I myself am a busrider. I have never owned a car or other personal vehicle, and, while I don't work downtown right now, I have spent most of my working life in downtown Minneapolis. Now, having said that, I am an absolute advocate for moving the buses off of Nicollet Mall.
I contend that a large portion of the congestion that occurs on Hennepin, which results in the slowing of busses, is the failure of the police to enforce the bus-only lanes down Hennepin. Further, while Marquette is also a busy street, it too has a bus only lane that seems to be haphazardly enforced. As a busrider, I would gladly walk an extra block if it meant that Nicollet Mall would be a pedestrian friendly place. I would also encourage the use of Nicollet Mall for bicyclists. Personally, I think it is dancing with death to ride your bike down the bike lane on Hennepin Avenue, and I have nothing but the highest regard for the bravery of those who use that lane on a regular basis. I would suggest those persons have a bright career as stunt doubles in their future. I am not opposed to buses on the Mall because of the noise. I am opposed to the buses on the mall because of the effects of gas fumes on my lungs as they pass by. I do not think we will ever have a vibrant sidewalk life on Nicollet Mall as long as the buses continue to use it as a through way. OR, let's do what Denver does. Let's have free buses that are eco-friendly going down the mall. The buses on the 14th Street Mall in Dowtown Denver are quieter than our buses, they are free, and they don't kick up the pollution that our buses constantly emit into the air of downtown Minneapolis. There are viable options that we can consider. Any dumbing down of this debate into a class issue is silly at best. I just recently broke into the "lower" middle-class. I've ridden the bus my entire life, and I am passionately saying get the buses off of Nicollet Mall. I doubt highly that business will hurt if folks are forced to walk one block in either direction to get to the mall. Further, there will be no reduction in downtown employment if the buses are moved off the mall. I would contend that the majority of business revenue generated on the mall comes from downtown residents and employees rather than folks who are simply using the mall as a lay over site. 150,000 people work in downtown. That's a captive market folks. -Brandon Lacy Campos -Powderhorn Park -Been Riding the Bus as Long as I Have Been Able to Walk -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Amelious N. Whyte Jr. Sent: Friday, June 21, 2002 11:12 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Mpls] Nicollet Mall I agree with Mr. Anderson. As a regular bus rider it does seem somewhat elitist to advocate moving buses from the mall to improve the aesthetics (sp) for those who enjoy sidewalk cafes. There are lots of people who take the bus either because they have no other way of transportation or because they support mass transit. Making thier lives difficult so that some of us can enjoy a glass of wine without hearing a bus going down the street seems wrong. I would like to suggest that those who think that permanently keeping the buses from Nicollet is a good idea ride down Hennepin Avenue during the morning or afternoon rush and see what its like with more buses on an already busy street. I cannot count the number of times I have missed a connection due to the added congestion along Hennepin in the morning. What used to be a 25 minute trip to the University from Loring Park, now takes about 35 or 40 minutes. I cannot wait for Nicollet to be reopened for bus traffic. I am from NYC, and to some extent the sounds of traffic are what makes living in a big city special. There is a reason why I do not live in the suburbs. Every night there is a fire engine that goes down my street with its sirens blaring. That is city life. The dump truck that picks up its trash at 6:30 or 7:00 AM right outside my window. That is city life. Its noisy sometimes, but I will take noise over sterility anyday. Amelious Whyte Loring Park __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
