Metro area residents who use transit on a regular basis can see increased ridership with their own eyes. More people frequent the bus stops, bodies pack the buses during rush hour, and the crowds sometimes force people to stand. When I was one of a dozen people standing on the bus ride home last week, I asked my co-worker and fellow transit rider what happened. She put it well, saying, “Four dollar gas happened.”

This, of course, is a trend throughout the nation. The American Public Transportation Association shows that national transit ridership is up 3 percent, and light-rail use is up 10 percent according to USA Today. The Twin Cities’ Metropolitan Council says that ridership is the highest it has been in 25 years.

Great for air quality. Great for traffic flow. Not so great for transit fares.

With increased ridership, the Met Council is proposing increased fares. If approved, that would mean 25 cents more per ride and extended rush hour fares. This would go into effect October 1, but fares would be susceptible to further increases in 2009 according to Minnesota Public Radio.

Transit for Livable Communities has been particularly vocal about the fare increases and suggests the Met Council tap into the reserve funds to hold off on the increases. The public hearings are over but public comments are welcome until July 25. To weigh in on the situation, e-mail the council’s Regional Data Center at data.center@metc.state.mn.us or call in at 651-602-1464.

However, even with fare increases, transit is still a cheaper and cleaner option than driving a car. To check out the number crunching, view the WCCO story “Doing the Math on Rate Hike for Metro Transit.”

Check this out: Awesome MPR interactive piece on how Central Corridor might impact University Avenue, with images and stories about the street’s past and present.

KSTP Channel 5 has run an “investigative news” story about bicyclists who do not follow traffic rules. Many people here will probably say, “Yes, that’s all well and good, but what about all the motorists who do the same thing?” And yes, you’re right. There should be equal news coverage of motorists breaking the law and bicyclists breaking the law. Jim Foti, the Star Tribune’s RoadGuy blogger, has some good perspective on the story: “Say what you will about the aerobic benefits of biking — sweeps month is all about being breathless.”

But media critiques aside, the point remains the same: the law is the law. I’ve gone on a few international trips with school groups, and every time it’s the same thing: “Now remember, you don’t just represent yourself, you are ambassadors of America.” Rightly or wrongly, people base their opinions on entire groups on their experiences with single members of those groups, especially when they are far separated from those groups. This most definitely includes bicyclists and motorists.

So, silly television stunt or not, this is a good opportunity to remind ourselves: when you get on a bike, you represent bikers everywhere. Please, make us proud.

When I read editorials in the newspaper that talk about how most Minnesotans don’t want expanded transit services, including buses and more light rail and commuter rail options, I have to wonder who they’re talking about. Because it’s not anyone I’ve ever met.

Here’s the thing: I have liberal friends, conservative friends, stridently libertarian friends, and they all think the idea of a fully-developed mass transit system in the Twin Cities—funded by the government, even the libertarian will admit—is a sound idea.

“But Art,” you may be saying right about now, “Don’t libertarians hate public transportation?”

My first response to that statement would be to not generalize; it’s not polite. Secondly, it actually makes sense for a libertarian to support transit. The number one factor my libertarian friend cites (aside from the fact that he takes the bus or bikes nearly everywhere he goes) is that economic development along transit routes—especially rail—is astronomical. In other words: the free market loves rail. Don’t believe me? It’s already happening. In Dallas, that liberal bastion, light rail has stimulated nearly $1 billion since it started in 1996 (as of 2005). We built Interstate 35 up to Duluth and that created minimal economic development. But when people mention a passenger rail to Duluth, economic development at the stations is all anyone can talk about.

Oh, and then there are all those new riders Metro Transit reported last year. All 77 million of them. What happens when their friends start riding next year? We need dedicated transitways for higher capacity light rail and commuter rail to increase the capacity buses just can’t meet.

Transit really really really isn’t a partisan issue. We can talk about how it should be funded, where it should be built, and all of that. But the fundamental question of whether or not we should have expanded transit choices everywhere in the metro—suburbs included—is as manufactured as the question of whether or not global climate change is real.

As you may have noticed from some my other posts, one of my biggest gripes with living in the suburbs is the lack of transportation options. More specifically, it’s nearly impossible to get around on foot—and if you do, where is there to go? Taco Bell?

So I nearly fell out of my seat in excitement recently (yes, actually) when I read what I hope is a first of many: Edina is investing $3.7 million in a 1.5 mile biking and walking corridor. This is not a bike trail, winding pointlessly through suburban neighborhoods, starting and stopping arbitrarily. This is a corridor for bicyclist and pedestrian transit. The Promenade, as it’s called, runs through numerous higher-density residential areas and connects them to actual points of interest: retail destinations and enjoyable public spaces.

As a non-transit-related aside, I am also extremely pleased at the emphasis put on the need for public art. Having graduated from the Perpich Center for Arts Education in Golden Valley (and actually serving on a public art committee while there), I am especially aware of how important public art is in making public spaces enjoyable and livable. The fact that they are mixing permanent fixtures with temporary, rotating displays is also exciting and smart on their part.

Given the utility of the Promenade on top of the beautification the public art will bring, this corridor is likely to be a popular area—and hopefully other communities will take note.

By Art Allen, Communications Assistant 

When the governor line-item-vetoed nearly all funding for transit in this year’s bonding bill, he line-item-vetoed his own desire for fiscal responsibility and economic growth in the state of Minnesota.

The veto is the latest in a string of the Governor’s attacks on transit funding. In addition to eliminating state funding to build Central Corridor, the Governor cut funding for nearly every transit project outlined in the Met Council’s regional transit plan. Earlier this year, the Governor slashed funding almost 40 percent of the general fund allocation to transit, a cut nearly 10 times greater than cuts to other general fund allocations.

