On Southwest LRT

By Barb Thoman, Executive Director, and Dave Van Hattum, Senior Policy Advocate
 

Photo credit: Metropolitan Council

As we’ve no doubt made clear in other blogs, TLC wholeheartedly supports the Southwest light rail transit (LRT) line. This line is a key element of what we hope will someday be a fully-realized network of bus, rail, and streetcars that serve this region, with safe, accessible connections by bicycling and walking.

With the ongoing controversy surrounding the future location of a freight rail line, we can’t forget that Southwest LRT is a good project:

1)      Southwest LRT will improve affordable access to jobs, school, recreation, and services. Particularly for low-income residents, the line will greatly expand transit access to large and growing job centers in the Southwest metro and to educational opportunities.

2)      Southwest LRT offers a high return on investment (ROI). A study by the ITASCA Project, an alliance of business organizations, projects a four three dollar return for every dollar invested in the accelerated buildout of a regional systemof transitways, including Southwest LRT. Other studies also have concluded that light rail is the right investment for the Southwest corridor.

3)      Southwest LRT is projected to carry 30,000 riders daily, providing an alternative to driving on congested roads and reducing trips by motor vehicles in the corridor and elsewhere within the region. Vehicle emissions contribute to global warming and to air quality and health impacts along highways and local streets. Driving trips also contribute to the noise and traffic about which almost everyone seems to complain.

4)      Southwest LRT better positions the Twin Cities metro region for economic competitiveness and the realities of changing demographics. This project is a major step in the right direction for young people who are driving less, our growing senior population, and employers who want access to a larger labor pool and to spend less on employee and customer parking.

As long-time advocates for transportation options, Transit for Livable Communities sees the importance of Southwest light rail as part of a system—a system that includes additional LRT lines, expanded regular-route bus and rapid bus, streetcars, as well as safe, accessible connections by walking and a network of bicycling routes.

With that in mind, we urge project planners to keep the cost of Southwest LRT at a reasonable level. TLC is working hard with our allies to secure an increase in the regional sales tax for transit, bicycling, and walking, along with new funding for roads and bridges. Even when the state legislature approves this funding, it will be a stretch to accommodate all the demand that exists for growing transportation options. We can’t let the cost of Southwest balloon to an extent that it slows the long-overdue implementation of other important transit and bike/walk projects in the region.

Nevertheless, some increased cost beyond the original capital estimate, to address local concerns and better serve future transit riders, is warranted. The latest capital cost projections for Southwest LRT range from $1.25 to 1.5 billion. These numbers are not out of line with the cities with whom we are competing with for matching federal funds. A number of these projects have costs exceeding $1 billion.

Similarly, from our system-wide perspective, as Southwest LRT planning moves forward, we recommend that bicycle and pedestrian connections to all stations be carefully assessed and that multimodal access be maintained in the corridor.

Advancing a complex project like Southwest LRT is never easy. Elected officials and agency staff are analyzing hundreds of details, from engineering to water flows to trees to travel time, and are weighing the concerns and interests of the many communities involved. We urge proponents–whether of shallow tunnel or freight reroute or other options—to be vocal, as well, about the community benefits of increased transit. And we urge all those who support progress on transit, bicycling, and walking to make sure their voice is heard in the next month as the Southwest LRT Corridor Management Committee and the Metropolitan Council comes to a decision.

While no official public comment period for Southwest LRT is currently underway, many people are still weighing in. There will be three important meetings in the next few weeks: a meeting of the Southwest LRT Corridor Management Committee on the morning of Sept. 4, a meeting of the Met. Council Transportation Committee on Monday, Sept. 23, and a meeting of the full Met. Council on Wednesday, Sept. 25. See the Met. Council web site for details on these meetings.

Also of interest, the PowerPoint from the Corridor Management meeting on August 28. 

 

 

Key Takeaways from MnDOT’s Draft State Highway Investment Plan

Public comment period ends July 31. Public hearing July 29 at 4 PM.

