http://www.centralcorridor.org/
=================================================
St. Paul Issues Forum - Week of August 9, 2004
http://www.e-democracy.org/stpaul
Discussion Summary
=================================================Within our discussion - 4 possible routes were mentioned or discussed:
1) University Ave. Corridor
a) Street Level
b) Elevated University Line
c) Submerged University Line
2) I-94 Cooridor
a) In the trench
b) Over a covered Freeway
3) Short Line - West Seventh, Grand, Merriam Park,
Lake Street, Warehouse District
4) BN rail corridor - to the North End, State Fairgrounds,
St Paul Campus, Minneapolis Campus,
and over to the Northstar station.
(Part of Red Rock Line)---------------------------------------------------
Some folks aren't interested in limiting the discussion to Hiawatha type light rail, other options mentioned include:
1) University Ave. Trolley System
or ? http://world.nycsubway.org/perl/show?16407
2) Express Monorail down the I-94 Cooridor
3) PRT - Personal Rapid Transit
4) Commuter Rail - "Heavy Rail"
5) Cable Car System / Electric Street Cars---------------------------------------------------
Concerns Raised About University Light Rail Line:
1) Effect of loosing one lane of traffic
2) Availability of on-street parking
3) Disruption to community (Don't forget
the mistakes made building I-94)
4) Just replaces Buses with Trains -
No real increase in ridership
5) PRT is a better option
6) Better places for limited Resources
7) Increases congestion on and around University Ave.
8) Blocks ability for cars to cross University
except at main streets
9) Right idea, but wrong route
10) Wrong route through University Campus
11) Bottleneck at Snelling Ave.
12) Manipulation of statistics / figuresReason People Gave To Support University Ave. Light Rail Line
(or sometimes - light rail in general) 1) #16 Bus is way too slow and the #50 Bus is timed wrong
2) it COULD build up the area substantially.
"Economic Development"
3) Local (auto) Drivers are among the rudest and most
poorly trained
4) Reduce dependance on fossil fuels
5) University has the greatest transit use (buses)
of any corridor (thus justifies light rail)
6) Minimize (reduce) pollution and traffic
7) Reduces Burden of Cars on Infrastructure
8) "We need to actually attract people to use a transit
system that's clean, attractive, convenient and
economical, and will one that will economically
benefit local businesses. I think that could be
University Avenue....."
9) We need a Network - One Line Isn't Enough
10) "I can't wait until I can trade in my car & auto
insurance payment and spend my money on hanging
out in local restaurants, etc. That would be an
extra $400+ per month!"
11) "Transit brings pedestrians to a street and
pedestrians are what bring life to a city."
12) "people want an alternative."
"It'll only get worse."
"I can work/phone/put on make-up/on the train."---------------------------------------------------
Reasons for Support of I-94 Route
1) I-94 Could Support Fast Train with Limited Stops
fed by other buses or trolleys.
2) Plenty of space
3) Reduce disruption to Midway community
4) Fastest possible service between downtowns
5) Keep traffic flowing on UniversityReasons for Opposition to I-94 Route
1) There is very little commercial development along
the route that would benefit
2) Doesn't serve specific destinations
not pedestrian friendly
3) Would require MAJOR redesign of Freeway
4) Less accessible to handicapped riders---------------------------------------------------
Questions asked or information desired:
1) I'd be interested in hearing the results of the feasibility studies of these and other SP-Mpls corridor options and the criteria that emerged as most critical.
2) Thoughts of the costs should not be considered until things like people's behavior (Minnesotans in particular) and people's needs/desires...
3) We need to draw pictures and have a charette. Model trains. Nanobreweries.
---------------------------------------------------
Resources Mentioned:
http://www.centralcorridor.org/
Tram lines that use existing right of way (not seperate from traffic):
http://world.nycsubway.org/eu/nl/ams-roster.html
http://members.aol.com/lsenker/subway-surface.html
http://world.nycsubway.org/perl/show?16407Red Rock Line
http://www.redrockrail.org/================================================= "The St. Paul Issues Forum is a interactive e-mail discussion on important issues about St. Paul public policy. Participation is free and open to anyone. We currently have about 350 concerned citizens and community leaders subscribed to our discussion." http://www.e-democracy.org/stpaul =================================================
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