A scorecard for the 2012 legislative session

from Dave Van Hattum, Senior Policy Advocate

When the 2012 legislative session opened on January 24, Transit for Livable Communities had four objectives on our agenda (pdf).

1. Maintain Current Operating Funding for Public Transit Statewide
2. Capital Bonding for Transit Investments
3. Enable Financing for Transit Oriented Development
4. Increase Funding for Bicycle and Pedestrian Access

When the gavel marked close of session on May 11, the scorecard was mixed but the big transit story was that Southwest light rail transit was not in the bonding bill. The goal of securing $25 million for the next light rail line in the Twin Cities regional transit system was not achieved.

This is a serious setback. It results from a Republican caucus position that is against light rail and allegedly supportive of expanded bus service. During the session, a wide array of voices marshaled in support of Southwest light rail transit.

• Governor Dayton included the project in his bonding proposal.


• The business community (including Minneapolis Regional, Twin West, Saint Paul, Edina, and Eden Prairie Chambers of Commerce, but notably not the Minnesota Chamber) repeatedly argued that funding for transit in the busy southwest corridor is essential to retain current employers and attract new jobs. For example, read this op-ed in the Pioneer Press.


• All of the communities along the line support the investment. People from across the metro area wrote letters to the editor telling why transit options matter to them. See letters here and here. A statewide poll showed that residents across the state support the line.


• The Met Council, Metro Transit, and the Counties Transit Improvement Board (CTIB) helped educate legislators and gain positive media coverage of the project. See this Star Tribune editorial. 


• Transit for Livable Communities and the Transit Partners coalition rallied support from members, launching an online campaign and delivering more than 1,000 petitions to the Governor and legislative leadership.


• Senator Latz and Senator Bonoff and Representative Hornstein gave inspiring floor speeches supporting the Southwest LRT line.

But the line was left out of the bonding bill.

Southwest LRT planners will apply for funding through the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) “Business Development through Capital Projects Grant Program” that was included in the bonding bill. The Southwest line will compete with many other projects for a slice of this $47.5 million fund.

In the short term, political leaders advancing the Southwest LRT line are committed to finding the money (through local sources) to keep the project moving through the preliminary engineering phase. But GO bonding will be needed to keep the Southwest LRT on schedule to start construction in 2014 and open in 2018. The state share of this project is 10%, or $125 million. Each $1 in state funds leverages $9 from local and federal sources. See a virtual tour of the line in this article.

As all the voices arrayed in support of the line made clear, this investment is crucial to future economic growth in the region. It also will create construction jobs and, when open, will give residents across the metro the option of saving money (and polluting less) by using transit. Transit for Livable Communities with our members and allies will keep fighting.

The 2012 legislative scorecard has some wins.

Transit fared better in two other areas—defeating a proposed transit fare increase and securing limited funding for transit in the bonding bill. Transit advocates successfully battled against a proposed 25 cent fare increase, arguing that it makes no sense to increase fares when demand for transit is growing. The measure was pulled from the transportation policy bill.

The capital bonding bill included $2.5 million for the Minneapolis Interchange, an expansion of the transit hub at Target Field which will serve increased ridership expected when the Central Corridor opens in 2014 and when the Southwest LRT opens in 2018. The bonding bill also included $6.4 million for transit facilities in greater Minnesota. These all were in our 2012 legislative agenda.

TOD remains to be seen

No bills were heard to enable financing and accelerate transit-oriented-development (TOD), one of our goals for the session. Given the focus on the bonding bill and Vikings stadium, this was not a surprise. With the Central Corridor LRT coming on soon, and critical station area planning underway for the Southwest LRT, local and regional conversations continue regarding ways to leverage more and better TOD. We anticipate future legislative efforts to advance “value capture” and other innovative financial strategies for transit oriented development. Robust TOD boosts the value of transit investments by making sure housing, jobs, and commerce efficiently connect to the transit line.

