Scott Persons wrote: Lake Street is currently four lanes and repaving the street with four lanes is NOT increasing capacity. (I'll leave individual subscribers to decide if Mr. Piehl was lying by claiming that a 4 lane Lake Street increases capacity)
David Piehl writes: If you read the post, I didn't say what Scott is alleging; I said that the state money is tied to increasing capacity, without state money there is no project, and thus it is dishonest for those sponsoring and "guiding" the PAC (Smith Parker) not to reveal this fact, and to entertain proposals popular with many PAC members that would shrink the size of the roadway, because they know it won't be funded. The current width of Lake Street varies depending on what portion is being examined. Scott Persons writes: Eva also cites Dave's accounting of the Lake Street meeting held by Schiff,Lilligren, and Clark. I would like to hear more about this meeting. Why wasn't this forum posted to Mpls Issues? My wife Corinne Ertz is a member of the Lake Street PAC, I don't remember her getting a notice of this meeting. If these folks are going to criticize Smith Parker's process they better bend over backwards to get the word out on their own events. Holding targeted forums isn't exactly fair either. David Piehl writes: As I understand it, the meeting was sponsored by the elected officials as a way to get information not from consultants, but constituents. (what a concept!) I don't know where all it was publicized, but I did see a lot of fliers in Spanish and English posted on power poles and in business windows along Lake Street. From that I can assume that at least one of the goals was to get input from the people who actually use Lake Street, vs. traffic engineers and expensive consultants. I think this is very prudent and respectful representation by each of the politicians who sponsored the meetings. Smith Parker needs to do a better job of including the public; I haven't seen one flier for Smith Parker-sponsored meetings, and I haven't seen their meetings posted to this list. I agree that, as Scott puts it, "holding targeted meetings isn't exactly fair", and in my opinion it is Smith Parker that is guilty of this if anyone is. Scott Persons writes: As far as property takings, could Eva share with the list what property is proposed to be taken along the I35 corridor? Eva's post was the first I've heard of property being taken in the trench on 35. (excluding the Crosstown proposal) David Piehl writes: How and why would you exclude the Crosstown proposal? My read on the recent articles says that over 50 properties will be taken! The Access Project takes out another dozen, depending on which proposal you believe will emerge as the final project, and the I94/I35W interchange will take out many more when it is built. All of these things are connected, and part of MNDoT's strategy to increase capacity on I35W. Clearly, MNDoT has a strategy for this roadway and many others. It's actually kind of humorous when people call planned, defined, strategies "conspiracy theories" in an attempt to marginalize people who disagree with them by evoking all sorts of paranoid images of anarchists and other non-mainstream groups. The alternative to MNDoT having a strategy would be that they didn't; depending on the issue that could lead to very haphazard development. It all boils down to this: MNDoT has made it clear that their strategy is to increase capacity in the I35W corridor. The city's strategy per the early 1990's agreement was to accomplish this through means other than automobile transit; MNDoT's current and future plans say loud and clear that their strategy is to accomplish it with more lanes. We are free to disagree (and organize opposition) or not, but to use language like "conspiracy theories" is inappropriate to the situation. David Piehl Central __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Protect your identity with Yahoo! Mail AddressGuard http://antispam.yahoo.com/whatsnewfree REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