By Barb Thoman, Executive Director

What highway investments will contribute to a prosperous future for Minnesota? How much should be spent to maintain existing pavements and bridges, retrofit streets to improve safety for everyone, and add transit infrastructure to highway corridors? What is the additional transportation funding Minnesota needs and how can it be raised without unduly burdening low-income Minnesotans?

MnDOT recently released its draft State Highway Investment Plan (MnSHIP), which seeks to address questions like these. With current projected revenues, MnDOT will have approximately $8 billion to invest over the first ten years of the plan and $10 billion for the second decade. These revenues are generated primarily from the state gas tax, vehicle registration fees, motor vehicle sales tax and federal funds. They are separate from allocations to counties, cities, and townships.

 

Image credit: MnDOT

The investment percentages shown below are for the first ten years of the twenty-year plan. Overall, TLC applauds the focus on maintenance, safety, and bicycle and pedestrian travel, and the reduction in emphasis on highway expansion. This allocation reflects recent trends in travel behavior (i.e. less driving) and growing demand for alternatives to driving (see pg. ES-10 of the draft plan). The draft plan also features much clearer investment categories—nine in all—and greater specificity in all areas of the plan.

 

 Image credit: Metropolitan Council

1 and 2. Pavements and bridges (59% of investment). Minnesota must maintain a large and aging system of pavements and bridges. Our state has the nation’s fifth-largest roadway system (141,000 miles in total with 12,000 miles owned by MnDOT). The Twin Cities metro area has the eighth-largest regional highway system (in lane miles per person). Projected investment levels are not adequate to keep up with maintenance needs, especially on the secondary system of state-owned corridors. MnDOT identifies an unmet need for maintenance of $4 billion over 20 years. TLC supports greater investment in maintenance to meet the agency’s repair targets.

3. Project Support (11% of investment). This category includes right-of-way purchases, consultant fees, and contractor incentives. Project support (program delivery) is slated to receive a significant percentage of investments. Including these costs, to the extent possible, with corresponding projects (such as pavements, mobility, safety, etc.) would provide greater transparency and accountability.

4. Roadside infrastructure (9% of investment). This category includes culverts, traffic signals, noise walls, signage, drainage systems, pavement markings, and even rest areas. These investments maintain safety and system integrity, reduce impacts on the environment, and improve quality of life.

5. Twin Cities mobility (7% of investment). The draft plan projects $520 million in highway expansion projects and high-occupancy toll lanes over ten years. This investment category is greatly reduced—as we think it should be—over what it has been for the last four decades. An aging population, less growth at the metro region’s edges, young people driving less, and the need to address climate change and equity, all signal the need to reduce spending on highway expansion.

The draft plan budgets for completion of the widening project/MnPass lanes on I-35E north of downtown Saint Paul; the completion of TH-610 west to I-94; the construction of MnPass lanes on I-94 between downtown Minneapolis and Saint Paul; and the construction of MnPass lanes on I-35W North from Minneapolis to Highway 10.

6. Regional and Community Improvement Priorities (7 % of investment). This category addresses regional or community priorities in Greater Minnesota, including conversion of two-lane state highways to four-lane divided highways, intersection changes, drainage projects, main street projects and other projects that address local safety, economic development, or quality of life.

TLC believes that complete street retrofits—especially in communities where a rural or suburban main street is a trunk highway—should receive additional attention and investment.

7. Traveler Safety (4% of investment). While safety is a part of all construction projects, this category includes independent installation of rumble strips, lighting, cable median barriers to prevent head on crashes, and other spending on what MnDOT calls “lower cost, high benefit” projects.

8 and 9. Access by walking and bicycling (3 % of investment). For the first time, MnDOT’s draft plan makes improved access by bicycling and walking a clear priority. TLC strongly supports this! Bicycling and walking are healthy, low cost, and environmentally friendly modes of transportation. Many people cannot drive— due to age, ability, or because they simply can’t afford to own a car—and they deserve a full quality of life. TLC would like to see faster progress than what the draft plan proposes on the expansion of safe, accessible facilities for walking and bicycling.