A bicycle and pedestrian policy win but no funding

TLC was part of a coalition seeking the creation of a State of Minnesota Safe Routes to School program (to complement the federally-funded program) and funding in the bonding bill. The coalition was successful in the former but not the latter. It was encouraging to see a high level of bipartisan support for the Safe Routes to School initiative, including very persuasive testimony from Apple Valley High School Principal Gary Anger and two Mounds View High School students (Patrick Sullivan and Samantha Kaslow). Hopefully, the foundation was laid for future success in the House and Senate Capital Investment committees, which oversee bonding legislation. It is often the case that projects seeking GO bonding need to build their case and coalition of supporters over multiple legislative sessions.

Building the coalition

TLC is committed to building a broader and more vocal coalition for increased transit options, including the Southwest light rail line. Through our online petition campaign and Facebook page, we will continue to collect signatures and build public support for policy goals through the 2013 legislative session. We urge you to sign on and to inspire your friends, neighbors, family and colleagues to do the same.

The 2012 legislative session clearly showed the importance of legislative support for transit investments. TLC urges transit advocates to talk with candidates for the House and Senate about their stance on transportation issues. Stay tuned for more details on questions for candidates, how and where to get their attention, and how to make transit, bicycling and walking more visible priorities for your community.

Construction season—how projects get the green light

From Barb Thoman, executive director

 

With the warmer weather, road construction signs are popping up around the metro and across the state. Construction of the Central Corridor light rail line also resumed this spring. These signs remind me of the big difference in the way roads and transit are paid for in Minnesota.

Funding for expansion of our region’s transit system pales in comparison to the amount available to expand our region’s highways—and the results are obvious on the ground. Our regional transit system is of modest size (especially when compared with competing regions, such as Denver, Toronto, Boston, and Seattle), while the Twin Cities’ regional highway system is one of the nation’s largest on a per capita basis.

New highway projects generally don’t require legislative vote but many transit projects, such as Southwest light rail, wait for legislative approval

Minnesota’s constitution dedicates gasoline taxes, license tab fees, and 60% of the motor vehicle sales tax to state and local roads and bridges, with 62% of this revenue going to MnDOT. An additional $500 million annually, on average, flows from the federal government to roads and bridges. (Local property taxes add roughly $1 billion each year for roads and bridges.)

MnDOT’s dedicated funding allows for a vast number of road projects: 316 in the 2011 construction season. In the Metro area, the projects include:

• needed pavement repair on I-94
• a welcome new bridge over I-35E at Maryland Avenue and work on replacement of the Layafette and Hastings bridges over the Mississippi River.
• expansion of the TH169/I-494 interchange, new interchanges in Savage and Arden Hills, and early work on a new St. Croix River crossing.

For a full list of 2012 metro area highway projects click here (pdf). Because Minnesota has significant dedicated funding for highway maintenance and expansion, the legislature did not have to vote to approve these projects or the funding for them. 

State funding for transit is more precarious, affecting bus and rail

Funding for transit is much more precarious than funding for roads and bridges because transit relies to a significant degree on state general fund appropriations and General Obligation bonding – funding that needs to be allocated by the legislature each year. Last year, the legislature cut the two-year general fund allocation to metro transit by $51.8 million.

This year, despite the Governor’s support, the final bonding bill did not include $25 million to support construction of the Southwest light rail transit line. The bonding bill did include $2.5 million for “The Interchange,” a downtown Minneapolis transit hub and $6.4 million for transit facilities in greater Minnesota.

Statewide, transit receives 40% of the motor vehicle sales tax. In five metro area counties, a 1/4-cent sales tax generates about $95 million annually toward the cost of new light rail, commuter rail and bus rapid transit lines—such as the Central Corridor, Southwest light rail, and the Gateway and Bottineau corridors. As noted, last year the state legislature cut general fund money for bus service, so some of this regional tax revenue was diverted to fill in the gap, preventing a 30% cut in bus service, but slowing down progress on new transit development.

Making the case for transit

Transit for Livable Communities will continue making the case for expanded transportation options. There is still a lot of work to be done if the region wants to build more than one light rail project each decade and if we want a bus system that serves more of our residents.

Why is this important? Because people spend more on transportation (getting to work, school, and other appointments) than on any other household expense other than housing. Providing transportation options—bus, rail, bicycling, and walking—makes it possible to trim this expense and helps families make ends meet. There also are significant health and environmental benefits when a region has a greater reliance on transit, walking, and bicycling.  

