Search found 264 matches

by Bob Stinson's Ghost
November 28th, 2023, 9:49 am
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Transit Crime
Replies: 280
Views: 999201

Re: Transit Crime

If the only answer to the problem is putting an army of enforcers on the job we could be waiting for quite a while.
by Bob Stinson's Ghost
November 25th, 2023, 6:56 pm
Forum: Cities Around the World
Topic: Oslo, Norway (my home away from home)
Replies: 5
Views: 3872

Re: Oslo, Norway (my home away from home)

I just looked at the map and noticed that the Oslo airport (unlike ours) is a sensible distance away from the city.
by Bob Stinson's Ghost
November 17th, 2023, 11:42 am
Forum: Saint Paul
Topic: Xcel Energy Center
Replies: 54
Views: 105873

Re: Xcel Energy Center

I think what really irritates people about public funding for stadiums is that the sports teams are regular for-profit businesses. And the owners behave like petulant children when they demand subsidies, usually for more luxury boxes. Some of the people posting in this thread are attempting to draw ...
by Bob Stinson's Ghost
September 30th, 2023, 1:05 pm
Forum: Minneapolis - Downtown
Topic: HERC - Hennepin Energy Recovery Center
Replies: 33
Views: 69450

Re: HERC - Hennepin Energy Recovery Center

Electricity will never be cheap enough to use it for district heating.
by Bob Stinson's Ghost
September 28th, 2023, 9:52 am
Forum: Minneapolis - Downtown
Topic: HERC - Hennepin Energy Recovery Center
Replies: 33
Views: 69450

Re: HERC - Hennepin Energy Recovery Center

HERC has always seemed like a zero sum proposition to me. Yes, it drastically reduces weight and volume while generating a tiny amount of electricity, but the resulting ash is drastically more toxic, requiring a special type of landfill. When HERC was built a lot of us thought that plastics recyclin...
by Bob Stinson's Ghost
July 25th, 2023, 5:56 pm
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Interstate 94
Replies: 321
Views: 136360

Re: Interstate 94

Would this impact semi traffic, especially container freight? I haven't been able to come up with any facts and figures relating to freight traffic on that stretch. How much would this handicap the BNSF intermodal yard?
by Bob Stinson's Ghost
April 17th, 2023, 8:34 am
Forum: Minneapolis - General Topics and Citywide Issues
Topic: Minneapolis Street Design
Replies: 45
Views: 48039

Re: Minneapolis Street Design

Can someone who's advocating for smaller fire trucks post a link or a picture? Are we talking about a ladder mounted on a Ford Transit van?

Everywhere I've traveled in the US and Europe the fire trucks look the same size as the Minneapolis ones.
by Bob Stinson's Ghost
April 5th, 2023, 8:50 am
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Freight Rail News and Happenings
Replies: 247
Views: 117963

Re: Freight Rail News and Happenings

BNSF is wholly owned by Berkshire Hathaway, and thus incapable of paying dividends and repurchasing shares. Theoretically they should be capable of long term thinking, unlike the others.
by Bob Stinson's Ghost
December 25th, 2022, 12:46 pm
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Public Transit News / Current Events (MN only)
Replies: 2909
Views: 692297

Re: Public Transit News / Current Events (MN only)

Americans live in segregated neighborhoods, drive alone, and work among the economically likeminded. They are often unaware of problems like drugs, homelessness and poverty. So when they ride transit its one of the only times they see that and think its somehow unique to transit. I'm really not sur...
by Bob Stinson's Ghost
November 17th, 2022, 12:30 pm
Forum: Minneapolis - Downtown
Topic: Root District - Farmers Market / Royalston Station
Replies: 81
Views: 56091

Re: Root District - Farmers Market / Royalston Station

It may replace some of the blue collar employment lost by Graco's departure. The fact that we've seen a little disappointment upthread that there is not a concrete and steel apartment tower being built on this site once again begs the question of where the proper place for a factory is. Out in the c...
by Bob Stinson's Ghost
August 18th, 2022, 8:08 am
Forum: Anything Goes
Topic: Public Bathrooms
Replies: 20
Views: 12682

