Taking action: This week at the Capitol, supporters called on
legislators to fund transportation now.
In a surprise move a week ago, freshman senator Melisa
Franzen offered an amendment on the Senate floor to the Omnibus Transportation
Funding bill to provide new funding for roads and transit. That amendment
passed and, soon after, the entire bill was adopted. HF 1444 (previously SF 1173) includes a
phased-in half-cent increase in the metro area sales tax for transit, and a
phased-in increase of 5 cents in the state gas tax. The amended bill also
includes a small percentage for bicycle and pedestrian connections, and increases transit funding for Greater Minnesota, meeting 70
percent of the need. Together, these investments will put Minnesota’s transportation
system on the right path for the future. The question now is whether these
elements make it into law this session.
TLC and the Transit
for a Stronger Economy coalition have advocated all session for a funding
bill that will greatly expand transit, and safe, accessible bicycling and
walking connections. This past Wednesday, the coalition gathered outside the
Governor’s office and marched to Speaker Thissen’s office. The walls of the
Capitol echoed with voices calling, “Transportation Now!”
This week, the Minnesota House and Senate have been
conferencing the bold Senate bill with a “lights on” House Transportation
funding bill that offers no increase in funding, but rather keeps status quo
transportation budgets in place. The
Conference Committee is comprised of the following legislators.
Senate
House
Dibble
Hornstein
Champion
Bernardy
Carlson
Beard
Jensen
Erhardt
Kent
Sundin
There is still hope that end-of-session negotiations will
get the job done on transportation. One possibility is that the half-cent sales
tax will be packaged with $300 million in trunk highway bonds and as yet
unnamed additional funding for roads. Another funding effort is a House bonding
bill, championed by Rep. Alice Hausman, with funding for Southwest light rail
and other key transit projects.
All session,
Governor Dayton has remained committed to his budget proposal, which includes a
half-cent increase in the metro sales tax to significantly expand the metro
area transit system. Let’s thank the Governor (click
here or call 651-201-3400)
and inspire him and legislative leaders to get the job done in the final few
days.
The Transit for a Stronger Economy coalition will remain
engaged in legislative action right up to the final bell—in this case, Monday,
May 20. We encourage other transit,
bicycling, and walking advocates to do the same, and to keep the pressure on
your elected officials through the weekend!
By Teresa Roark, TLC Intern, Graduate
Student at U of M School of Public Health
Throughout this legislative session,
Transit for Livable Communities has been facilitating the Transit for a Stronger Economy coalition.
Our coalition’s name emphasizes the positive economic impact of increased
transit, but the benefits of public transportation are broad. Not surprisingly,
the list of Transit for a Stronger Economy’s 52 member organizations is equally
broad, representing a variety of sectors, including public health. Earlier this
spring, coalition partner Rachel Callanan, Regional Vice President of Advocacy
for the American Heart Association and Chair of the Minnesotans for Healthy
Kids coalition testified in favor of increased funding for transit, bicycle,
and pedestrian improvements. In her testimony, Callanan made a strong
connection between transportation and health. As she emphasized, greater
investments in transit and active transportation options are likely to have positive
health implications for Minnesotans, while also saving our state money in
health care costs.
Lack of physical activity is associated
with a number of chronic diseases, including heart disease, stroke, and obesity.
The Surgeon General recommends that adults get at least 30 minutes of daily
physical activity. Almost half of American adults do not meet this
recommendation. But as Callanan noted, “Increased access to public
transportation may provide more opportunities for physical activity as most
transit trips begin and end with walking.” In fact, Callanan said, “Public transit
users spend an average of 19 minutes daily walking to and from transit. . . . This
modest amount is significant enough that it could reduce the obesity epidemic
and its related health costs.”
Improved physical health is not just
important for individuals who currently don’t exercise. We will all benefit
from lower health care costs. Callanan shared research conducted by the
American Heart Association that predicts that the “healthcare costs from
obesity alone could exceed $861 billion by 2013, which would account for at
least 16 percent of U.S. health expenditures.” By acting now and increasing
funding for transit, bicycling, and walking, we can prevent this astronomical
increase in health care costs.
