on 10/23/2000 3:10 PM, John Rocker at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> It's not the meters that encourage sprawl and subsidize exurban development,
> it's the road system itself and the continuing belief that the solution to
> traffic congestion is more roads and wider freeways.
I agree with the above, although there is an immediate benefit that ramp
meters have for the urban core.
If you're traveling from suburb to suburb, say Eden Prairie to Eagan, ramp
meters slow you down, because your suburb to suburb trips avoids the large
choke points in the system.
If you're traveling from suburb to urban core, or from urban core to suburb,
ramp meters help because it frees up traffic flow at major choke points like
35W/Crosstown, or the 35W/94 intersection near downtown Mpls.
So, if you live and work in the Eden Prairie/Minnetonka area, and never have
to go downtown, without ramp meters you are able to ignore the consequences
of traffic congestion caused by urban sprawl, just like you're able to
ignore the affordable housing problem, the crime issues, etc.
Ramp meters have the effect of spreading the consequences of traffic
congestion over the entire metro area, which, if you live in Mpls, is a very
good thing.
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Sent from the computer of:
Greg Abbott [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Linden Hills
13th Ward (612) 925-0630
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