Re: Public Bathrooms

I was lucky on a trip to Boston and this worked perfectly for me: http://archive.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/06/08/if_it_works_what_a_relief/ It wasn't until later that I found out just how incredibly lucky I was. It was a very high quality experience, and I was awed that they were able to m...
by Bob Stinson's Ghost
July 25th, 2022, 12:30 pm
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Transit Crime
Replies: 280
Views: 999201

Re: Transit Crime

I thought metro transit explicitly allowed housing insecure folks to use trains/buses for resting areas as long as they weren’t actively disturbing folks, like panhandling etc. If so, I actually like this policy. I don’t think it’s a be all solution, however I find it to be a very empathetic way to...
by Bob Stinson's Ghost
July 25th, 2022, 9:33 am
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Transit Crime
Replies: 280
Views: 999201

Re: Transit Crime

The volunteer/vigilante approach certainly has a place, but the root cause of the problem is mental illness, and I don't see how you solve it without hiring an army of social workers, and nobody wants to pay for that.
by Bob Stinson's Ghost
July 21st, 2022, 11:52 am
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Hennepin Avenue Reconstruction (Douglas to Lake St)
Replies: 433
Views: 192779

Re: Hennepin Avenue Reconstruction (Douglas to Lake St)

You could start by mailing a small, cheap postcard to the registered owner notifying them that the camera had spotted their car running a red light. I think a substantial reduction could be achieved by simply alerting them to the fact that somebody is paying attention. This avoids the accusation of ...
by Bob Stinson's Ghost
June 21st, 2022, 5:27 pm
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Hennepin Avenue Reconstruction (Douglas to Lake St)
Replies: 433
Views: 192779

Re: Hennepin Avenue Reconstruction (Douglas to Lake St)

The point I've been trying to make is that the most compelling use case for 24 hour bus lanes would be supporting the planned conversion of the Uptown Theater. At 2500 capacity it would force bus ridership because driving there would be an absolute clusterf*ck.
by Bob Stinson's Ghost
June 19th, 2022, 3:01 pm
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Hennepin Avenue Reconstruction (Douglas to Lake St)
Replies: 433
Views: 192779

Re: Hennepin Avenue Reconstruction (Douglas to Lake St)

This is all I've seen on it so far: https://racketmn.com/uptown-theatre-minneapolis-set-to-become-concert-venue/ When I look at those drawings it seems quite cramped for 2500, maybe about right for 1200. Even at 1200, that's a third more people than the previous maximum movie crowd. Maybe people wil...
by Bob Stinson's Ghost
June 18th, 2022, 8:10 pm
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Hennepin Avenue Reconstruction (Douglas to Lake St)
Replies: 433
Views: 192779

Re: Hennepin Avenue Reconstruction (Douglas to Lake St)

If the Uptown Theater does, in fact, get redeveloped into a live performance venue with a capacity of 2500, it's going to take a LOT of buses to get all those people in and out.
by Bob Stinson's Ghost
April 9th, 2022, 1:22 pm
Forum: Minneapolis - South, Southwest, and Uptown
Topic: Nicollet Ave / Eat Street - Whittier, Stevens, Loring Park
Replies: 222
Views: 127514

Re: Nicollet Ave / Eat Street - Whittier, Stevens, Loring Park

Kind of a weird nod to mansard on the sides and a very bland, sterile front facing facade. It looks quite profitable.
by Bob Stinson's Ghost
February 7th, 2022, 9:07 pm
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Green Line Extension - Southwest LRT
Replies: 5248
Views: 1219999

Re: Green Line Extension - Southwest LRT

If the task at hand is building a train tunnel through a fen it would seem daft to proceed without hiring a Dutch engineering firm. I would think that they do this on a daily basis.

Or perhaps I'm overestimating the Dutch?
by Bob Stinson's Ghost
February 4th, 2022, 10:38 am
Forum: Anything Goes
Topic: Fiber Internet and TV Services, Cord Cutting
Replies: 659
Views: 106725

Re: Fiber Internet and TV Services, Cord Cutting

Last fall when Centerpoint was replacing the west 27th street gas main near Lyndale they often had an idling police car nearby. That must add a lot of cost.