Transit, bicycling, and walking are good
for Minnesota’s economy, but these transportation options are also good for our
health. As the diversity of our coalition members reminds us, the potential
benefits we will see when the legislature passes a comprehensive transportation
funding bill are many—hopefully too many for elected officials to ignore.
When the Metro Red Line opens on June 22, it will be the
region’s first station-to-station Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line. It will travel on
bus-only shoulder lanes along Cedar Avenue, with stations at Apple Valley
Transit Station, 147th Street, 140th Street, Cedar Grove station in Eagan, and
the Mall of America, where connections can be made to the Blue Line (aka the
Hiawatha light rail line). Unlike commuter bus service, the Red Line BRT will run
frequently all day, every day—so frequently you won’t need a schedule, says the
Metropolitan Council. The operating hours will be from 5 a.m. to midnight,
Monday through Friday, and 7:30 a.m. to midnight, Saturday and Sunday.
Metro Red Line buses will serve each station with level boarding, real-time signs, and other transit advantages, much like service on the light
rail (LRT). Credit: Metropolitan Council.
When the Red Line opens June 22, some MVTA bus routes will change to
feed to and from the Line. Commuter bus service will not change. Credit:
Metropolitan Council.
With the expansion of the transit network in the south
metro, the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority (MVTA) will adjust bus schedules
to feed into the Red Line and back. While commuter buses from the MVTA will not
change, the combination of bus, BRT, and LRT will make it easier to get to key
destinations by transit.
One MVTA route adjustment will give families an affordable
way to get to the Minnesota Zoo. Starting June 22, take the Red Line to the
Cedar Grove Station (ask for a transfer) and catch the MVTA bus for a 15 minute
ride to the Zoo, with hourly service every day of the week, from morning to
early evening. Kids under 5 years old travel for free (the limit is three free
kids per one adult). The off-peak fare is $1.75 per adult or child over age 5. And,
use your transfer to get discounted admission to the Zoo. Given that regular
Zoo admission is $12.00-$16.00 and parking for cars is $6.00, the Red Line-MVTA
combo could be a money-saving option!
If you’ve got tickets to one of the summer concerts at Minnesota
Zoo’s Weesner Family Amphitheater this summer, MVTA also is offering special express
bus service (route 475) from the University of Minnesota through downtown
Minneapolis to the Cedar Grove Transit station, arriving at the Zoo by 7:00 p.m.
for 7:30 concerts. Buses will leave the Zoo at 10:30 p.m. The fare is $5.00
round trip, paid as riders board the bus to the Zoo. The Zoo concert
series runs through the end of August. For more information about the special
route, click here.
Thanks to Robin Selvig
at MVTA for her help with details about changing service.
The Metropolitan Council’s new regional development plan, Thrive
MSP 2040, will set the framework for how the Twin Cities metro area will grow
over the next 30 years. It will
influence the footprint of the developed area, including how much land will be converted
from farmland and open space to housing and employment sites. It will set
targets for affordable housing and establish goals for parks and water quality.
And Thrive MSP will also influence our region’s future mix of transportation options:
Will we invest in more highway lanes and new interchanges? Or will our region
shift investments to additional public transit, bike routes, and sidewalks along
with the repair of existing roads?
You Have the
Power to Influence this Plan
This spring, the Metropolitan Council is seeking input on the plan.
We strongly encourage you to tell the Council what investments matter most to you,
and what kind of community you want to live in going forward. Your ideas
matter! Share
them online, or participate at an upcoming
Thrive MSP Roundtable Discussion near you.These roundtables will focus on four issue areas: 1) Regionally significant
economic places, 2) land use and transit, 3) affordable housing priority,
location and need, and 4) water supply and a thriving region.
