Search found 42 matches

by SamtheBusNerd
June 15th, 2018, 2:14 pm
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Nicollet-Central Streetcar
Replies: 887
Views: 136120

Re: Nicollet-Central Streetcar

I think it's really frustrating that the US seems bent on creating this whole class of useless rail lines. As nordeast homer wrote a while back, the beauty of streetcar vehicles (at least ones like the Skodas Portland uses) is that they're much lighter so the track can be constructed much more cheap...
by SamtheBusNerd
June 15th, 2018, 1:45 pm
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Nicollet-Central Streetcar
Replies: 887
Views: 136120

Re: Nicollet-Central Streetcar

Agreed. Having used it, I don't think the Tucson streetcar is quite as bad as some of the others. It could definitely have higher ridership and be better connected to a regional transportation system (like Portland), but it basically makes it possible to easily get from all of the older parts of the...
by SamtheBusNerd
June 12th, 2018, 8:47 am
Forum: Minneapolis - South, Southwest, and Uptown
Topic: Nicollet Ave / Eat Street - Whittier, Stevens, Loring Park
Replies: 222
Views: 129293

Re: Southside - General Topics

Thanks for the updates. These both look great! I understand the neighbors wanting a grocery store, though. I always thought that something like Good Grocer would be ideal for that area too. It's very high density, low car ownership, and there are a ton of low income folks who don't have particularly...
by SamtheBusNerd
June 11th, 2018, 10:41 am
Forum: Minneapolis - South, Southwest, and Uptown
Topic: Nicollet Ave / Eat Street - Whittier, Stevens, Loring Park
Replies: 222
Views: 129293

Re: Southside - General Topics

There's a couple development proposals for Stevens Square . One is across Franklin from the Electric Fetus (currently a three-story building), and the other is at 18th and Nicollet, presumably the vacant lot between 18th and the freeway trench. It mentions that the 18th and Nicollet might need vari...
by SamtheBusNerd
June 9th, 2018, 7:38 pm
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Public Transit News / Current Events (MN only)
Replies: 2909
Views: 701709

Re: Public Transit News and Current Happenings

The 539 can't be run with anything longer than a 30' bus due to all of the tight turns so it wouldn't have helped much unfortunately. Metro doesn't have any 30' or cutaway buses.
by SamtheBusNerd
June 9th, 2018, 7:36 pm
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Orange Line / 35W@94: Downtown to Crosstown Project
Replies: 1121
Views: 242278

Re: Orange Line (35W BRT) & Lake St Transit Access Project

Hope this is the right spot since this is technically related to this project... Anyone else gotten a chance to check out the 35W express bus detour route that starts Monday? They finally put up the bus lane signs on Park and Portland and it's bad. Half of the signs are behind trees, they're not at ...
by SamtheBusNerd
May 29th, 2018, 3:34 pm
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Public Transit News / Current Events (MN only)
Replies: 2909
Views: 701709

Re: Public Transit News and Current Happenings

Not sure if this is the right spot for this, but has anyone tried to ride the 21/53 since they closed Lake St due to the fire? Today it's taken slightly longer than forever to get around the detour. Seems like this would be an ideal time for the city to try some temporary traffic control techniques ...
by SamtheBusNerd
April 29th, 2018, 5:57 pm
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Pedestrian Safety and Infrastructure Improvements
Replies: 323
Views: 92255

Re: Pedestrian Safety and Infrastructure Improvements

This year St. Paul will step up warnings to drivers who stop on crosswalks starting Monday. Then in June will be handing out tickets. Later in August they will mark whether the blocking driver was endangering and thus hit with a fine and court date. http://www.startribune.com/the-drive-drivers-need...
by SamtheBusNerd
March 29th, 2018, 1:02 pm
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Public Transit News / Current Events (MN only)
Replies: 2909
Views: 701709

Re: Public Transit News and Current Happenings

They have to study it? Seems like we all know the reasons: 1. FTA/federal regulations like Buy America and the whole convoluted, drawn out planning and funding process. 2. See above 3. The inability of most places in the US to look outside the country for new ideas. (For example the streetcar vs lig...
by SamtheBusNerd
March 26th, 2018, 7:41 am
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Public Transit News / Current Events (MN only)
Replies: 2909
Views: 701709

Re: Public Transit News and Current Happenings

First Transit drives both of the routes you rode under a contract with the Met Council. As a former driver, I can tell you that the Gilligs are also a lot more pleasant to drive. The Ford cutaways are basically U-Hauls with seats in the back. Fun fact about the 29' Gilligs, though: they aren't weigh...
by SamtheBusNerd
March 26th, 2018, 7:35 am
Forum: Minneapolis - Downtown
Topic: 1410 Loring - 1400 Nicollet Ave. (Market BBQ redevelopment)
Replies: 52
Views: 17612

