[speedgibson] Speed Gibson: U of M Transit: The bus to Nowhere

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Posted by Speed Gibson:
U of M Transit: The bus to Nowhere
http://speedgibson.powerblogs.com/posts/1221977262.shtml


   [1]Yesterday, I described the large fleet of U of M buses I saw
   shuttling people to the Dome. Their day job is to link the west bank,
   east bank (main), and St. Paul campuses. The need for this largess,
   such as it isn't, may be disappearing.
   For one, the new on campus football stadium will open next fall. I saw
   it from 3 sides on my walk yesterday, and I must say I very much like
   the design. We won't need the Dome shuttle anymore, right? Well,
   something tells me they'll probably reverse it, having service from
   both downtowns to the stadium, even though it already has high
   frequency Metro Transit service, who could add more and charge for the
   convenience. That may be moot, though, when the Central Corridor light
   rail comes barreling through campus.
   In fact, light rail should also link the West Bank. It had better,
   given it will displace vehicle traffic over the Washington Avenue
   bridge. But what about traveling to the St. Paul campus?
   I say, close Moo U. We don't need it. Move the movable, sell the rest.
   The U has plenty of capacity elsewhere in its system, not to mention
   MnSCU, our state college system. For example, the U of M Morris was
   originally the West Central School of Agriculture and has real
   agricultural laboratory facilities today, including cattle. If you're
   still unconvinced, look at this [2]U of M Feb 2008 Working Draft,
   which first says that:

     The St. Paul Campus' future is as an integral part of the Twin
     Cities campus, rather than as a freestanding or branch campus.

   but later admits that:

     Perceived transit difficulties and relative lack of amenities are
     obstacles to attracting activities to St. Paul. To thrive, the St.
     Paul campus must function as a village, with frequent and rapid
     transportation links to the Minneapolis campus and surrounding
     communities.

   The Draft shows that the U is at least uncomfortable about the
   situation. It would further appear that there is nothing particular
   unique about the St. Paul campus as the draft's recommendations would
   apply to hundreds of other small college campuses. No niche, no money.
   Close it and sell it.
   And sell the U of M buses that go there, too.

References

   1. http://speedgibson.powerblogs.com/posts/1221970170.shtml
   2. http://conservancy.umn.edu/bitstream/5706/1/st_paul_strategic_plan.pdf