urbanMSP

I have to wonder what kind of legal constructs allow streetcars to interact with people like that. Is it a difference between common law and civil law? Though Australia is common law.

I was also thinking yesterday on the train how cool it would be to have transit corridors around the city that were only bike/walk/transit, no cars allowed.

Looks like it's going to be delayed another year

http://www.minneapolismn.gov/www/groups ... 171341.pdf

One more year for the powers that be to potentially realize that Enhanced Bus/aBRT makes way more sense than a streetcar? Sounds good.

Get this on the Itasca Group's agenda!

A rapid transit tunnel still makes 100x more sense than either streetcar or fake BRT.

From what I understand, this is because the environmental review has yet to be completed.

Also, I seem to recall that the Metropolitan Council will become the lead agency for the project. I'm not sure how swiftly they want to pursue the line, but if there is still some of that sweet federal cash available for streetcars then I'd imagine it will progress relatively quickly.

I guess we missed this article (or I did anyways) from October, looking at the growing tax collection from the "value capture" district that could one day help fund this line: http://www.startribune.com/one-percent- ... 395707491/

1% of the City's tax capacity is now being held hostage by this line that may never get built...

As we discussed in the aBRT thread, $5MM+ annually would really help to rapidly build out the aBRT system (assuming a Minneapolis-centric route opening every other year, that's $10MM per line). Would love to see the state law modified to build out at least 4 aBRT lines, and only then allow the money to fund this streetcar line...

After riding the A Line on a regular basis there is no doubt that a BRT line on Central-Nicollet is the only way to go vs a snail paced streetcar stopping every couple of blocks. Here's a sample route I slapped together. As a regular rider of the 10 and 18 I would much rather take this.

Central

•Columbia Heights Transit Center
|
•St Anthony Pkwy
|
•29th Ave
|
•Lowry Ave
|
•22nd Ave
|
•18th 1/2 Ave
|
•14th Ave
|
•Broadway St NE
|
•Spring St
|
•6th St
|
•University Ave
|
•2nd Ave & 3rd St
|

Nicollet

|
•Washington Ave
|
•5th St
|
•9th St
|
•Grant St
|
•18th St
|
•Franklin Ave
|
•24th St
|
•26th St
|
•Lake St
|
•32nd St
|
•35th St
|
•38th St
|
•43rd St
|
•46th St
|
•50th St
|
•Diamond Lake
|
•60th St
|
•66th St

And we could have this under construction next year, if we had the will for it.

But instead let's lock up 4mm/year in property taxes for a trolley nobody outside of the area supports.

Plus assuming this goes down Nicollet Mall that means having to rip up that stretch again to install rail.

Well, I ride the A line periodically (my daughter rides it daily) and I like it and all, but am in favor of Nicollet-Central being a streetcar. But

I'd (metaphorically) vote against the streetcar 'cuz that makes a cut-and-cover tunnel down Nicollet more difficult. I want streetcars, but for right now, here and on Hennepin, aBRT > streetcar.

The midtown Greenway IS the route that should be prioritized for streetcar running the trench not many options exist to make it feasible to run busses. Midtown streetcar would cross the orange, blue, and green METRO lines and would cross Hennepin, Nicollet, Chicago, and A line Rapid bus lines. Midtown streetcar will be a much more major segment than Nicollet. Seems silly to prioritize Nicollet for streetcar over Midtown streetcar. In five years from now green line extension, orange, and D line (Chicago Ave. rapid bus line) should all be open/opening and not having the Midtown streetcar up and running by then would be a big lost opportunity.

I say let's build a rapid bus line down Nicollet/Central today, then we can always shuffle those buses to a later route and build a streetcar 10-20 years later. Bigger picture guys. Mobility for ALL, not shiny pretty trains for some.

Counterpoint: A Nicollet-Central streetcar--especially if the full line were completed--would be a marquee attraction for the Twin Cities and, arguably, one of the best-planned streetcar lines in America, running along a single continuously dense corridor with its own transit-only ROW from Grant St all the way to 6th St NE. It would also be a far more pleasant ride than any of the arterial buses.

Just sayin'.

Yep. I still think there are some operational concerns with the streetcar, but I agree with Eost -- it will be a great project that meaningfully improves mobility for residents, and will revolutionize the ability for visitors to visit these neighborhoods.

Uber and Lyft already revolutionized how visitors get around the city, no need to spend hundreds of millions we don't have just for them.

Ooh, breathless talk about Uber is so Bob "Again" Carney retro.

I agree with both SkyscraperKid and Eost (and Taylor Swift, obvs). The Midtown Streetcar certainly *should* be a higher priority, as it would have a more meaningful impact on actual mobility in Minneapolis. But the Nicollet/Central streetcar would really make a difference in the *experience* of the city, which has some real value too, and clearly the city has chosen to prioritize it. I do think that for it to meaningfully help the city it can't be implemented as a "starter" segment though - the whole line as envisioned, running from approx. Lake Street into Northeast should be built.

its own transit-only ROW from Grant St all the way to 6th St NE.'.

Uh wouldn't it share ROW north of Washington and through NE? Remember ye ole Toyota Matrix blocking the streetcar in the Northeast rendering we've seen. Also, may be more comfortable than arterial buses, but will it run anywhere close to as frequent?