Final chance to comment on rules revision, go to: http://e-democracy.org/rules --------------------------------------- When talking about the streetcar specifically and transit in general people have been talking about the affordability of these projects.
My point is that you cannot make decisions on affordability without comparing these projects to the costs and benefits of alternatives. It quickly becomes a mess of complicated calculations and value judgments. You are right that roads are used for many critical services and certainly deserve a share of property taxes - I am not advocating for that to end. But transit has many associated benefits too: - mobility for elderly & youth & other non-drivers, - reducing the need to set aside valuable space for parking, - giving families the option to take the money they would have spent on an additional car and instead spend that money on other things - like investing in a home or paying their health care bills - improving public health - both by encouraging walking and by potentially reducing pollution (thereby reducing asthma attacks for example) - and the list goes on... The bottom line is that Minnesota decision makers have been and want to continue pumping billions (yes billions) of dollars every year into maintaining and expanding our transportation system in Minnesota - often in the hopes of alleviating congestion and/or fostering economic development. St. Paul residents need to be concerned where that money (both state & local) is going. Are we targeting the most efficient ways to alleviate congestion? Is that money helping us meet our other goals - neighborhood livability - public health - environmental protection - economic development? Do we want to dedicate more space to bigger roads & big parking lots and garages? Or can we use those funds to build destinations and/or other more effective tools of economic development? You could even ask is St. Paul getting its fair share - but that adds an additional layer of complication. So back to the streetcar - could it work in various corridors in St. Paul? Likely yes - but it really depends on where the money comes from and what benefits you want to track and how much you value the various benefits - not to mention the state of the surrounding transportation system and the existence of developments that will feed ridership. Your opinion of the effectiveness of Hiawatha LRT depends on similar judgments & issues. Kevin Somdahl Sands - Administrator - Transit for Livable Communities Resident - Midway Neighborhood -----Original Message----- From: John Harris [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, November 10, 2004 1:14 PM To: Kevin Sands; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [StPaul] Vision for Transit > I have two major points to contest from other posts. First is that many > posts have basically been focusing on whether or not bus & rail transit > "pays for itself" through fares gathered. This ignores the fact that roads > do not come close to paying for themselves. i don't see where the bulk of posts have focused on if transit pays for itself. some have mentioned it, sure. roads serve more of a purpose than simply moving commuters around. product is shipped in trucks over roads, your police and fire departments use roads to respond to calls for help, inspite of what metro transit would like you to believe, the fire department can't respond to calls on the bus. roads are a part of the economic engine serving as a facilitator. maybe this is factored in to the subsidies? if not someone smarter than me can figure that out. john harris camden _____________________________________________ To Join: St. Paul Issues Forum Rules Discussion Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ____________________________________________ NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul Archive Address: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/