To show your support for Southwest LRT the next light rail line for the region, click here.

For a summary of transit funding in Minnesota, click here (pdf).

 

Metro area cities apply for Transit-Oriented Development funds

from Dave Van Hattum, Senior Policy Advocate

Following Council Chair Sue Haigh’s announcement that economic development, affordable housing, and a vibrant 21^st century transit system are the top goals for the agency, the Metropolitan Council is moving forward with a strong transit-oriented development (TOD) agenda.

Early this year, the Council announced new TOD grant funding (for pre-development and development) within the Livable Communities Account. The Council also created new TOD funding (for site investigation and clean up) through the existing Tax Base Revitalization Account (TBRA). In February 2012, grant applications were submitted by 12 metro area cities, including Anoka, Apple Valley, Coon Rapids, Eden Prairie, Fridley, Hopkins, Minneapolis, Minnetonka, Ramsey Richfield, St. Louis Park and Saint Paul. These cities represent a large percentage of the eligible TOD areas, which were established based on current, or soon-to-come, high-quality transit service (see map).

Map showing areas eligible for TOD funds via the Livable Communities Account
of the Metropolitan Council

A total of nearly $23 million was proposed for projects on twelve different transit lines. Not surprisingly, demand far exceeded the $13 million in grant funding available in 2012. The Council estimates that over $62 million in Transit Oriented Development grants have been allocated through the Livable Communities program prior to 2012.

The Council also recently put out a call for proposals to help the Council create a Strategic Action Plan for TOD. The action plan would include: a review of the current state of TOD in our metro region, a comparison with peer regions, an assessment of the biggest needs of developers and local governments, recommendations for setting a TOD vision, greater clarity of measures of success and a timeline for implementing new programs and policies.

Planning for TOD is about anticipating the new market for housing, retail, and jobs. A number of factors are driving the market for housing in walkable neighborhoods with convenient transit. These factors include:

1)      the consumer preferences of Generation Y (the largest group of homebuyers) for more walkable, bikable, transit-accessible neighborhoods (see Wall Street Journal: No McMansions for Millennials)

2)      an aging and changing population (91% of net household growth will come from households consisting of married couples without children and individuals living alone.  Married couples with children, will actually drop by more than 13,000 households in the region between now and 2030. Source: Minnesota State Demographer)

3)      the desire to provide an affordable combination of housing and transportation as gas prices trend upward at a pace exceeding recent or anticipated growth in household income.

We are encouraged by this new flurry of TOD activity, but the devil remains in the details. To reach the outcome of a substantially larger share of neighborhoods with convenient transit and walkable destinations, at least three key challenges remain:

1)      securing adequate funding to expand the region’s transit system to reach more of the metro area

2)      overcoming local resistance to increased development – housing and jobs

3)      designing our cities and streets to provide greater access by walking and biking to worksites, schools, shops, recreation, and transit.

Update – Transit Bonding this Session

from Dave Van Hattum, Senior Policy Advocate

This week, transit bonding bills began to be heard in Committee – in the Senate Capital Investment Committee on Monday and in the House Transportation Committee on Wednesday.  Governor Dayton’s bonding proposal includes $25 million to the Metropolitan Council to cover a portion of the preliminary engineering costs for the Southwest LRT. 

A strong lineup of testifiers (from local and county governments and the Met Council to  Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce) stressed the economic returns from investing in the Southwest LRT, the financial commitment to the project by county government, and the rigorous process by which light rail transit was chosen for this corridor. A recent blog by Governor Dayton relays similar benefits and highlights the positive impact on jobs and the environment (see link).

As we build out a regional system of transitways, state general obligation bonding is expected to cover 10% of the total capital costs.  The other 90% will come from the federal government (50%) the Counties Transit Improvement Board (30%) and the counties (10%) through which the line travels.  Few, if any, other projects being considered for general obligation bonding will leverage nine additional dollars for every state dollar invested.

