The real problem with LRT’s is that the highways in rural Minnesota are being beat to death by over loaded grain trucks. Money to repair these roads is being diverted in to light rail. If the people riding the LRT trains don’t own a car, pay any highway fuel tax, or automobile insurance, then surely they should can afford to pay higher ticket prices to get to their place of work with the extra money they have left over each month. We in outstate Minnesota receive no benefit from LRT projects except the threat of paying additional gas tax increases to subsidize LRT construction and maintenance costs for those that live in the metro area.
Solar energy and wind energy are hooked up to the National grid, therefore you could claim your house uses solar or wind power. The point is that any system that does not have it’s own dedicated power generation scheme is just blowing smoke if it claims to be 100% solar or wind powered.
The Green Line will be doing much better once the stoplight issues with the City of St. Paul is resolved. Secondary streets already mentioned should automatically wait for the trains. The stations are also too close to each other east of Snelling to Rice. Poor planning to pacify the neighborhoods. Perhaps a skip-stop during the day can speed things up. St. Paul’s ace traffic engineers are working on the stoplights. Taking an hour and 10 minutes for a non-rush hour trip is totally inexcusable as was the case when I rode the line.
The Green Line will be doing much better once the stoplight issues with the City of St. Paul is resolved. Secondary streets already mentioned should automatically wait for the trains. The stations are also too close to each other east of Snelling to Rice. Poor planning to pacify the neighborhoods. Perhaps a skip-stop during the day can speed things up. St. Paul’s ace traffic engineers are working on the stoplights. Taking an hour and 10 minutes for a non-rush hour trip is totally inexcusable as was the case when I rode the line.
The Green Line will be doing much better once the stoplight issues with the City of St. Paul is resolved. Secondary streets already mentioned should automatically wait for the trains. The stations are also too close to each other east of Snelling to Rice. Poor planning to pacify the neighborhoods. Perhaps a skip-stop during the day can speed things up. St. Paul’s ace traffic engineers are working on the stoplights. Taking an hour and 10 minutes for a non-rush hour trip is totally inexcusable as was the case when I rode the line.
Let’s remember that at one time TCRT operated a superb all PCC streetcar operation between downtown Minneapolis and downtown St Paul. That was replaced by GM buses in 1954. The current light rail operation doesn’t hold a candle to the riding on a PCC streetcar over virtually the same route. The streetcar line should never been abandoned in the first place. The light rail line is built now for better or worse. The articulated buses used by TCRT successor Metro Transit were more comfortable than these light rail vehicles now used on this route; but what does that matter. The politicians and the real estate developers won this battle and will win the battle too over the Southwest Light Rail. Money is no object to these people and they will cram their ideas down the taxpayer’s throats, come what may. Meanwhile, Minnesota’s freeways are choked with traffic and its rural highways are the worst I have seen them. US 14 across Southern Minnesota is dreadful.