We remind the few people who still erroneously argue that bicyclists and pedestrians don’t pay transportation taxes that most people who walk and bicycle also own a car. And those who do not are likely paying more than their fair share for local roads through local property taxes  

The funding gap. The draft plan states that the funding gap over the next 20 years is $12 billion, or $600 million annually (equivalent to a 20-cent gas tax increase). If additional revenue is raised, TLC would like to see greater investment in pavements and bridges, safety, and community priorities, especially complete streets and flood prevention projects. Given the recent decade-long plateau in car travel, and the competitive advantage of regions with expanded transportation options, we seriously question the use of new funding for the additional highway expansion projects proposed on page 58 of the draft plan.  

What the draft plan is missing:

• Targets for reducing car travel (i.e. VMT) on the state highway system.
• Ambitious mode share goals for trips by transit, bicycling, and walking as required by state law.
• Discussion of the health impacts of proximity to high traffic corridors, which have high levels of harmful emissions and noise.
• Discussion of the impacts that road construction and runoff from roads have on land and water quality.
• A better description of traffic congestion in the Twin Cities. (Referencing the 2012 Texas Transportation Institution Urban Mobility Report, page 44 of the draft plan leads the reader to believe that the Twin Cities metro region has above average levels of traffic congestion, stating, “The Twin Cities area was ranked the seventh most congested of 32 metropolitan areas of similar size in 2010.” As we have written in a previous blog, a closer reading of the Urban Mobility Report finds that the Twin Cities is the 16^th largest metropolitan area in the U.S. but has only the 25^th worst traffic congestion. In fact, we are the largest of the 32 “large” metropolitan areas referenced and thus are not “similar in size.”)

Comment on the plan. A public hearing on the draft plan is scheduled for July 29 at 4 PM (MnDOT Central Office, 395 John Ireland Blvd., Room G15, Saint Paul) and public comment will be accepted until Wednesday, July 31. TLC encourages its members to review and comment on the plan. Recommended talking points:

1. Applaud MnDOT for prioritizing, and directing funds, to improved bicycle and pedestrian access.
2. Encourage MnDOT to explicitly convey to the public the recent dramatic changes in travel trends (VMT flat for a decade after a century of growth) that have critical implications for the allocation of transportation funds into the foreseeable future.
3. Encourage Mn/DOT to explicitly direct federal highway funds to key transit expansion projects in highway corridors.

 

Southwest LRT Planning Moves Forward, But Not Without Challenges

By Dave Van Hattum, Senior Policy Advocate

The highly anticipated Southwest light rail transit (LRT) line, from Eden Prairie to downtown Minneapolis, could open for passengers by 2018—if the project stays on track.

Like all major transportation projects, however, Southwest LRT must overcome financial and engineering hurdles en route to operation.

The stakes for the region are high: The Southwest LRT line is a key component of a Twin Cities metro system of transitways (i.e. light rail, highway bus rapid transit, and possibly additional commuter rail), expanded regular route transit, and improved bicycle and pedestrian connections. Expected to be the region’s third LRT line, after Hiawatha (Blue Line) and Central (Green Line) Corridors, the 15.8-mile Southwest line will seamlessly connect with Central Corridor LRT, effectively extending the Green Line. The Southwest line will improve affordable access to 210,000 existing jobs and another 60,000 jobs projected by 2030. It will connect the southwestern suburbs (especially Hopkins, St. Louis Park, Minnetonka, and Eden Prairie directly along the line) to downtown worksites. Large suburban employers, such as Cargill, Comcast, SuperValu and United Health, and their employees will greatly benefit from LRT connections to the southwestern suburbs and from the two downtowns, University Avenue, and North Minneapolis.  

Funding

While planning and community engagement around the line rolls on and excitement among residents continues to build, the Southwest light rail line is not yet a fully funded project.

Luckily, Southwest LRT remains well positioned to secure federal New Starts funding for one-half of the $1.25 billion capital cost. And with projected daily ridership of nearly 30,000; substantial new commercial and residential development anticipated at the 17 stations; and light rail clearly identified as the best transportation solution for this busy corridor, Southwest LRT is a smart investment for our metro region. The local share of the capital costs will come from a combination of regional sales tax revenue (1/4-cent sales tax administered by CTIB), county property taxes, and a state share. With $37 million from the state General Fund directed to the project this past legislative session, project planners hope to secure the remaining $81-million state share during the 2014 legislative session—either through G.O. bonding and/or an increase in the  regional sales tax.

