What a bouquet of thoughts I have read. Here's a few more "guest stars". As I do a recent polling of a couple of factoids; seems like every time I look out at the "bus-turnaround" (I am sure many people would love to have a bus turn-around behind their headboards)-the sad part is that alot of the buses are barely full. They sit virtually empty. Then I look out the other window and the street is getting full. Interesting enough: all the "hide and riders" cars are at least 2003-2004 vehicles; really nice ones. I watched one driver get out of each car(no carpooling). They are really the nicest cars parked on our block. I have never seen any evidence of multiple carpooling with the normal daytime commuters. As I watch many of the residents come home at night with their work vans, their trailers hauling lawn equipment, they are plumbers, painters, lawn maintenance workers; they have no where to go with their work vehicles; they won't fit in the back, they will not fit in their small garages. Personally I own one vehicle and I have a garage; so this has never for me been my personal issue. On the East side of the street we lost alley space due to the berm that was put up for the delineation of the bus-turnaround. People with old big cars have a difficult time getting into their garages and it's impossible to back up straight into your garage. This is a very working class block; lots of work vans,so many folks have 3 to even 4 cars per household(yes to some it may be ridiculous) this is what the problem is; it never has been with the idea of public transportation. Many people on this block have large families rather stuffed in their houses, and many have at least 3 to 4 people living in their houses including 2 primary homeowners. Thus the multiple vehicles. Seeing the frustration of one night the man who struggles to mow lawns come home with his trailer and really have no where to go indicated to me there that there is a problem. All this being said: I still say our residential street should not be a park and ride. The people driving to within a few feet of the 38th street station could be taking buses. The land use issue, I completely agree with; however; we are dealing with a society dependent on "vehicle" use. And by observation: we are dealing with riders with brand new cars, and in my opinion not anxious to ride a bus, or use a park and ride. Should the park and rides, or critical parking have been in effect before the train started?: absolutely. Should the Metro transit folks have been out there really promoting bus ridership, even more than they were advertising the train..I think so. Should all the billboards around town that are saying "Take me I'm your's"..be listing the number to call for bus schedules?? Should they be out cross-referencing license plates and giving people bus schedules?? I think so too. Almost forcing the bus usage on some of these single driver's with new cars; might actually be an evolutionary tool towards lightening our roads. It was not advertised at all that many folks might have to take 2 or 3 buses to get to the train. Free transfers and all. That's why the critical parking should be enforced, and parking on residential streets discouraged. Obviously the people parking on my street are not carpoolers, they obviously do not need their vehicles for their jobs, they are not hauling trailers of lawn equipment, or painters, or plumbers. People must somehow change their mindset of public transportation; to me I think of car-camping. Lets drive to the site, and sleep in the back of our cars, with the cd players, and air conditioning. For the theory of how this wonderful thing of public transportation to be utilized correctly; people must learn how to use the buses to get to the trains. And they should be discouraged from driving a half a block to the stations. Self righteousness about owning or not owning vehicles is irrelevant. Whether or not we have lived in DC, or NY, or San Fran; is not the point. If we want our Minneapolis system to work; all of these other systems need to be in place. Gina Palandri Standish
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