Symbolic or not, the Governor’s actions put the entire region at risk: transit projects are, rightly or wrongly, one of the most scrutinized destinations of public funding, and every penny is agonized over. Even delaying this funding one year will cost as much as $40 million, not to mention the half a billion dollars in matching funds in federal money that Minnesota now stands to lose.

The Governor’s actions leave the Twin Cities region with two options: wait a year (or more) to get the ball rolling on Central Corridor (and, by doing so, increase project costs by $40 million), or scrap the project all together.
The future of Central Corridor is in the Governor’s hands. He needs to demonstrate his public promises to prioritize Central Corridor during this legislative session were made in good faith.

Dakota County supported the move in a 5-2 vote, with strong statements of support from the majority Commissioners about how transit is becoming more important to Dakota County, particularly its role in relieving traffic congestion and addressing the needs of seniors who can’t drive.

Hennepin County also voted 5-2 to support the tax. Passing the tax in Hennepin County was fairly certain from the start, but Commissioner McLaughlin wanted to ensure that the sales tax funds would be used for transit expansion and not to fill in deficits caused by the Governor’s proposed budget. Commissioner Linda Koblik, who was uncertain about her vote, finally voted in favor of the transit tax, and mentioned that she heard support from many members of Transit for Livable Communities.

Washington County voted 3-2 in favor of the transit tax. Transit for Livable Communities focused much of its efforts on mobilizing members in Washington County, because a yes vote was far from certain. Many members of Transit for Livable Communities contacted their commissioners, and there was great turnout at the meeting in Stillwater.

As a result of these votes, each county will levy a 1/4 cent sales tax, which is expected to raise approximately $100 million per year in dedicated funds for transitways. These resources will be used to help fund Northstar commuter rail and Central Corridor light rail as well as future light rail, commuter rail and bus rapid transit, including the Southwest and Red Rock corridors. Decisions will be made by the new Counties Transit Improvement Board (CTIB), made up of representatives from the five counties and the Metropolitan Council. Votes are weighted among counties based on expected sales tax revenue and population; out of 100 votes, 95 are distributed to counties and 5 to the Metropolitan Council. For more detailed information, including revenue projections, see Hennepin County’s summary materials.

I lived in Boston for three years, and I can tell you the pedestrians own that city. In fact, I noted to a friend recently how, in Minneapolis, pedestrians will scurry guiltily across the street if a car is waiting—even if there is a “Walk” signal in favor of the pedestrian. In Boston, however, the pedestrian will cross the street without looking (an arrogant mentality—it actually got me hit by a car once), signals be damned.

Almost everyone in Boston walks. There are ads from the tourism board proclaiming Boston as “America’s Walking City.” The sidewalks are wider than anywhere else I’ve been. And the sheer volume of pedestrians keeps the cars at bay. If you look at any “most walkable” list, Boston is tops.

So I was a little confused when I read a recent story in the Boston Globe, which talks about Boston’s need to become more bike-friendly. Certainly the bikers go where the walkers go. Right?

Actually, not so much. As I thought back on my time in Boston, I recalled at least two friends who had their arms broken from getting hit by a car on their bikes. A young woman was struck by a car and killed on the street that ran adjacent to my school’s campus, and my last six months were spent noticing the white bicycle and flowers marking the spot. And when I think about all the biking amenities we have in Minneapolis, I start to recall a distinct absence of them in Boston: no bike lanes, no bike signs, barely any bike parking.

Boston is working on this problem, and according to the article history is in its favor if it takes the right steps. But the story of Boston’s bikability is a necessary warning for other cities: don’t confuse walkability with bikability.

Last summer I returned to the Twin Cities from going to school in Boston. One of the things I knew I would miss most was the walkability of Boston: on a bright summer day there was little I enjoyed doing more than picking a part of town and wandering. This is not to mention opting to walk to class from my apartment (about a third of a mile) one or two times each day. I would also greatly miss the T, Boston’s light rail subway system. I was auto-free and still got everywhere I might have wanted to go in a timely manner.

I did not realize how important this walking was to my health. When I would come back to Minnesota for winter break (to the far west side of Plymouth, no less) I would notice the distinct difference in development patterns: Boston’s smart growth versus suburban Minneapolis’ urban sprawl. When I returned for good last summer though, the suburbs were no longer the only thing sprawling–now my waist is taking its cue from suburban planning.

Since I returned from school at the beginning of May 2007, I have put on no fewer than 20 pounds. I will note that I always been remarkably thin, did not put on any weight my freshman year, and have always had (relatively) healthy eating habits. I maintained a healthy 140 pounds over my entire time in Boston, and I realize now that this was not due to the metabolism of my youth; it was due to all that walking I was doing.

And, as much as I want to walk or bike (or, heaven forbid, take a train or bus) wherever I’m going, I don’t have the many hours it would take to walk or bike anywhere from Plymouth. Even a bus from the closest park and ride to the TLC office in St. Paul would take an hour and a half (and I’m still sitting the whole time). It’s really easy to get caught up in the abstract, academic rightness of smart growth and walk/bike-oriented growth. But now that I have a belly for the first time in my life due entirely to sprawl, I see how bad this way of life is for our health as a nation.

Before an action alert was issued to the area residents by Transit for Livable Communities, public comments on the issue were stacked two to one against the median. After the alert was issued, telling residents they had a say in the matter, the comments swung overwhelmingly in the other direction: according to the Star Tribune, 161 of the 204 asked approved of the project—that’s a margin of three to one in favor of the proposal.

And as the author of the Star Tribune article points out, this is a cheap way to do some real, long-lasting good: “With many multimillion- and billion-dollar transportation projects underway, this effort may seem like small potatoes. Yet, small changes like this can reap big benefits in neighborhood safety and livability.”