Largely due to the potential for direct economic benefits (primarily from reduced traffic delays and reduced car costs) and improved livability, a recent poll from the Minneapolis Regional Chamber showed that 75 percent of voters in the Twin Cities metro area support state spending on Southwest LRT. Let’s hope Minnesota’s legislators are listening: without additional state funding in 2014, a federal matching grant and project timeline both will be at risk.

Engineering

Engineering hurdles still facing Southwest LRT include designing numerous bridges and tunnels, and planning for access by cars, buses, bicyclists, and pedestrians to the stations. Planning for parking also is a pending issue.

Most urgent, however, is the need to determine how to handle freight rail traffic and LRT vehicles in the St. Louis Park/South Minneapolis section of the line. The Metropolitan Council hopes to have a solution to this heavily debated issue by late summer 2013.  

Two options for freight and light rail service are being carefully studied: freight rail relocation in St. Louis Park, and freight/LRT co-location in South Minneapolis. (PDF, see page 2)

Credit: Metropolitan Council

 

This summer, new freight rail relocation possibilities under consideration include gentler curves and a flatter alignment than proposed in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), and two options at the St. Louis Park High School: moving the football field and running freight tracks over the field’s current footprint, or skirting the freight tracks to the east side of the football field.

Minneapolis co-location options currently being studied include:

• Tunnels for the LRT track
• Elevating the LRT track
• Relocating the bike/ped trail to create room for LRT and freight traffic
• Or co-locating, the bike/ped trail, LRT, and freight tracks all at ground level.

Project engineers presented their revised freight relocation and freight/LRT co-location options in St. Louis Park on June 13 and received feedback from community members.  As was expressed at the June meeting, there is substantial concern by some St. Louis Park residents about safety risks for people who live near the proposed freight train reroute. At the same time, space constraints leading to substantial engineering costs and property acquisitions via eminent domain make the co-location options challenging as well.

For more maps and information on revised freight relocation and freight/LRT co-location options see this recent PowerPoint (PDF), or watch the presentation given to the St. Louis Park City Council in late May.

Development

Concurrent with engineering the Southwest LRT line, planning is underway for future development near the 17 LRT stations.

Planning for new residential development is critical given the substantial demand for housing near light rail, and the desire of Hennepin County and the Metropolitan Council to “provide a full range of housing near new transitways.” Hennepin County recently hired Maxwell Research to conduct a Southwest LRT Housing Inventory which includes an analysis of demographic and economic data within ½ to 2 miles of each station.

The Housing Inventory will provide important data for the Transitional Station Area Action Plans (TSAAP), and is the starting point for crafting a corridor-wide housing strategy. Still ahead are a housing market analysis, gap analysis, and setting goals and strategies for development.

Some highlights from the Housing Inventory (from within a half mile of  all stations along the line):

• 50 percent of current residents are 35 and under
• Majority of residents are renters
• Median annual household income is $50,580
• 31 percent of residents work in Minneapolis
• Study area includes four public schools, seven charter schools, and ten private schools
• Policies and land use plans by cities along the line are incorporating new language that supports high-density, mixed-use development, multi-family housing, and increased opportunities for affordable housing.

Get Involved

Bob Aderhold, TLC Board Member and Edina resident, was recently selected to serve on the Southwest LRT Community Advisory Committee (CAC). Bob will provide a strong local voice on Southwest LRT issues, and will provide future summaries of action items before the committee.

We encourage you to get involved in the ongoing planning process as well, and to show your continued support for Southwest LRT!

Be sure to check out www.swbeyondtherails.com, a new, interactive website where you can share ideas about Southwest LRT station area plans, and comment on others' ideas too.

