Though we car-free folk usually miss out on freeway billboards, I did catch one on I-94 as I biked over the Vandalia St. bridge a week or two ago. The billboard shows a checklist of parties and their favored modes of transportation: Republicans, roads; DFL, trains; Independence, I don't know; and Greens, bikes. Before someone switched the check mark to the "bikes" box, I'm pretty sure the Republican "roads" vote was indicated.
All parties need to cease this mud-slinging over roads and transit. Minneapolis (DFL/Green) and the burbs (GOP/Independence) need to reconcile themselves to the paradigm shift towards transit happening all around us. The I-35W expansion project shot down by Minneapolis neighbors in the 90's has reared its ugly head in sly, piecemeal fashion. Soon it will again be tossed out, unless a light rail line is built, immediately, to the Burnsville Transit Center. When Burnsville's new Main Street, dubbed "Heart of the City" becomes linked to the new light rail line we will see a whole new city/suburb connection that will inform all future projects and transform how suburb-dwellers view the land and how they get around in it. Republicans and Democrats along the Northstar Corridor are cheering on the new commuter line together. When Northstar is built, the bitterness over Hiawatha will subside and Republicans will board the train to a sustainable transportation future. Highways won't reconcile the fast-polarizing parties, but transit will. Jeff Carlson, Whittier __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? U2 on LAUNCH - Exclusive greatest hits videos http://launch.yahoo.com/u2 _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