With regard
to land use and transit,here are three key points to keep an eye on when
you comment on Thrive MSP:
** Affordability =
Opportunity. Thrive MSP should make sure the entire
region has convenient access to transit and safe, accessible bicycling and
walking options.
The Thrive MSP Transportation Goal should include the word
“affordably.” Today’s transportation system works pretty well for people who
can afford to drive a car, largely connecting motorists with destinations
safely and reliably. But it nearly requires owning a car—a huge cost to
families in the region. For young adults, the elderly, people with a
disability, or others without the means for car ownership, this burden limits
opportunity and makes home ownership, educational advancement, and personal
health harder to achieve. We can advance
Thrive MSP’s equity principle by prioritizing affordable transportation options.
For example, materials for the Thrive MSP Roundtable discussions ask, “How
could transit investment decisions enhance access to opportunity for low-income
and people of color. . . . ?” We think the best way to enhance access to opportunity
is to increase investment in transit, bicycling, and walking – affordable options.
** Connect the Dots to Climate
Change.Thrive MSP should help
achieve Minnesota’s goal to reduce climate change by setting and measuring
goals for the percent of trips by transit, bicycling, and walking in our
region.
If our region is to dramatically reduce emissions that contribute
to climate change, Thrive MSP needs to include a specific goal (as is already
in state statute) for the share of trips made by public transit, bicycling, and
walking that will help to achieve the state climate goals. To make progress
toward those goals, the Met Council needs to explicitly advocate for the
funding and policy change necessary to expand the availability of these
transportation options. Transit emits a
fraction of the pollution of driving alone, and bicycling and walking are
emissions free.
**
Transit-Supportive Land Use.Thrive MSP should encourage most new
development inside the I-494/I-694
beltway and along transitways or near high-frequency
transit.
As Thrive MSP Roundtable materials state, “Over the last 60 years, our rapidly expanding region built a network of
highways and grew outward around them. This new development provided jobs,
homes, schools, and recreation for the region’s residents. However, this
development pattern is not sustainable.”
We agree with the Metropolitan Council. Planning for the majority of
new growth (housing and employment sites) to occur where there is current
infrastructure (roads, utilities, schools, etc.) in place, along major bus
corridors and transitways, and inside the I-494/694 beltway where density
levels are favorable for providing efficient transit makes good economic and
environmental sense.
These
materials also ask, “How could local land-use decisions improve the future
viability of transit?” The Council can do this by ensuring that
Thrive MSP is more specific, with clear goals, identified growth areas, and by channeling
incentive funding into investments that help to achieve the plan’s goals.
Stay
Informed, Get Involved
The Metropolitan Council will be working on Thrive MSP through the
end of 2013, with adoption planned for February 2014. Because this plan will
provide a strategic vision for the Twin Cities for decades to come, we
encourage you to get involved, online
or in person, throughout the process.
For more on this topic, don’t miss our other recent blogs in the
Thrive MSP series:
Supporters of comprehensive transportation
funding filled the Capitol Rotunda at a lively rally Wednesday morning.
Comprehensive
transit /transportation funding bills are still alive in the Minnesota Senate
and House. The metro area transit funding package that TLC has advocated includes
substantial new funding for buses, rail and bicycle and walking options. There
have been numerous ups and downs (as is typical for a major bill). A Senate
bill being voted on today, however, gives us renewed hope. See more detail below.
Transit
advocates appreciate Governor Dayton’s leadership. His proposed budget includes a ½ cent increase in the metro area
sales tax for transit. There is consensus by Capitol experts, however, that
this plan will only be passed by the House and Senate if it is combined with
significant new funding for roads and bridges. The logic for this is that
Minnesota legislators have always addressed transportation as a statewide issue.
Greater Minnesota legislators are more likely to vote for a package that addresses
road, bridge, and transit needs in their districts.
Moving
separately in the House is a capital investment bill championed by
Representative Hausman that includes significant bonding for public transit,
Safe Routes to School, local roads, bridges, and trails. The Senate has yet to
take up a bonding bill this session, so the path for adoption is still unclear.
