urbanMSP

There seems a deeper story worth looking into highlighted by this. That is, with GPS services giving alternate routing on all available public streets, how can cities and DOTs give more effective detours.

A driver staring at their phone will ignore a "local traffic only" sign even more than they will ignore pedestrians crossing.

I'm surprised state DOTs aren't working with Google, Apple, et al., to have their apps follow official detours.

http://www.startribune.com/the-drive-ed ... 414823784/

Edina taking additional steps to block traffic through their neighborhoods


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http://www.startribune.com/the-drive-ed ... 414823784/

Edina taking additional steps to block traffic through their neighborhoods


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I'm confused about the validity of these road blocks and warnings. I live in an area that used to be accessed easily by 169, and because it's closed, I have to take alternative options. BUT, who is to say that one of those options previously (to construction) wasn't one that included taking side streets when the freeways are backed up? In other words, why can't I use the side streets to get to my home if I don't want to take the highway? I'm not cutting through just to jump on the highway again en route to my home in Blaine. I'm taking advantage of the options available to me to get from point A to point B -- it's just that point B happens to be directly adjacent to some Edina neighborhoods. What if I had severe anxiety about getting on the highway (like my wife did for years when she first started driving)? What if I wanted to stroll through a beautiful neighborhood instead of staring at concrete barriers along the freeway?

I'm not complaining as much as I'm curious about how the rules work. If there's a rule that states that you cannot use local streets to get from your home to your work (and vice versa) -- whether that's during a period of construction, period of high congestion, or just an average day -- I'd like to better understand that rule and how it applies, and when.

I live in a neighborhood adjacent to Parkwood Knolls and confess to having cut through its local maze when the Nine Mile Creek bridge was at standstill from a car accident. And I will again when congestion is that bad. When I moved into the neighborhood I intentionally learned all the side street routes to bypass the highways in those moments.

At this point I believe more than 90% of the cut through drivers are locals from nearby neighborhoods where a TH 100 or 494 detour is illogical, or they are driving to near locations (like the Cargill campus, Knollwood area, or Methodist Hospital area) from far southwest suburbs.

I'm not complaining as much as I'm curious about how the rules work. If there's a rule that states that you cannot use local streets to get from your home to your work (and vice versa) -- whether that's during a period of construction, period of high congestion, or just an average day -- I'd like to better understand that rule and how it applies, and when.

The rule, of course, is: "Edina". Edina is entitled to be situated close to the city, but still far enough out to be car-dependent, and laid out in a car-dependent way, AND yet never have to see any actual traffic on its streets. White upper-middle-class families deserve absolutely everything they demand.

All snark off, though, I'm with you. My temp agency had placed me in Eden Prairie the last time there was major work on 169 (a couple years back), and I very often did detour through Edina to make it home to the Wedge. I was perfectly happy to keep my full attention on the road (as always) and stay below 25; even those slow speeds still beat the hell out of sitting in congestion with the option to change course only once every couple of miles. They're public streets, and anyone willing to use them safely should be allowed to use them.

^ In the brief window of my life where I still worked in Chanhassen and lived in CARAG, on my commute home I would get off 212/62 at Gleason or Tracy Ave, take Vernon to 50th St in Edina and cut up through Browendale to get to Sunnyside to Xerxes. And it was definitely faster than staying on 62 to Lyndale or 35W. Like you, I was perfectly happy to stay well under the speed limit and focus my attention in exchange for enjoy tree-lined streets, other man-made scenery, and some time (if not stress) savings.

I'm guessing they don't have "No Thru Traffic" signs posted, but then again does anyone follow those signs?

Those don't help stop drivers when GPS is routing people.

Hopkins raising the stakes in the 169 detour wars.

https://twitter.com/HopkinsPolice/statu ... 2059755520

11th Avenue is closed to thru traffic due to Highway 169 construction. Please use Shady Oak Road. Thanks!

Just wait until somebody decides that Shady Oak Rd is a neighborhood street, and blocks access through there as well!

Now Edina is moving to full scale blocking in the Parkwood Knolls neighborhood. That will stop everybody, including the GPS routing flow... and just route them elsewhere.

http://www.startribune.com/edina-votes- ... 415894424/

It was the first article that covered what Hopkins had done for the traffic on that side. Took the third try, but wealthy wheel is the one newspapers hear first.

Having the ear on Nextdoor over in Hopkins, I get to read Parkwood Knolls topics as they pop up. There actually is a fair amount of complaining and upset by neighbors in PK today that Dovre will be closed.

The 169 Nine Mile Creek saga has taken a heck of a turn in Hopkins, some group has come out with a recall effort to remove the major Molly Cummings and the entire city council of Hopkins.

http://www.startribune.com/traffic-issu ... 420680503/

The group behind the recall effort claims the elected officials have not done enough, like Edina did in closing Dovre into Parkwood Knolls.

I dunno, this group needs to come forth with actual suggestions that should have been done that wouldn't have done far worse harm.

I blame Edina!

MNDOT emailed out to subscribers of the updates to the 169 project that, weather permitting, 169 will open by 5am Sept 27th.

https://content.govdelivery.com/account ... ns/1b8bc59

Finance and Commerce with an unlocked article on the technique used to construct the Nine Mile Creek causeway that helped the project wrap up so fast.

http://finance-commerce.com/2017/09/64m ... -wraps-up/

169 is opening tomorrow morning at 5am according to the Star Tribune, 1 day earlier than previously expected.

MNDOT tweeted it too.
https://twitter.com/MnDOTnews/status/912465603071496192