Bonding bills for several other transit projects, while not in the Governor’s bonding bill, are also being heard. These include:

• Gateway (I-94 E) Corridor
• The Minneapolis Interchange (a transit station at Twins Stadium, where multiple lines beyond the Hiawatha and Northstar will eventually converge).
• Red Rock Transitway (freight rail improvements that will help move this project forward).
• Lake Street and I-35W Transit Station (creation of a center median transit facility similar to that at 46^th St. and I-35W).
• Maple Grove Transit Station
• Greater Minnesota transit facilities, in Mankato, Duluth and St. Cloud

Additional transit bonding bills have been submitted for Bottineau Corridor, Cedar Avenue BRT, and Robert St. Corridor. Hearings on these bills have not yet been scheduled by the House Transportation Committee

While TLC strongly supports bonding that helps advance the build out of a regional transit system, we recognize the particular urgency of the Southwest bonding request this legislative session. Quite simply, if bonding for Southwest LRT is not passed this session, it could seriously delay and/or jeopardize the prospect of receiving $625 million in federal matching funds.  The Twin Cities competes with metro regions across the country for these competitive FTA funds, and our peer regions would be more than happy to take our place in line for the limited federal funding.

New Starts Faster!

From Dave Van Hattum, Policy and Advocacy Program Manager

President Obama, in his State of the Union address (1/31/12), put forward two initiatives that would have huge impacts on transit projects. Firstly, the President proposed using future savings in the defense budget to rebuild our nation’s physical infrastructure; and secondly, he directed all federal agencies to reduce bureaucracy and waste, including the New Starts program that funds major transitways, including light rail transit, bus rapid transit, and commuter rail. TLC's first look at the new rules yields the following summary.

The proposed changes to the New Starts program are designed to speed up the start-to-finish process. This is to be accomplished by granting pre-qualification warrants (based on ridership and cost estimates based on census data and post-data from comparable corridors), reducing the complexity of cost-effectiveness calculations, and eliminating repetitive analyses. This is smart policy that could help speed up the build out of our metro transitway system (pdf).

New Starts projects are competitively funded based on cost-effectiveness, environmental benefits and economic development benefits. The proposed rules place greater emphasis on social equity and economic development impacts. Social equity receives higher priority in three ways. 

1. The benefit side of the cost-effectiveness calculation will be based on total rides rather than total travel time savings. This change reduces the emphasis on attracting new riders, shifting the focus to those locations where there are the largest number of riders. This will tend to advantage core city and first ring suburbs, where housing and employment density is greater. There also are more low income residents and people of color in these areas (though the demographic makeup of the core and first ring suburbs is changing). The environmental rating will continue to include a calculation of car travel (VMT) reduction, which will still confer benefits to longer transit trips.
2. Transit dependent riders are counted double. Low-income individuals and people of color are far more likely to be transit dependent.
3. Higher scores will go to transitways where “policies maintaining or increasing affordable housing are in place.”

The proposed rules also tweak the assessment of economic development resulting from a proposed new rail line. The local economic development impacts of a new LRT line are typically significant. The Central Corridor Investment Framework, for example, projects $6 billion in mostly private investment along the corridor over the next 20 to 30 years. Accurately predicting these outcomes, however, is quite challenging, as many factors (global and local economy, road investment, etc.) besides the increased transit access are in play. 

The proposed rules ultimately make a relatively small change in the assessment of economic development impacts. Applicants, per the new rules, would have the option to make the case “beyond current land use plans” for broader economic impacts that would improve the overall rating for their project. FTA suggests that applicants develop scenario-based estimates of how greater density decreases car travel. The agency also commits to a broader inclusion of the economic development impacts of higher housing and employment density, “once better measures for agglomeration effects are developed.”

It seems fair to conclude that regions able to show how a proposed transitway will result in more dense or compact land use will be better positioned to receive federal funding via the New Starts program. Of course, there is a chicken or egg quality to the timing of building new rail lines and changing local land use plans and zoning. That’s why TLC will continue to advocate both for the investment necessary to speed up the build out of regional transitways and for a new regional plan (see Met Council update of Regional Development Framework) that provides incentives for locating more housing and employment near transitways (LRT, BRT, and commuter rail) and high frequency bus service.