Minneapolis Mayor R. T. Rybak with
supporters at today’s rally for transportation funding.
Transit
advocates are joining with proponents of funding for roads and bridges, working
hard at the Capitol, reaching legislators through phone banks, and hosting a
Rally at the Capitol today.
All these
efforts reflect the strong support for major transportation investments this
session. We believe the Governor and legislative leaders (speaker Thissen in
the House, and Majority Leader Bakk in the Senate) should pass into law a
balanced transportation bill that addresses the statewide need for transit,
roads, bridges, and bicycle and pedestrian connections.
In her remarks at today’s rally, transit
advocate and North Minneapolis resident Kenya McKnight emphasized that all
communities need transit options, safe roads, and bicycling and walking connections.
The bill supported
by TLC and the Transit for a Stronger Economy coalition earlier this session included
increased transit funding as well as substantial new dedicated funding for
bicycle and pedestrian improvements in the metro area. We’re happy to report
that these elements remain in place in both the Senate transportation bill (which
will be heard Wednesday evening in committee) and in a House bill that is
working its way through various committees.
The resounding message at the Capitol
today: transportation is essential for a stronger economy, transportation bills
are jobs bills.
Senate
Transportation Bill includes the following:
Transit/bike/walk
• ½-cent increase in the metro area
sales tax for transit (buses and trains), which will rapidly accelerate the
build out a 21-st century transit system.
• Dedicated funding for bicycle and
pedestrian improvements, and planning studies for streetcars.
• $10 million additional funding per
year for Greater Minnesota transit.
Roads/bridges
• A tax at the distributor level on fuel
(this exists already in more than a dozen other states) combined with a
reduction of the gas tax.
After the rally, TLC and Transit for
a Stronger Economy coalition partners headed to Governor Dayton’s office to
deliver hundreds of postcards and messages supporting increased funding for
transit and safe, accessible bicycling and walking.
The message
is clear: we need a comprehensive transportation bill and the Senate has a good
plan. The Senate bill will be heard in committees over the next week. We are hopeful
that the House will take up a similar bill. Please help us keep the pressure to
pass a strong and balanced bill this session (take action here).
It’s essential for a stronger economy for all Minnesotans.
By Linden
Weiswerda, The Trust for Public Land (guest blogger)
Editor’s
Note: Our Twin Cities metro region is well known as a place where cityscape
meets green space. Millions visit our robust regional park system each year.
But did you know that most arrive by car? Some efforts are already underway to
connect more residents and visitors to Twin Cities parks in other ways. For
example, the Sierra Club North Star Chapter regularly leads outings to parks
and natural areas via transit. Nice Ride MN bike sharing will begin serving expand service to Mississippi River Park and Recreation Area this summer. And next year, new bus service on Lexington
Parkway will improve access to Saint Paul’s Como Park–one of our most visited
regional parks. As our region’s population grows and the regional park system
expands, will current transportation options ensure the parks are accessible to
all? Here, guest blogger Linden Weiswerda with The Trust for Public Land makes
the case for continuing to improve transit service to our regional parks.
Minnehaha
Regional Park, Minneapolis
Have you ever ridden a bus or light rail train to your nearest regional
park? Chances are high that your answer is no. According to the last Regional
Parks and Trails Survey (2008), less than 1 percent of people arrive at
Twin Cities regional parks and trails via public transit. While the Minneapolis-Saint
Paul region is filled with a diverse array of popular regional amenities that
can be reached by multiple modes of transportation, our regional parks largely remain
an untapped destination for the regional transit system.
The Twin Cities regional park system—which
includes sites from the Chain of Lakes Park in Minneapolis to Big Marine Park
Reserve in Washington County, and 49 other parks and park reserves—is an invaluable
asset that helps keep our region thriving and acts as “the state parks of the metro
area” (Metropolitan Council). As the largest and most natural public lands in our
metro area, the regional parks provide a unique experience for visitors. In
addition to protecting the most important and sensitive natural areas in the
Twin Cities for current and future generations, they are central to creating
healthy and enjoyable communities. And enjoy them we do, with over 44 million
visits annually to the regional park system. Time after time, surveys cite that
parks are one of the top reasons people find the Twin Cities region attractive
and want to move here.
