Scott Dier wrote:
The problem with Northstar is while its great for us in the area (I'm very
excited!), it starts to remove us from the funding issues the rest of the
metro has for transit.
Not so. Northstar becomes MUCH more useful when Central, Southwest, Cedar, etc. are operating. St. Cloud to Hastings on public transportation! Without good bus service, how will Northstar riders traverse the last mile?
I'm guessing these issues don't impact Southwest, MVTA, Plymouth, or Maple
Grove as much, either.
Actually ,they do. Most of the Metro Transit shortfall is due to increased fuel and health care costs. These affect _all_ businesses, not just Metro Transit or public transportation providers. Fare increases are a way of passing the costs on but it's an extremely regressive form of taxation.
Sourthwest and Maple Grove have a huge stake in public transportation funding because they have major public transportation corridors planned to go right to them.
At some point when all the politcally savvy areas opt-out of the centralized system I worry that there will be little push to maintain growth there.
The opt-outs are a big problem. It's ridiculous that the MVTA routes to Eagan stop at 46th St. and not Fort Snelling and that MVTA runs routes along Hiawatha Ave. to downtown Minneapolis. The opt-outs not only pull funding from Metro Transit, they actually contribute to moving business and people from the central cities and inner suburbs to the exurbs using the infrastructure provided by the cities. The central cities and inner suburbs fund their own deterioration! This is true of transportation policy and utilities such as sewer & water.
What we need is Metropolitan Equity.
The great thing about the Transportation Choices 2020 initiative is that it's much more than transit groups working for it. I'm part of ISAIAH, a faith-based coalition of 81 churches that is supporting the initiative. Environmental, senior and disability groups are also on-board. There were over 120 people at the House Transportation Finance committee hearing - unprecedented!
The people have spoken.
David Greene The Wedge, Minneapolis _______________________________________________ Twin Cities Metropolitan Issues Forum http://www.e-democracy.org/tcmetro Rules: Sign posts with real name. You may not post more than twice a day.