US DOT press release about streamlining New Starts

# # #

Update from Washington: Advocates for transit, bicycling, and walking on red alert

Since the 1980s, the U.S. Congress has written multi-year transportation laws to guide public investments in roadway construction, congestion relief, and public transportation. The last law (SAFETEA-LU) dates from 2005. It expired in 2009, but has been granted several extensions. The latest extension expires on March 31, 2012.

Much-anticipated new bills from the House and Senate moved through committees last week. While these bills have some desirable provisions, two measures recently introduced in the House have advocates of transit, bicycling and walking on red alert.

HR 7, the House transportation bill, consolidates several related programs and reduces some steps in the permitting process to bring projects to completion sooner and with less red tape. Alarmingly, this bill also includes language to strip all dedicated funding for bicycle and pedestrian improvements, including the Safe Routes to School program.While bike/ped improvements are still allowed, the decision to fund these improvements would rest solely with the each state’s department of transportation (DOT).

The bill would eliminate the Transportation Enhancement program, which amounts to about 2-3% of each state’s federal transportation funding. In Minnesota, these funds have helped build pedestrian crossings and bike trails across the state including the well-traveled Midtown Greenway. Transportation Enhancements have been the only stable source of bike/ped funding at the federal level.

A companion bill (HR 3864), proposes to eliminate the dedicated revenue source that supports public transit throughout the country. Since 1982-- the Reagan Administration-- public transit has received a small portion of the federal gas tax to maintain convenient and affordable travel options that reduce traffic congestion and air pollution. The proposed bill would instead fund public transit through Congress’s annual appropriation process. This subjects transit agencies to a great deal of uncertainty and is a step backward for bus and train users in Minnesota and throughout the U.S.

Opposition has been swift and widespread. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood has called the House bill the “worst transportation bill ever." More than 600 organizations and leaders-- including the US Chamber of Commerce, governors, and mayors-- signed a letter opposing the House financing bill, saying “it will make it impossible for public transit systems across the country to plan for the future.”

TLC works with a national coalition, Transportation for America, to raise the voice of transit supporters and bicycling/pedestrian advocates in Minnesota. Thanks to each of you who contacted your U.S. Representatives last week to urge them to continue dedicated funding for modes other than private cars!

We are very grateful for Minnesota representatives-- U.S. Representatives Tim Walz (1^st District) and Erik Paulsen (3^rd District)-- for supporting amendments that would continue dedicated funding for public transit, bicycling and walking. These amendments failed and the House bills are moving forward to a full floor vote later this month. We hope that our Minnesota Congressional Representatives and Senators will continue to work in a bipartisan fashion to shape a new transportation law that includes transit, bicycling, and walking among our nation’s transportation choices!

# # #

Not Obsessed with LRT, but with a Healthy and Competitive Future

The Star Tribune recently featured an Op-Ed by Mr. David Osmek of Mound (Stop the light-rail obsession; February 1, 2012). Transit for Livable Communities responds to some of the questionable statements in the piece, which sought to undermine the expansion of the public transit system in the Twin Cities. 

 

Osmek: Stop the light-rail obsession.

TLC:  And be prepared to fall behind our peer cities in attracting jobs and talent. Denver, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, and San Jose, to name a few, have transit systems 2-4 times the size of ours, judging by the number of LRT cars they have in service. And some are moving faster than we are to build new lines. Some of these cities are ambitiously building more than one line at the same time to better serve more residents.

 

 

Osmek: Riders pay only 99 cents.

TLC:  The base fare for Metro Transit light rail is $1.75, rising to $2.25 in rush hour. The Twin Cities' Metro Transit system ranks high among peers in fare-box recovery, according to the National Transit Database, the federal reporting data for required of all public transit systems.

 

Osmek: The true cost of a ride “does not include the amortized cost of bonding for the build-out of the line.” 

TLC:  The cost of Southwest LRT and light rail in general is substantial, but pales in comparision to the cost of roads and driving.  While some road costs are covered by user fees, billions of other costs for local roads, vehicle parking, and traffic safety are subsidized by non-transportation sources.  There also are costs involved with owning and operating private vehicles – an annual expense of up to $8,000 per vehicle that can’t be avoided or reduced when there are not options like bus and rail.