Crosby
Farm Regional Park, Saint Paul
However, the 2008 Regional Parks Survey also found that almost 60
percent of visitors to the parks arrive by “auto, truck, RV, or van.” Meanwhile,
as
Transportation for America reports, 40 percent of Minnesotans are
without a driver’s license, exceeding the national average of 32 percent. If large
numbers of residents in the region cannot get to the regional parks and trails to
enjoy them except by car, how can this significant segment of our population benefit
from the regional parks? Combine this with decreasing rates of car ownership,
particularly among younger and older demographic groups, and the regional park
system could actually become less accessible over time—unless our region does
more to improve transit service to these destinations.
The current Twin Cities transit system provides limited means for
travelling to regional parks, in part because peak service times are tied to
the typical work commute. Transit services run most frequently during rush
hours on weekdays. However, park use generally peaks for special events, in the
evenings, and mostly on weekends.
Baker
Park Reserve, Three Rivers Park District
Livable communities are active seven days a week and throughout
the day as well. For comparison, think about a movie theater and office
building that share a parking lot. During the week office employees fill the
lot, and in the evenings and on weekends moviegoers take the same spaces. As a
result of this shared use, the parking area needed to meet demand has a reduced
development footprint, smaller amounts of pavement and stormwater runoff, and
generally has created a more efficient community that is utilized more of the
time. Increasing connections among the regional transit and regional parks and
trails systems could similarly benefit both systems, picking up more transit
riders in off-peak times and making regional parks more accessible to more
people at more times.
In building an efficient transit system, one with more housing
options and other development near stops and stations and with higher rider capacity,
we should also be sure that our transit system connects as many regional
attractions as possible, perhaps by both siting new parks near transit lines
and by extending bus service to parks in current off-peak travel times. Our regional
park system is also growing: current plans are to add more than 15,000 park acres
and 700 miles of trails by 2030. By taking advantage of that growth, we can
ensure that people can ride the bus or train, bike, or drive to their choice of
regional parks.
If you’d like to explore a fun tool for seeing which regional
parks (or other regional amenities) you can reach via transit in a certain
amount of time, check out Mapnificent.
Mapnificent is an online tool (still in an early phase of development) that shows
you the area you can reach via public transportation from any point in a given
amount of time. (A sample map for regional park destinations is pictured
below).
Mapnificent generated this map of regional parks
(red) that can be reached by transit from downtown Saint Paul (orange) in 30
minutes or less. (Note: Mapnificent does not work in Internet Explorer, but
will work with other major web browsers.)
For a map to all the regional parks and a list of the activities available,
visit the Regional
Parks page of the Metropolitan Council, which links to the local park
agencies who manage the regional parks and trails as well as their local park
systems.
All featured
images provided courtesy of The Trust for Public Land.
Transit for Livable Communities is calling on legislators
and the Governor to find a way to get a strong transportation bill passed this
session. This week comprehensive transportation bills are moving through House
and Senate committees. Transportation laws are usually statewide. In the metro,
we have an historic opportunity to build out the regional transit system (bus
and rail, bicycling and safe, accessible walking) in fifteen years, not
whenever. We know this has statewide impact, but also that there are
transportation needs in the metro and greater Minnesota for roads, bridges, and transit.
There are corridors of commerce, safety and congestion issues, and farmers who
need to get to market on bridges in good repair.
So we are saying to the legislature—find a way to get this
done. This session!
This region needs an additional ½-cent for transit in the
metro to get residents to work affordably and on time. This state needs to
address critical infrastructure needs. If we don’t act this session, we send a
signal to everyone that Minnesota is sitting on its hands, ready to watch other
regions get ahead of us, have our children move there to work and raise
families, have corporations decide this state isn’t serious.
