Dave Piehl wrote:
I've been hearing talk of a revival of theWM: I'm not sure NTN is dead. There is an organization that can emerge out of this mess, but it's utility will only be worth the effort required if the idea is for Minneapolis and St. Paul citizens to join forces and have the strength to insist on progressive solutions. Minneapolis, St. Paul, Richfield, Edina, Golden Valley and the whole first ring of suburbs are the ones experiencing the squeeze. That includes a lotta, lotta people. Citizen impact at that level is what is crucial to using transportation dollars in a logical way. For the sake of our sanity and our lungs, we have to set limits on the widening of highways willy-nilly.
Neighborhood Transportation Network (NTN) that
successfully saved Minneapolis from the peril of
MNDoT's expansionary dreams in the early 1990's.
The Access Project effectively represents the
incrementalization of the old expansion project that
was rejected, because it was forced by MNDoT to accept
expansionary elements, and some folks didn't realize
at the time that a bigger highway isn't worth the
mitigation "bait".
I think the revival of NTN is a good idea - does
anyone else have more information?
I'm a super big fan of mass transit. I've driven city buses, taxis, limos, school busses and straight trucks. I loved it. I loved providing a necessary service to the city and the burbs. It was totally, like kewl, man. I loved the subway in DC. It was fun. I loved it when my grandmother took us to Detroit and Indianapolis on the train (her being the widow of a member of the Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen).
We could make such an experience a growth experience for cooperation or we could keep it rancorous as all get out. But I refuse to waste my time in insinuating corruption on the part of everyone who disagrees with me. I have experience of political corruption in Ohio, in Illinois, in New York, and here. In an election year with tons of stuff hanging on a close election between Wellstone and Coleman in the offing, all the Mpls. FBI could nail for corruption is two people to the tune of something puny like $13,000 (with a teaser that there is one more in the offing for less than $4,000 allegedly). Please. I've seen real corruption and Minneapolis current history of corruption wouldn't get them invited to the corrupters club--it would be an embarrassment to have invited them.
I refuse to waste time in ranting and raving at meetings and I don't want to hear it from others either because it's counter productive and what we are attempting to do is too important to too many people--all of South Minneapolis. We have here an opportunity to set some standards for access to the city largely within the current trench--at least in the particular stretch currently under discussion on this list.
There are two bureaucracies, at minimum, who need to be persuaded that their approach is not as feasible as it had seemed to be in the past. Both MNDoT and the bus transit entities have not seen the light. Transit is cheap and wishy-washy, MNDoT is still saying "greater good for greater many" without counting the many to see the where the greater good actually exists. Pushing for a paradigm shift on the part of two large, powerful bureaucracies is not a walk in the park.
WizrdMarks, Central
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