If you live in Minneapolis or Eden Prairie, attend an upcoming open house on Southwest LRT station areas in your city:

• All Minneapolis stations: June 24, 4:30-7 p.m., Kenwood Community Center, 2101 Franklin Ave. W, Minneapolis
• All Eden Prairie stations: June 26, 4:30-7 p.m., Eden Prairie City Center, 8080 Mitchell Rd., Eden Prairie

 

Red Line Connects to South Metro

By Hilary Reeves, Communications Director

 

More than 100,000 vehicles cross the Minnesota River every day. The options for making that trip expand in a big way on June 22, when the state’s first bus rapid transit line opens along Cedar Avenue in the south metro.

On Saturday, June 22, join the celebration of the opening of the Red Line. Activities are planned at both the Cedar Grove Transit Station (on Nicols Road, north of Diffley in Eagan), and the Apple Valley Transit Station from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Rides on the Red Line and connecting routes will be free on opening day and through June 30. TLC members are gathering at 11a.m., on Saturday June 22, at the Mall of America Station to catch the Red Line leaving at 11:16 and check out the route (see events below to RSVP).

“It is great to see this expansion of the Twin Cities transit system, bringing new options to and from the south metro and introducing the region to a new kind of transit service—very comfortable, rapid, easy-boarding bus. This is another step forward in making our region’s transit plans a reality,” said Barb Thoman, executive director of Transit for Livable Communities.

The new Red Line service will operate all day long seven days a week and run so frequently that, the Met Council says, you don’t even need a schedule! Residents in the south metro will have a new, easy way to get to the airport and jobs. And the reverse is true: the Red Line will connect to retail, government offices, and jobs in Eagan and Apple Valley. There are 4,500 jobs near the new 147^th Street Red Line station alone. The 140^th Street Station is within walking distance of the Partners in Higher Education building, which includes Dakota County Technical College, Inver Hills College, and Saint Mary’s University, as well as Mount Olivet Assembly of God and the Apple Valley Sports & Ice Arena.

Click here for an interactive Google map of the Red Line, showing stations along the route and notes about nearby destinations.

Commuters who ride into the Cities on MVTA express routes now have options for getting home during the day and after rush hour.

For example, a regular commuter who takes the MVTA express into downtown Minneapolis in the morning will be able to catch the Blue Line (Hiawatha LRT) and change to the Red Line at the Mall of America. From Target Field to Apple Valley Transit Center will take about one hour, for as little as $1.75. (Fares are the same as on other transit service. Transfers are good for unlimited rides for two hours.)

The Red Line will provide station-to-station service between Apple Valley and the Mall of America, traveling on new bus-only shoulder lanes along Cedar Avenue and Highway 77. Buses will operate every 15 minutes during peak travel periods. Service begins at 5 a.m. weekday mornings (early enough to get workers to a shift start at the airport) and operates till midnight. Service runs from 7:30 a.m. to midnight, Saturday and Sunday.

Buses will serve each station with level boarding, real-time signs, and other transit advantages, much like service on the METRO Blue Line (Hiawatha LRT).The buses will operate somewhat like a light rail train on wheels, pulling up to stations where passengers can board through either a front or rear door. Pay stations also will be located at both the front and rear of each bus, where passengers can swipe their Go-To Cards or board with cash, SuperSaver, or paper transfers. Passengers can purchase tickets from pay stations on the platforms at Mall of America and Apple Valley Stations as well. Each bus has two bicycle racks at the rear of the bus (inside), so bicyclists should board through the rear door. The buses are equipped with automatic counters at each door to record ridership. 

There are five stations on the Red Line.

• Mall of America Station, with connections to the Blue Line (Hiawatha LRT) and Metro Transit and MVTA bus routes. Park & Ride ramp with 750 spaces, bike lockers for rent, bike racks.
• Cedar Grove Transit Station in Eagan. Transfer here for MVTA buses to the Minnesota Zoo and other MVTA routes. Park & Ride lot with 150 spaces, bike lockers.
• 140^th Street Station, a walk-up station, with nearby access to Dakota County Technical College, Apple Valley Sports Arena, and other destinations. Connecting MVTA bus service, bike racks.
• 147^th Street Station, a walk-up station, with nearby access to Caribou Coffee, FedEx Office, and other retail and services. Connecting bus service and bike racks. More than 4,000 jobs are located near this station.
• Apple Valley Transit Station.