Just as with education reform, we’re looking at the toddler
today and saying we need a transit system that reaches across the metro by the
time that child is ready to go to college. It’s about affordability, it’s about
attracting and retaining jobs, it’s about access to jobs (in the core and in
the suburbs), it’s about seniors aging in place. We also know it’s about
creating healthy, livable communities—with less pollution and more active
lifestyles.
Statewide, we need to address key corridors of commerce and
ensure safety of our roads and bridges. We also have a huge unmet need for
transit across the state.
We all depend on our infrastructure every day to get us
where we’re going. The legislature needs to act this session to make sure we
have funding for all our transportation needs. This is not a time to sit back
and wait.
What can you do?
1)
Help us pack the Rotunda for a Transportation
Rally at the Capitol. Wednesday, April 17, 10:00-11:00 am. Stay longer if you
can to meet with your legislator. Info
/ RSVP here.
2)
Visit http://www.transit4mn.org/p/get-involved.html
for links to use to call your legislator. Make sure your elected
representatives know you support increased revenue for transit, roads and
bridges this session.
By Jennifer Harmening
Thiede, Communications Associate
Transit for Livable Communities will soon have a new home!
After nearly 14 wonderful years at 626 Selby,
we’re excited to announce our move into a new office space on April 1. We’ve
enjoyed sharing a location with the amazing staff at Neighborhood Energy
Connection and will miss having our friends at Mississippi Market right
downstairs. Nevertheless we are also looking forward to the benefits our new location
and space.
New location
Our new office is located in the Specialty Building at 2356 University
Avenue in Saint Paul. We are on the southeast corner of Raymond Avenue and
University (map).
Our space is on the 4th floor, with the entrance on the southwest corner of the
building. Allen Gleckner from the Environmental Law and Policy Center will be
sharing space with us.
A big factor in making this move is our interest in being
more centrally located within the region and more accessible by transit,
bicycling, and walking. This will make it easier for our members, board, staff,
and partners to get to our space conveniently without a car. If you do drive,
the office is close to I-94 and Highway 280.
As of April 1, our new office
on the Green Line!
New transportation options
Our new location on the Green Line (aka Central Corridor) will
provide many travel options.
By bus: Metro Transit bus routes 16, 50, and 87 all
conveniently serve our new office. The office also is located right on the
Green Line light rail, which has a stop at Raymond Avenue—just adjacent to our
new building. We’re counting down until service begins in 2014!
By bike: You’ll find nearby north/south bike routes
on Raymond and Pelham, and connecting bike routes on Franklin, Marshall/Lake
Street Bridge, and Como Avenue. University Avenue provides a direct east-west
route with signs indicating cyclists may use the full right lane as needed.
Territorial Road or the U of M Transitway can also be good alternatives for
those on two wheels, as can the nearby Emerald/Wabash loop. Nice Ride
Minnesota’s handy green bikes (back for the season on April 6) will be just
three blocks away, at the bike-sharing station at Raymond and Ellis Avenue. Bike
parking is currently available on the southwest corner of the building, with
two more bike racks to come later this spring.
By walking: Learn more about the walkability of our
new neighborhood at walkscore.com.
When Green Line service begins
next year, light rail will provide another great option for reaching TLC’s new
office. Your stop: the nearby Raymond Avenue Station. Photo Credit: Met
Council.
New neighbors
We look forward to joining many partner organizations in our
new neighborhood including ISAIAH, Growth & Justice, and Jewish Community
Action. Our friends at the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits are located just down
the street. And of course the many restaurants, shops, and other small businesses
along the Green Line will be a quick bike, walk, bus, or train ride away.
We’re eager to welcome you at our new office soon! Stay
tuned for more information about an open house celebration in coming months
after we’re all settled in.
A bonus at future TLC member
meetings: a great view of the Green Line, with buses driving past in 2013 and
new trains running in 2014.
Our address as of April 1, 2013: Transit for Livable Communities, 2356
University Avenue, Suite 403, Saint Paul, MN 55114.
