesting experiences. Got aggravated. Skipped most of the U of M area because the ramps were only taking cash due to the Vikings game and after getting turned away at two I got all pissed off.

By the way, entire world, please stop texting and talking on your phone while driving. Jesus.

I have the same experiences when I go out on photo trips myself.

It took some courage to sell my car and move into the heart of the city, but I now happily take transit or bike for daily commute. Hourcar is great for longer trips and/or haulage. Saves me 300+ hours and $3,500 each year over driving.

Also, we have some of the most polite and helpful bus drivers to be found anywhere!

Since I live in the suburbs (Little Canada), I end up driving everywhere I go except during the school year. When I commute to the U of M, I park in Roseville and take the bus to the West Bank either by riding Route 87 and the 121/Connector or the 272 Express. If the 272 stopped at the new Rice Street Park and Ride and had improved frequencies throughout the day, I could limit my overall driving but that probably won't happen anytime soon. Hopefully whenever I get enough money, I will move into one of the central cities.

Parking on campus is a nightmare. I take the bus but most of my coworkers drive. I get dropped off a couple of minutes walk from my office, whereas the farther out ramps are 10 or more minutes walk away. When I'm on the bus I can read stuff on my phone if I want to, rather than focus on traffic. If I go to happy hour after work, as long as I can stumble to the bus stop, I can get home safely.

Sure, I can't leave work the instant I want, but at most I have to wait 20 minutes, which, thanks to Nextrip, I can do in my office. Now if I had to wait for an express bus that came every hour or so and stopped at 6:30 things might change, but for me it's a no brainer, and 2 of the people I work with live in Uptown and drive to campus.

Apparently a car is freedom, but man, I just don't see it. One of my coworkers who lives in Uptown had to stay at his parents in Lakeville for a while until the short sale he was moving into finished, and he bitched and bitched about traffic, all the while there was an express bus he could take into campus. I just don't see the freedom aspect of the car, I honestly don't.

I just don't see the freedom aspect of the car, I honestly don't.

You're definitely not looking hard enough: [BBvideo 425,350]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMRMW1FXSHw[/BBvideo]

I just don't see the freedom aspect of the car, I honestly don't.

You're definitely not looking hard enough:

"M'ereica"
What happens to those of us whose livelihood is miles and miles away from any urban center with a high enough density to support any form of mass transit?
I could maybe get to the cities to visit friends and family without a car, but I think I would need to take a once a week Jefferson Lines bus to the casino, then find a taxi from there to a bus stop (idk i don't think there are metro transit lines to mistakelake).
Anyway, hyperbole yes, because I currently reside in the middle of nowhere (I would like to commute to work on a bus or a train in Mlps, but can't).

I'm curious, FISHMANPET, have you always lived in a city with access to transit? I think for a lot of Minnesotans who haven't grown up around transit the freedom of taking an express bus in rush hour might be as foreign as a car is to you.
(Honest curiosity here not trying to pick a fight )

Well...

I was born at Cedar Riverside hospital, and my family lived in Falcon Heights for about a year and then Roseville until I started Kindergarten. All the while my mom worked in Arden Hills (as a little kid I could navigate from our house to her work) and my dad worked in North Minneapolis. From there I moved to Cannon Falls for a year, and then Zumbrota for 5 years. I moved to a town a few miles east of La Crosse, WI called West Salem where I graduated high school, and then came to the U for college. I didn't have any experience with public transit until I started school here in 2005.

Now 7 years on I've built my life around transit and not needing to drive, and for me a car isn't all that convenient. I have other coworkers who have done the opposite, and that seems to work for them (though it's funny to hear them complain that transit doesn't work for, them, not realizing that it's because they've subconsciously made that choice). What I don't get is people who've made the choice to live an urban lifestyle (by living in Uptown) but still drive to campus and complain about parking and traffic and still talk about the car as freedom.

Also my comments are specific to commuting to the Minneapolis campus, not commuting in general.

I have other coworkers who have done the opposite, and that seems to work for them (though it's funny to hear them complain that transit doesn't work for, them, not realizing that it's because they've subconsciously made that choice).

I can see how a cover like "transit just doesn't work for me" would get old. Most of them admit it or not likely just prefer their car and suburb. I have a hope that moving forward we will find a good balance between positioning ourselves near transit and living in our cars. Building a culture of transit here around the new LRT and BRT lines can do nothing but help if successful. Perception of a complete and functioning transit system is huge. Admittedly I've traveled on transit in many other major metropolitan areas without ever wanting for a car but have never been on a bus in the cities.

What I don't get is people who've made the choice to live an urban lifestyle (by living in Uptown) but still drive to campus and complain about parking and traffic and still talk about the car as freedom.

Also my comments are specific to commuting to the Minneapolis campus, not commuting in general.

Thanks for the response and clarifying this. I find stuff like this fascinating (econ/psych major). People will put up with hell day in and day out with traffic, parking, etc. Theory would say that's because they place more value on things like being able to jump off the couch and drive anywhere they want anytime they want than and less on saving stress in their daily commute. Issue with theory and engineering transit systems I imagine is that theories and systems are often based on the assumption people are always rational.... Turns out we're not

I have other coworkers who have done the opposite, and that seems to work for them (though it's funny to hear them complain that transit doesn't work for, them, not realizing that it's because they've subconsciously made that choice).

I can see how a cover like "transit just doesn't work for me" would get old. Most of them admit it or not likely just prefer their car and suburb. I have a hope that moving forward we will find a good balance between positioning ourselves near transit and living in our cars. Building a culture of transit here around the new LRT and BRT lines can do nothing but help if successful. Perception of a complete and functioning transit system is huge. Admittedly I've traveled on transit in many other major metropolitan areas without ever wanting for a car but have never been on a bus in the cities.

When I talk about public transit to people in the suburbs, other the typical responses you two have stated, a few have responded to me with ignorant statements like "transit brings crime and a waste of money". A couple of them even have made racist remarks about minorities. Overall though, the responses are divided between comments like "Yeah I would like to see more LRT and trains overall" or "buses bring minorities to our neighborhood, blah blah [insert suburb name] is already increasing in crime and back in the day was much safer blah blah".

When I take pictures I always do it on a bike. I couldn't imagine having to find a space, park, take a pic and repeat dozens of times. I live in Loring Park too: shop at Lunds and Target and there are nearby dining and shopping options, but I like to add variety and head out to South Mpls or NE mainly. Sometimes Seward, Powderhorn, and St Paul. No car.