 

Osmek:  Rail, “in my opinion, has a negligible effect on traffic congestion.”  

TLC:  Really?  50% of the 30,000 daily Hiawatha LRT riders previously travelled by car. Imagine all those people back in a car on crowded Hiawatha Ave or I-35W. And a rail car uses a tiny fraction of the transportation right of way that cars do to move a comparable number of people. In a corridor with many destinations and a high number of jobs and residents (all of which the SWLRT corridor has), light rail is a very efficient way for people to get around. A 3-car LRT train easily carries 400 people and it runs every 7.5-10 minutes at peak times. A typical bus carries about 40 passengers. The average occupancy of cars during the work commute is 1.05 people.  

 

Osmek:  MnDOT studies have proven that roads have a benefit/cost ratio greater than one. “

TLC:  MnDOT studies have also reported “for every $1 invested in public transportation, $4 is generated in economic returns” (2009 MnDOT Transit Report, p 3). The Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) reports that each dollar invested in the nation’s public transit system provides $6 in benefits, in the form of time savings, parking and travel time savings, avoided job loss, avoided welfare payments, avoided vehicle crashes, avoided congestion and pollution, increased central city labor opportunities, increased mobility for young people without access to private vehicles, and improved educational opportunities (AASHTO Press Release, Washington, DC, January 14, 2009).

 

Osmek:  The Hiawatha Line was projected at 0.42 (benefit/cost) in 1999, meaning that for every dollar spent, we receive 42 cents in value.”  

TLC:  Osmek doesn’t provide a citation for this projection because none exists.This is just a repeat of his earlier mis-statement regarding Hiawatha LRT farebox recovery.*  A comprehensive investment framework (pdf) for the Central Corridor projects $6 billon in future development along the line, on par with results in Dallas and Portland. There is every reason to believe that the SW LRT will have a comparable economic benefit to the cities along the line. 

Update: Thanks to www.streets.mn for finding the the benefit/cost assessment Osmek refers to, "Final Hiawatha Corridor LRT benefit-cost analysis," Mn/DOT, 1999. The report states (p.3), “Hiawatha LRT is the most cost-effective means of achieving the goals and objectives of the stakeholders.” Many of the key data inputs used to project the benefit-cost assessment turned out to be off the mark. For instance, the report said ridership in 2020 would be 24,558/day when in 2011 it already was 30,500/weekday. The value of avoided auto trips was estimated using $25.9 cents per mile, when the current IRS reimbursement rate (used by most employers across the country) is $55 cents per mile.

Transit currently saves the Twin Cities region $80 million annually by reducing congestion delays, according to the Texas Transportation Institute’s Urban Mobility Report. Our own state transportation agency, MnDOT, has said that the state cannot build its way out of traffic congestion. Investing in transitways, especially in corridors with the level of jobs, residents, and congestion as the Southwest corridor, provides residents with an alternative to congested travel ("u text, we drive," as Southwest Transit likes to say) and is a step toward a more affordable transportation for residents and businesses alike.

# # #

 

The Interchange –An All Star Multimodal Hub?

From Hilary Reeves, Communications Director

The proposed downtown Minneapolis multimodal transportation hub adjacent to Target Field—a.k.a. The Interchange—got a financing boost this past week with the announcement of $10 million in federal support through a TIGER grant from the US DOT. The goal is for the new facility to open when the Central Corridor Light Rail service begins in 2014, doubling the number of LRT trains arriving in downtown Minneapolis to 500 arrivals and departures per day. TLC wrote a letter supporting the project as part of the  application for TIGER funding.

 

 

Senator Amy Klobuchar (speaking) and l-r behind her: Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin; Metropolitan Council Chair Sue Haigh; Will Schroeer, Saint Paul Chamber of Commerce; Charlie Zelle, Minneapolis Area Chamber of Commerce

 

Senator Amy Klobuchar gathered with local leaders on Thursday, December 22, to indicate the importance of this transportation investment to making the Twin Cities a thriving economic center. She was joined by Sue Haigh from the Met Council, several county commissioners  and representatives from local Chambers of Commerce and the Minnesota Twins. A good-sized crowd gathered in the waiting area for Northstar commuter trains—another mode that serves the proposed location for the Interchange.