Note that our phone numbers will not change.Our new fax number will be 651-789-1001.
The 2013 Minnesota legislative session could be pivotal in delivering more transportation options for
people with disabilities—and all residents of the state. Several voices—including
the Governor, regional Chambers of Commerce, and the Transit for a Stronger
Economy coalition—are saying that more transit is essential to our economic
health. But whether these investments will happen depends on the votes at the
legislature this session.
The Transit for a Stronger Economy coalition supports
legislation (HF 1044 and SF 927) that would greatly expand transit (in the
metro and statewide) as well as funding for bicycling, walking, and compliance
with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). With more than 45 members
statewide, Transit for a Stronger Economy unites unions, developers, people
with disabilities, low-income and underserved communities, and active
transportation, health, and environmental interests.
For people with disabilities, the bill and the new funding
that it would bring, would make a difference in three key ways:
1) Funding
to local cities and counties for ADA facilities.
The bill would provide $50 million per year to metro-area cities and counties
to address local needs, including ADA enhancements, safer sidewalks, bicycle
routes, and other transit investments, such as shuttles. By law, all new
facilities must be ADA compliant. These funds could help cities and counties
retrofit existing facilities or fund system enhancements for which funds are
never available.
“For instance, Metro Mobility could add
text messaging to users that their ride is approaching, just like taxicabs
currently have,” said Ken Rodgers, chair of the Minneapolis Disability
Committee. “Or, cities or counties could upgrade telephone systems for
paratransit so waiting queues aren’t so long.”
People with disabilities in
communities across the country continue to face barriers such as inaccessible
bus stops, intersections without curb ramps, street crossings and pedestrian
signals that are not audible to individuals with visual disabilities, and
barriers such as telephone poles blocking sidewalks. If people with
disabilities cannot even get down their streets, they will be unable to connect
to other forms of transportation.American Association of People with Disabilities
2) Expansion
of local bus service—in the metro and greater Minnesota.
The plan calls for a 4% increase in bus service in the metro, which means more
routes and longer service hours, including weekends and non-peak hours. In
Greater Minnesota, the funding would add 250 bus routes across 64 operating
systems, including adding transit service in un-served counties. Expanded
service means expanded access for persons with disabilities, both on regular
route service and via paratransit.
By law, paratransit service (service for
people with disabilities who are unable to use public transit) is tied to
regular transit service routes and hours. To be eligible for services such as
Metro Mobility, a person with disabilities must live within a certain distance
of regular-route bus service. Expanding coverage for bus service means,
therefore, that more people with disabilities will be eligible for paratransit service.
As noted by the American Association of
Persons with Disabilities (AAPD), “fixed-route public transit is the goal of
the ADA for those who are able to use it. Paratransit was envisioned only for
those people with disabilities who are unable to use mass transit systems, not
for those who merely choose paratransit.” Making regular route transit service
work for more people can mean adding curb cuts to make streets more accessible
and making fixed-route service more ADA compliant, says AAPD, adding that “sometimes
the biggest impediment to greater use of mass transit by an individual with a
disability is fear or inexperience.” This is also true for many people without disabilities who have not
tried riding the bus!
3) Higher-amenity
service makes boarding easier for people with disabilities. In the metro, the funding plan would add
high-amenity rapid bus service (also
called enhanced bus) on 12 routes. Rapid buses mimic light rail trains and have
lower boarding doors, making it easier for people using wheelchairs to board.
The region would also see three more
light rail lines (including Southwest, Bottineau, and an east-metro line) and
Bus Rapid Transit on four more highway corridors.
Keeping people with disabilities at home keeps them out of jobs,
away from shopping, and out of community life, and it prevents them from making
valuable contributions to our society as individuals, as workers, as consumers,
and as taxpayers.American Association of People with Disabilities
To learn more about the Transit for a Stronger Economy
campaign and legislation to fund transit, walking, bicycling, and ADA
compliance, visit www.transit4mn.org.
