[speedgibson] Speed Gibson: Letter of the Week

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Posted by Speed Gibson:
Letter of the Week
http://speedgibson.powerblogs.com/posts/1210354009.shtml


   Reading the Letters in the Minneapolis Star Tribune is usually just an
   exercise in frustration. Occasionally a thoughtful, well written
   letter slips past the goalie, like this May 9 letter. In response to a
   May 3 opinion on the Central Corridor light rail line by Kate Wolford,
   President of the McKnight Foundation, the writer challenges whether
   she had "taken a good look at key elements of the actual plan."

     Big problem: how to best serve the University of Minnesota's needs
     as a major transit stop without creating dangerous street
     congestion, and while helping -- rather than harming -- nearby
     neighborhoods. The university's proposed alternative route at its
     main campus solves this problem; it is a faster route at a lower
     cost than an expensive major upgrade of the Washington Avenue
     bridge that would require considerable additional mitigation
     because of altered traffic patterns. The Metropolitan Council,
     however, remains stuck in its own bad plans.

   We're seeing this trend more and more, where those around the project
   get to vote, but not those affected. Is this the new model,
   deliberately crafting projects to openly rob Peter Victim to pay Paul
   Voter?

     Biggest problem: slow transit time resulting from the route on a
     busy street where the train must stop at red lights, subject to
     traffic delays. On University Avenue's 6.1 miles between Huron and
     Rice, there are 25 stoplights on a major street lined with retail
     businesses and offices. By comparison, the Hiawatha Line runs on a
     spacious divided highway and the train has priority at the eight
     stoplights between the Metrodome and Hwy. 62. Officials admit that
     the Central Corridor line as now planned will be much slower than
     the freeway express bus, making it a billion-dollar same-speed
     replacement for the limited-stop street bus, much too slow to
     attract automobile commuters off the freeway. (The Met Council and
     Ramsey Rail Authority threw away an expensive study that preferred
     a much faster, less costly rail route along I-94 that was expected
     to draw much higher use than a University Avenue line.)

   I highlighted that last sentence to once again say that Light Rail is
   Pork, not Transportation.

     A third problem, never discussed in the media, is difficulties
     arising from Central Corridor and Hiawatha lines running on the
     same tracks between the Metrodome and the western terminus. The
     exact coordination necessary to use the same tracks would be easier
     to maintain if the Central Corridor ran along I-94 on a faster,
     more predictable schedule. Otherwise we can expect snarls and
     delays of perhaps 10 minutes.

   We're not supposed to care how long it takes! We're being green! We're
   creating jobs! We're investing in infrastructure!
   Whether you believe in Light Rail or not, whether you believe our K-12
   Public Schools are short of money or not, we still have the specter of
   our school children pressing their noses against the glass, watching
   the elites wildly overspend on this project.
   I give Mr. Markle my thanks and the last word:

     All three of these problems should be dealt with before pushing
     ahead with a badly planned project -- apparently the most expensive
     public works project in state history -- that we'll later regret.