 

What is the Interchange? The Minneapolis Interchange and Saint Paul’s Union Depot will both act as multimodal hubs for the region’s growing transit network. The Minneapolis location for the proposed Interchange already serves both the Hiawatha light rail line and NorthStar commuter trains. The Interchange would serve the Central Corridor trains when it opens in 2014 and the Southwest LRT line, scheduled to open in 2018. It would also provide connections to more than 1,900 bus operations as well as to bicycle routes to surrounding neighborhoods and trails. Vehicle parking (400 new spaces) would also be part of the project. The Minneapolis Interchange also could serve any future high speed rail connections between Minneapolis/Saint Paul and Chicago. The newly renovated Saint Paul Union Depot will accommodate Amtrak trains traveling between Seattle and Chicago starting next year. The Minneapolis Interchange is a project of the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority (HCRRA).For more information about The Interchange, visit the project web site. 

 

Senator Klobuchar said, “There’s a direct correlation between this kind of investment and economic development.” Noting the competition for these funds at the federal level, she said, “If they don’t come here they will go to Chicago or Arizona. I want it right here.” She thanked Representatives McCollum and Ellison, Senator Franken and former Senator Coleman for their support for the project at the federal level.

Metropolitan Council Chair Sue Haigh said that hubs like the Interchange and Union Depot help shorten transit time, making it more attractive for people to choose transit for commuting and other trips. She said that rather than building more parking ramps, Minneapolis could focus on other kinds of development.

Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin said the Interchange plaza would direct the flow of passengers to the different travel options, for commuters and also fans coming to Target Field.

McLaughlin called the Interchange “a prudent risk to move the county and region forward” and make it more competitive. He noted that business allies strongly supported the project and the build out of the transit system. “We are not talking about individual lines, we are talking about a system,” he said, adding “we will live our lives differently and better with these investments.”

Will Schroeer from the Saint Paul Chamber of Commerce and Charlie Zelle from the Minneapolis Area Chamber of Commerce both noted that the new hub would serve the people going to work using the Hiawatha and Central Corridor LRT lines. There are 280,000 jobs along the Central Corridor today, a number expected to rise to 374,000 by 2030. Zelle said, “Investments here are important for jobs at both ends of the Central Corridor LRT,” giving residents of Minneapolis and North Minneapolis access as well as opening the North Loop area for further development.

Minnesota Twins President David St. Peter said the Interchange would be “fulfillment of a vision our leaders had for a ballpark in the North Loop, with wonderful connections to transit.” He said fans will love accessing Target Field via the Northstar, Hiawatha, and the Central Corridor—hopefully for the All Star Game in 2014. He said, “These projects take vision, courage, and leadership.”

Funding for the Interchange project is not yet complete. According to a Star Tribune story, in addition to the $10 million from the TIGER grant, the Interchange project “was awarded $11 million by the Metropolitan Council. It also received $6.7 million from the county rail authority and $1.7 million from the Minnesota Ballpark Authority, which owns Target Field.” The Star Tribune reported the total project cost at $67.7 million. Commissioner McLaughlin said that there would be a proposal in coming weeks opening up options for public-private partnerships, including development rights, naming rights, and parking rights. The TIGER funding adds momentum to the project.

# # #

An interview with Jennifer Munt

Hilary Reeves, TLC’s communications director, recently sat down with Jennifer Munt to talk about her first several months on the Metropolitan Council. Munt represents District 3, which includes 16 suburbs in Hennepin County. She is also the president of the board of Transit for Livable Communities.

 
Jennifer Munt, Metropolitan Council Member for District 3

For me, there are two values that guide my work on the Met Council: equity and inclusion. I believe that we can do a better job of providing the tools to cities so that they can design communities where everyone can prosper, whether you’re old or young, whether you have a car or not.

TLC If a person waiting for the bus or arriving at a park and ride asked you why the Met Council matters, what would you say?