Show your support at the hearing
on March 20, 6-7:30pm, at the State Office Building, Room 10.
Statewide Poll and Transit for a
Stronger Economy Coalition
Support Investments in Transit, Bicycling, Walking, and ADA Compliance
St. Paul, Minn. (Feb. 28, 2013)—A bill introduced today calls for increased funding
for transit in the metro and greater Minnesota. The bill (HF 1044 and SF 927),
authored by Senator Bobby Joe Champion and Representative Melissa Hortman,
calls for an additional $300 million per year in the metro and $32 million in
Greater Minnesota to meet demand for transit and for safe, accessible
connections for people walking, bicycling, or using wheelchairs.
Co-authors of the bill in the Senate include Senators Scott Dibble (DFL, 61), Chuck Wiger (DFL, 43), John Pederson (R, 14) , and Chris A. Eaton (DFL, 40). Co-authors in the House include Representatives Frank Hornstein (DFL, 61A), Zachary Dorholt (DFL, 14B), Sandra Masin (DFL 51A), Leon Lillie (DFL, 43B), Raymond Dehn (DFL, 59B), Paul Rosenthal (DFL, 49B), Jason Metsa (DFL, 06B), Ron Erhardt (DFL, 49A).
“We need a transit
system that allows all our region’s residents to thrive,” said Senator Bobby Joe Champion, chief
author of the bill in the Senate. “This bill would dramatically increase access
to jobs for low income people and make it more affordable to get to work.
Transportation is the second largest household expense. It costs more than
health care or education. Existing transit riders need better transit options
and our region needs this to compete.”
Representative Melissa Hortman, chief author of the bill in the House, said, "Across
the state, people want more options and support investment in public
transportation. And they want bicycling and walking to be part of that
investment. This bill is an opportunity to solve problems for Minnesotans,
creating a more competitive, healthier state. "
Poll: statewide support for investments in transit,
bicycling, and walking.
A statewide poll
conducted in January by the bipartisan team of Fairbanks, Maslin, Maullin, Metz
& Associates (D) and Public Opinion Strategies (R) shows public
transportation is broadly supported and that a majority favor including bicycle
and pedestrian projects in transportation funding proposals.
More than 90%
surveyed agree that public transportation is a good investment for the state.
Over two-thirds
(67 69%) of those surveyed favor including bicycle and pedestrian funding in
transportation proposals.
A majority
support paying more in taxes to expand and improve public transportation.
The top reasons
for supporting transit focus on creating jobs, reducing traffic congestion, and making
sure transit options are available to all.
Transit for a Stronger Economy Coalition
Transit for a Stronger
Economy includes more than 40 organizations from across the state and unites
unions, developers, people with disabilities, low-income and underserved
communities, and active transportation, health, and environmental interests to
promote funding for transit expansion this legislative session. The coalition’s
vision for the Twin Cities metro region includes expanding transit, including
bus and rail, and funding bicycle and walking projects, and Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance. The coalition also calls for meeting transit
demand in Greater Minnesota.
“This coalition
recognizes the great need to provide safe, accessible connections to transit.
Transit, bicycling, and walking add much-needed activity to the daily commute,
making our communities healthier,” said Rachel
Callanan of the American Heart Association.
"We must make
smart investments in transit to create good jobs and address climate
change," said David Foster,
Executive Director of the BlueGreen Alliance. "We're proud to support
this effort to sustain and improve transit options in our state."
Developer Colleen Carey of The Cornerstone Group has worked on new projects all over the metro area.
“Transit is a win for all of us,” she said. “It is good for the environment,
good for our health, creates new jobs, improves the long-term economic
competitiveness of our region AND supports the needs of our lower income
households at the same time. We can't
afford NOT to invest in transit. The
Cornerstone Group strongly supports the vision of the Transit for a Stronger
Economy coalition.”
There will be hearings
on the bill in House and Senate in March. For more about the Transit for a
Stronger Economy coalition,, including a list of members, visit
www.transit4mn.org.
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