Blue Line LRT

[mattaudio]

Speaking of the 50th Street station - seems like it would be a great time to remove traffic lanes from Minnehaha Ave from 52nd to 54th. At least the southbound lane, which only serves the Snelling Motel at 54th (which could have access via alley or private drive to 54th until it is redeveloped). 53rd St could just curve into 48th Ave. If there could be some streetscape improvements here, along with the VA offering the SW corner of 54th/Minnehaha for development, this could be a really nice corridor.

[HiawathaGuy]

Speaking of the 50th Street station - seems like it would be a great time to remove traffic lanes from Minnehaha Ave from 52nd to 54th. At least the southbound lane, which only serves the Snelling Motel at 54th (which could have access via alley or private drive to 54th until it is redeveloped). 53rd St could just curve into 48th Ave. If there could be some streetscape improvements here, along with the VA offering the SW corner of 54th/Minnehaha for development, this could be a really nice corridor.

I think you'd be surprised by how many people use those one-way stretches alongside the rail. I also think that it's easy to suggest this, when you don't live in the neighborhood. It's already tough to get in and out of my neighborhood due to the sound wall and rail. Removing another access point is not really an option many people in the neighborhood would really want.

It's also incredibly unlikely for the Federal Government to give up any land on the southwest corner or Minnehaha & 54th on the VA property. Not to mention that the NE corner and most of the land along the rail from 53rd to 54th are already owned by the developer who built Olin Crossings, and they are pretty much all empty.

[mattaudio]

Trust me, I'm pushing for lane reductions in my own neighborhood too. MPLS TCMS reports 2002 AADT of 737, roughly a car every two minutes going in one of the two directions. Except for Vantage Flats and Olin Crossings, there are no boulevards on this stretch - sidewalk right on the curb. Compounded with the concrete for the LRT tracks in the middle, it just seems awfully antiseptic and inorganic. Maybe a small part of the reason why development has struggled here is because the streetscape is so dull and unwelcoming. I'm hopeful that the corridor from 50th to 54th will someday see a second wave of TOD.

[Minneapolisite]

I forget how close Franklin Station is to Seward, but it doesn't help when all you see from there is a suburban arterial and a Taco Bell. Just think how many more people would visit if something nice was done to woo people in to where all the good stuff is.

[FISHMANPET]

What do you mean, you can clearly see the Taco Bell

[talindsay]

What do you mean, you can clearly see the Taco Bell

Your honor, Mr Mayor, not everybody views Taco Bell in the same light as you.

[Minneapolisite]

Seeing how I've been using the Blue Line a bit more now that the Green Line is running, I wonder what effect that has had on the Blue Line's ridership? I can't be the only one...

[grant1simons2]

Why? They serve totally different areas

[Silophant]

Rail bias. People will take the Blue Line and transfer to the Green Line (or vice versa) to make trips that they wouldn't have when it would have involved a transfer to/from the 16/50. I know, because I'm one of them.

I also wonder what effect that's had on the Blue Line's ridership, and how much it's been counteracted by losing half of the trips that take place entirely within downtown.

[grant1simons2]

Well I was on it a yesterday during peak hours and it was packed. Also the one that passed me today at 4:30 was also full

[HiawathaGuy]

I also wonder what effect that's had on the Blue Line's ridership, and how much it's been counteracted by losing half of the trips that take place entirely within downtown.

There was a Metro Transit employee on my southbound train to MOA this morning (I reverse commute) counting the people getting on and off at each stop. So I'm guessing they're doing tabulations.

[FISHMANPET]

It's now a lot easier to commute via the Blue Line to the U, so I'm guessing that's getting a lot more riders. A former coworker would park at Fort Snelling, take the Blue Line to downtown, and take the 16 to campus, but I'd bet there are a lot of people that wouldn't be willing to make that bus transfer, but would be willing to transfer to the Green Line.

Also, the campus platforms are starting to look more crowded, since Freshman Welcome Week is going on. Should be even more packed next week.

[EOst]

When I got on at East Bank today, there were quite a few people getting on, at least three times more than were even last week. Those are going to be some crowded stations at rush hour.

Lots of people got off at DTE too, so I assume a lot of them were transferring.

[grant1simons2]

I transferred from DTE to the blue line to get down to the Lake St. Station, it's really cool because I don't live in the city so it's fun to transfer and easily get around town

[Mdcastle]

When finishing my degree was a realistic option for me I thought how nice it would be to be able to park at the 28th ave ramps and take the blue and green lines to the U rather than try to drive all the way in. I'm sure others think so also.

[Minneapolisite]

I noticed I never go south of 46th St Station and wondering why there's one at 50th, but then thought well, there is 50th & 34th a short distance away that I could use it for. At the same time, on google maps it looks like 46th is basically the same distance away and turns out it's a 16 min walk from there vs 14 from 50th. Biking you save one whole minute. So...I don't get 50th's point of existing.

[mattaudio]

I've always wondered that too, why we have a 50th St station but no station at 42nd or between 32nd/35th.

[Mdcastle]

A lot of people go to MInnehaha Park, although the falls itself isn't any closer from 50th than from 46th.

[Scott Wood]

I've always wondered that too, why we have a 50th St station but no station at 42nd or between 32nd/35th.

Hiawatha changes angle south of 46th St (plus the tunnel is a pedestrian obstacle), so the distance between the 46th St and 50th St stations is a bit greater than the distance between the 46th St or 38th St station and a theoretical 42nd St station.

[mattaudio]

True. And 50th mainly serves an area south of the station, because the VA Medical Center Station is so isolated from the neighborhoods south of 54th St by the giant fenced in campus.