Rail Comments
[Revised Version]
The rail line should have limited stops for high speed and well sheltered underground stations for safety, comfort in a Northern climate, and speed, and in addition to serving local neighborhood needs, a major purpose of the rail should be to connect into regional rail lines. The benefits of a well designed rail system are huge in terms of reducing energy use, reducing auto emissions, national security, and the more tangible benefit of meeting the transportation needs of people.
The current Central Corridor design will add congestion and reduce safety, especially at already unsafe intersections, such as Snelling Avenue and University Avenue. The rail line, competing with auto traffic, will be too slow to be of use to many residents, thus limiting its value. Many supporters of this line view it as an economic development project rather than a transportation project, however the focus must be to correctly design a transportation system, if economic development is to take place. Rail line design, such as that in Bangkok (above grade stations) or Kyoto, Japan, population 1.5 million (below grade stations) address the major safety concerns. At grade rail placement two to three blocks from University Avenue, on or near I-94 frontage roads could also be considered as part of a larger project to reduce issues with safety and congestion in Saint Paul. Even without the proposed at grade rail station, Snelling Avenue at University Avenue gridlocks and is unsafe for autos, pedestrians and bicyclists. This occurs every day during the State Fair. Snelling Avenue near I-94 is the most unsafe area in the state of Minnesota based on traffic accident rates, but current rail design does not sufficiently reflect this fact.
San Pablo Avenue in Berkeley, Albany, El Cerrito and Richmond, California has the BART rail two blocks away from a major bus line, and stations tend to be one to two miles apart except in downtown San Francisco. The rail and bus are both heavily used all hours of the day for trips short and long, by people of all income levels. However, people with groceries use the bus line, not the rail, indicating that people who need transportation to meet their basic needs are best served by more buses that stop each block. Additional stations are not needed beyond what is currently conceived, unless bus schedules are cut, which is planned despite obvious "economic fairness" issues.
The “bus barn” site at Saint Anthony and Snelling offers an ideal location for a major light rail station near University Avenue (Central Corridor) and for a future Snelling Avenue light rail line deserving of future study. This site offers the possibility of underground commuter parking and retail development at a prime location that has remained undeveloped despite the efforts of many. Here is a location where the possibility of major economic development in conjunction with Central Corridor rail construction can be tested now.
More comments can be found here:
Central Corridor
The rail line should have limited stops for high speed and well sheltered underground stations for safety, comfort in a Northern climate, and speed, and in addition to serving local neighborhood needs, a major purpose of the rail should be to connect into regional rail lines. The benefits of a well designed rail system are huge in terms of reducing energy use, reducing auto emissions, national security, and the more tangible benefit of meeting the transportation needs of people.
The current Central Corridor design will add congestion and reduce safety, especially at already unsafe intersections, such as Snelling Avenue and University Avenue. The rail line, competing with auto traffic, will be too slow to be of use to many residents, thus limiting its value. Many supporters of this line view it as an economic development project rather than a transportation project, however the focus must be to correctly design a transportation system, if economic development is to take place. Rail line design, such as that in Bangkok (above grade stations) or Kyoto, Japan, population 1.5 million (below grade stations) address the major safety concerns. At grade rail placement two to three blocks from University Avenue, on or near I-94 frontage roads could also be considered as part of a larger project to reduce issues with safety and congestion in Saint Paul. Even without the proposed at grade rail station, Snelling Avenue at University Avenue gridlocks and is unsafe for autos, pedestrians and bicyclists. This occurs every day during the State Fair. Snelling Avenue near I-94 is the most unsafe area in the state of Minnesota based on traffic accident rates, but current rail design does not sufficiently reflect this fact.
San Pablo Avenue in Berkeley, Albany, El Cerrito and Richmond, California has the BART rail two blocks away from a major bus line, and stations tend to be one to two miles apart except in downtown San Francisco. The rail and bus are both heavily used all hours of the day for trips short and long, by people of all income levels. However, people with groceries use the bus line, not the rail, indicating that people who need transportation to meet their basic needs are best served by more buses that stop each block. Additional stations are not needed beyond what is currently conceived, unless bus schedules are cut, which is planned despite obvious "economic fairness" issues.
The “bus barn” site at Saint Anthony and Snelling offers an ideal location for a major light rail station near University Avenue (Central Corridor) and for a future Snelling Avenue light rail line deserving of future study. This site offers the possibility of underground commuter parking and retail development at a prime location that has remained undeveloped despite the efforts of many. Here is a location where the possibility of major economic development in conjunction with Central Corridor rail construction can be tested now.
More comments can be found here:
Central Corridor
Labels: central corridor, light rail, UPDC
posted by David Rasmussen at 6:00 PM
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