Re: Market Bar-B-Que Apartment project - 1400 Nicollet

Just read about this in the Strib article about new housing in the south end of downtown: http://www.startribune.com/two-new-towers-bring-apartment-boom-to-south-end-of-nicollet-mall/477805193/. Am I the only person that's a little disappointed that they're currently demolishing almost the entire hi...
by SamtheBusNerd
January 26th, 2018, 5:56 pm
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Public Transit News / Current Events (MN only)
Replies: 2909
Views: 701709

Re: Public Transit News and Current Happenings

In case it isn't obvious, rail bias is real. Its pretty easy to know where a train is and where it stops by finding the rails and the station. Buses on the other hand could be anywhere and just because there is a bus stop sign doesn't guarantee your route stops there or that the driver will see you...
by SamtheBusNerd
January 26th, 2018, 10:57 am
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Public Transit News / Current Events (MN only)
Replies: 2909
Views: 701709

Re: Public Transit News and Current Happenings

"These three rail lines now constitute 31 percent of all rides on Metro Transit," said Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin. "This is another piece of strong evidence that rail investment is good for the Twin Cities." As strong as rail ridership was, it was not enough t...
by SamtheBusNerd
January 2nd, 2018, 5:40 pm
Forum: Transportation
Topic: D Line - Chicago-Fremont/Emerson Rapid Bus
Replies: 225
Views: 76018

Re: D Line - Fremont/Emerson/Chicago Rapid Bus

It seems that the Metropolitan Council is considering removing the D line from the current revenue scenario of the Transport Policy Plan and placing it instead in the increased revenue scenario. https://lims.minneapolismn.gov/RCA/1727 https://metrocouncil.org/Council-Meetings/Committees/Transportat...
by SamtheBusNerd
December 11th, 2017, 6:21 pm
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Nicollet-Central Streetcar
Replies: 887
Views: 136120

Re: Nicollet-Central Streetcar

That might make sense from a purely utilitarian viewpoint, but for an equity-minded city council, it's terrible politics. Even with the aBRT lines, there's still a gap along the Northside's most important commercial corridor, particularly when one considers connections to the larger network and reg...
by SamtheBusNerd
December 11th, 2017, 11:56 am
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Nicollet-Central Streetcar
Replies: 887
Views: 136120

Re: Nicollet-Central Streetcar

As far as the corridor goes, I can see the arguments against this particular project, but it's still pretty staggering to me that there's now zero rail service, existing or planned, serving Southwest, Central, Uptown, or Northeast. A north-south corridor seems like the biggest no-brainer in the sta...
by SamtheBusNerd
November 17th, 2017, 10:45 am
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Public Transit News / Current Events (MN only)
Replies: 2909
Views: 701709

Re: Public Transit News and Current Happenings

If buses can be rerouted and the travel time is less or the same as Nicollet Mall then I fully support a pedestrian-only Nicollet Mall (as long as people can still bike through there). Considering buses go 15 miles per hour maximum on that stretch it probably wouldn't be too difficult. I wonder how...
by SamtheBusNerd
November 16th, 2017, 8:57 pm
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Public Transit News / Current Events (MN only)
Replies: 2909
Views: 701709

Re: Public Transit News and Current Happenings

Whether it's the city forcing MT to do it without input or some sort of agreement between MT and the city, it's a problem. Part of being a city that cares about stuff like equity is not treating transit riders as inconsequential. Shutting down our downtown transit mall for a month for a party is doi...
by SamtheBusNerd
November 16th, 2017, 5:34 pm
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Public Transit News / Current Events (MN only)
Replies: 2909
Views: 701709

Re: Public Transit News and Current Happenings

So, while we thought that the light rail closure was bad... Metro Transit buses will return to the Nicollet Mall on Dec. 2 only to be rerouted back to Hennepin for a month for the Super Bowl http://www.startribune.com/metro-transit-buses-to-return-to-nicollet-mall-dec-2-for-a-bit/458052503/ This is ...
by SamtheBusNerd
November 16th, 2017, 5:16 pm
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Bicycle Infrastructure
Replies: 1800
Views: 1034669

Re: Bicycle Infrastructure

Got a chance to ride down Washington downtown again today and the lights are still screwey. I got a red bike light while straight/right turn traffic got a green then it started flashing yellow. This is like the opposite of best practices, which would make traffic yield to the most vulnerable (bikes ...