I would tell them that we’re all about livability, we’re about affordable housing, clean water, beautiful parks, and we make sure the buses and trains run on time.

TLC As a member of the Met Council, what does it mean to bring a regional vision to your District and your District’s views to the Council? What’s at stake?

I believe I was appointed to be a regional thinker. I don’t think we move the region forward if we are just about bringing home projects to our districts. Everything we do is so interconnected: community development, environmental services and transportation. And similarly, what happens in one portion of the region affects what happens in another.

TLC How should the Met Council balance, rail, bus, and bus rapid transit investments for the best outcomes for the region?

We need to pair the right mode with the needs of a given corridor. I think that our transportation policy plan is well balanced in that respect. We know we need to double our transit system by the year 2030. The problem is that we don’t have the funding necessary to make all of those things happen. My frustration is that we can get the capital for a project but it’s a struggle to get the operating dollars to keep what we build alive. 

TLC Is there a vision for what the regional bus system could be if funding were secure?

I think there’s a clear vision of what it would be. When we restructure a segment of the bus system, we go out and we talk to people. We find out: where do they want to go? That changes over time. There are new developments, there are new trends, new places where people want to go, new places where people work. So, we tailor our system to those changing needs. We’re finding now, with $4 per gallon gas, there are more and more people who want to choose transit and we’re finding that younger people want to be less auto-dependent. They want choices. They want to take their bikes. They want to take the bus. And right now those choices aren’t plentiful for them.

We’re finding now, with $4 per gallon gas, there are more and more people who want to choose transit and we’re finding that younger people want to be less auto- dependent. They want choices. They want to take their bikes. They want to take the bus. And right now those choices aren’t plentiful for them.

We also have an aging population, with far greater needs for transit. One of the most eye-opening experiences for me recently was when I had the opportunity to put on an age suit. This age suit made my body feel like I was 73. It made climbing stairs a challenge. It made running across an intersection a challenge. I found new value in those count-down timers that told me whether I had enough time to get across or not. It totally changed the way I see things. Planners of our transit system need to understand what young people need, what our aging population needs and we need to make a greater investment in transit in order to meet those needs.

TLC What about people who are stranded in the housing they have, unable to reach work or essential shopping without a car?

For me, there are two values that guide my work on the Met Council: equity and inclusion. I believe that we can do a better job of providing the tools to cities so that they can design communities where everyone can prosper, whether you’re old or young, whether you have a car or not. I’ll give you an example.

Don't X Out Transit

From Owen Duckworth, TLC

On Tuesday, September 20^th, Transit for Livable Communities joined with transit riders, transit operators, elected officials, advocates for the disabled community, labor, and business leaders at the Government Plaza light rail station for a “Don’t X Out Public Transit” rally.  The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1005 organized the event with TLC as part of a nationwide series of public rallies in response to a proposal from the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee that would cut 35% of funding for transportation. A cut that large would almost certainly mean significant loss of transit funding in Minnesota.

Speaking in support of transit investment from city, county, and state government respectively were Peter Wagenius from Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak’s office, Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin, and Representative Alice Hausman. All three spoke directly to the issue of jobs in the region and described how a project like Central Corridor LRT, currently under construction, is putting hundreds of millions of dollars into the local economy through the people employed during construction.

Chris Bell from the MN Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities and TLC executive director Barb Thoman both touched on the need to provide affordable and accessible transportation choices for all Minnesotans --a function that public transit serves. Michelle Sommers, President of ATU Local 1005, spoke about the need for bipartisan support for transportation infrastructure investment, while Todd Klingel, President of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce, spoke about how transit investments are critical to turning around the economy. Seeing both business and labor groups publically calling for investment in transit sends a powerful statement to our elected leaders in this polarized political climate of the broad support for public transit!

A major part of our work at TLC is building and bringing together a broad coalition of supporters of public transit. Bringing together our allies at the Chambers of Commerce, the ATU, our elected officials, and our members helps to put a face on people who use, operate, and benefit from our transit system.

Thanks again to TLC members who attended and to ATU for their continued hard work to protect and expand our transit system in the Twin Cities region!