urbanMSP

IDK. Cars already fly down Park and Portland with two lanes that are too wide (I stay on Chicago on my bike for as long as I can because of it). I don't know how much difference a third will make.

I'm also not sure that anything we could do temporarily would keep people from driving in the third lane anyway. I guess they could make the transit lane parking-protected, but think poor parking compliance would make that unworkable.

What did you have in mind?

They should be using this opportunity to swap the bike lane and parking to build protected lanes. A 5' bike lane--even with a 2' buffer--is a joke on a road this wide.

Inducing more cars with the third lane during off peak is an unfortunate side effect.

I'm just bracing for multiple years of the car sewer mess this is going to create on local streets.

SW Transit changes coming May 14:

SW Flex (Rt 600): Four trips eliminated, comprising the three midday trips and the last PM peak trip.
https://swtransit.org/route-alerts/swfl ... eductions/

Rt 695: Two round trips removed for Summer Break at the U.
https://swtransit.org/route-alerts/rout ... eductions/

Rt 698: Midday service between Southwest Station and East Creek Station will be replaced by a shuttle service (EB service is scheduled, WB service by request only from SW Station). The last two PM trips will be combined into a single trip at 9 PM, and evening service will go to East Creek by request only.
https://swtransit.org/route-alerts/rout ... 14changes/

This is interesting:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... ar-transit

I wonder how this will affect (perhaps already has?) the blue/green line? We bought specifically due to proximity to the blue line, and I use it about 8x per week. However, it is not uncommon to share the ride with drunk and/or mentally ill people, and that makes for feeling less safe. If the lightrail needs to be (or at least perceived to be) a safe, clean alternative to cars for it to remain successful.

So autonomous Uber/Lyft cars will just drive around looking for passengers instead of parking somewhere? Won't that make the congestion problem worse? I read one article, I believe the city was Boston, where Uber and Lyft are increasing congestion because drivers are going around waiting for people to request a ride.

As for the safety issue with public transit, I believe there needs to be a serious crackdown on rude/inappropriate behavior on transit. No one wants to be the person to tell someone to watch their language or be quiet, and I don't blame them because some people (especially drugged, drunk, or mentally ill) could escalate the situation. And then there's the homeless people problem at the 28th Avenue Park & Ride ramp. I wouldn't care that they're finding shelter there, but they trash the place and smoke in the stairwells.

So autonomous Uber/Lyft cars will just drive around looking for passengers instead of parking somewhere? Won't that make the congestion problem worse? I read one article, I believe the city was Boston, where Uber and Lyft are increasing congestion because drivers are going around waiting for people to request a ride.

I mentioned in this thread that I'd like to see the city set aside a few idle corrals for AVs, and then charge a hefty tax per-mile of idle circulation or per-minute of parking. (There should probably also be a municipal VMT on these things, just in general.)

They're finally tearing up the corner of Maryland/Arcade for the 54 bus extension! They're also tearing out the two temporary pedestrian refuges before resurfacing, when they'll install the new permanent ones. (service on the 54 bus to the Maplewood Mall transit center starts June 9th!)


Edit: also reminder that the 535 bus, which is basically the orange line, gets more service to the point of nearly being a high frequency network route on June 9th. It'll run all day everyday with high frequency for most of that.

Idk if it actually meets the definition of HFN after these changes or only gets close, tho even if it does meet that threshold metro transit doesn't plan on including it in the HFN since the Orange Line will be up and running soon anyways (which will be textbook high frequency).

The added 535 service will only run every 30 minutes on Saturday, which is below the high frequency threshold. Same for the 54 extension.

Additionally, the 15-minute weekday frequency on the 535 will only be between 76th/Knox to Downtown.

St. Paul almost built a People Mover in the late 1970s? Who knew?!

http://www.mprnews.org/story/2018/05/02 ... -paul-died

Edit: And this is post #1970 in this thread 🤯

I read that this morning. I am just old enough for "People Mover" to ring a vague bell but not remember any details. I do remember when Town Square was a mall with a public park on the third floor, even though that sort of presents it like it was a plan that never happened.

Fare question:

I've become a little unfamiliar with the Metro Transit fare system now that I've moved away. I'm visiting soon, and noticed that there is a fare option for a "weekend pass" for $4, but it is listed under the Mobile Ticket section of the fare page. I was wondering if anyone knew if this weekend pass can be uploaded to a GoTo card?

Fare question:

I've become a little unfamiliar with the Metro Transit fare system now that I've moved away. I'm visiting soon, and noticed that there is a fare option for a "weekend pass" for $4, but it is listed under the Mobile Ticket section of the fare page. I was wondering if anyone knew if this weekend pass can be uploaded to a GoTo card?

Unfortunately, those passes can only be bought at the light rail ticket machines. They can’t be transferred to Go-To Cards.

Ah, guess I'll just have to get the paper ticket instead of using my GoTo card.

Thanks!

Looks like you can also buy it on the Metro Transit App (which I think I opened for the first time to check).

Can you buy them with cash from a bus operator as well? I honestly don't remember, though I know you could buy a 24-hour pass (at least historically) from a bus operator. (The A Line platforms do sell day passes.)

I really wish that the GoTo cards would automatically cap at the price of a day pass (and, ideally, at a 7-day and 31-day pass as well.) Right now if you're an occasional rider, it's really better to just buy a day pass through the app or at a station than to use a GoTo card.

Can you buy them with cash from a bus operator as well? I honestly don't remember, though I know you could buy a 24-hour pass (at least historically) from a bus operator. (The A Line platforms do sell day passes.)

I really wish that the GoTo cards would automatically cap at the price of a day pass (and, ideally, at a 7-day and 31-day pass as well.) Right now if you're an occasional rider, it's really better to just buy a day pass through the app or at a station than to use a GoTo card.

The new "Hop" cards here in Portland have fare capping. Caps a day and month pass levels.

June 9 Changes:

https://www.metrotransit.org/routes-wil ... -on-june-9

4/141: 4G and 141 now routed through Silver Lake Village, along 39th Ave NE, between Stinson and Silver Lake Rd.

14: NB service moves back to 7th St.

54: Improve peak service to 10 min. Every other trip weekdays and Saturdays extended to Maplewood.

535: Improved peak, midday service and new weekend service added.

540: Peak service reduced to every 20 min.

860: Mermaid Supper Club P&R closed.

All other 35W routes: improved span during peak hours for construction.

If the 61 is getting truncated to Arcade/Maryland but the 54 extension doesn't run on Sundays, does that mean that Arcade won't have any bus service at all on Sundays?

The 61 currently does not run on Sundays and there aren't any changes to the routing at this time.

The only mention of the curtailing of the 61 was in the 2011-12 rapid bus study.