A local map showing the area near one of the Red Line walk-up stations. Credit: City of Apple Valley.

The METRO Red Line is a collaborative effort of the Metropolitan Council, Dakota County and its regional railroad authority, MVTA, Metro Transit, the Counties Transit Improvement Board (CTIB), the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the Mall of America, and the cities of Lakeville, Eagan, Apple Valley, and Bloomington, as well as local businesses in communities near the corridor.

Funding for the project has come from federal, state, and regional funds; CTIB; Dakota County; Apple Valley and Lakeville.

 

Metro Red Line + MVTA = A Great Ride to the Zoo

By Hilary Reeves, Communications Director

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.

# # #

 

Streetcars in the City

By Dave Van Hattum, Senior Policy Advocate, and Teresa Roark, TLC Intern

Energy around a streetcar revival has been steadily building in the Twin Cities—and with good reason. The modern streetcar is far more than an ode to the dominant transportation mode preceding today’s ubiquitous car culture. Streetcars provide a valuable transit option uniquely suited to dense urban settings and with strong opportunities for new commercial and residential development. But are streetcars likely to make a major comeback here in Minnesota?

Streetcars (referred to as trolleys outside North America) have been part of the U.S. transit system since the late 19^th century. By the 1920s, they were commonplace, even spawning the term “streetcar suburb” for their notable influence on development patterns and commuting habits.

As local authors John Diers and Aaron Isaacs describe in Twin Cities by Trolley, many older Minnesotans fondly recall riding the 520-mile streetcar network that once stretched from Stillwater to Lake Minnetonka, with dense grids of track serving Minneapolis and Saint Paul.

 

Passengers boarding a streetcar at Hennepin Ave. & 9^th St. in Minneapolis, part of the extensive network that once served the Twin Cities metro area.

After declining in the 1940s and 50s for a variety of reasons, including growing suburban development and the emergence of rubber tired buses, streetcars are reappearing in more and more cities across the country—not only as a way of moving people from one place to another, but as part of a comprehensive development plan.

Peer Cities Embrace Modern Streetcars

Today, modern streetcars operate in Charlotte, NC, Portland, OR, and the Seattle-Tacoma metro area.. New streetcar service will launch in Dallas and Washington, DC, later this year, and is under construction or procurement in Atlanta, Cincinnati, and Salt Lake City. Historic streetcars still operate in Boston, Memphis, New Orleans (replica), Philadelphia, and San Francisco.

  
Passengers about to board a modern streetcar in Portland, OR.

These streetcars operate in urban cores and make frequent stops. They are smaller and less expensive than light rail vehicles, but larger and more expensive than buses. Popular models can accommodate 41 seated passengers and 100 standing passengers. They can either operate with autos on existing streets or, like LRT, on their own rights of way.

STREETCARS
Key Differences from Light Rail Transit (LRT)	Key Differences from Buses
Less capacity (see graphic below)	More capacity (see graphic below)
Can operate in mixed traffic	Higher visibility
Shorter routes, more frequent stops	Often spurs more development
Less construction Impact	Electric powered
Less expensive $30 to $60 million/mile vs. $100 million/mile for LRT	More expensive $30 to $60 million/mile vs. $5 million/mile for arterial BRT

*Sources for cost estimates: Streetcars 101, City of Saint Paul website; LRT based on cost of Hiawatha, Central, and Southwest LRT cost, Metro Transit Arterial BRT Study.

 

Credit: City of Minneapolis

Streetcars, with their high visibility and fixed routes, encourage economic development and mixed-use land development. For example, since streetcar service began in 1996 in the historic South End of Charlotte, NC, property values have increased from $20 million to $360 million. The streetcar is now considered “the spine of the district.”

Portland, OR, first began operating Central City Streetcar in 2001. Since then, there has been $3.5 billion in development within two blocks of this streetcar line (over 50 percent of total downtown development). Much of this development has been mixed residential and commercial, with residential properties averaging just 0.6 parking spaces per unit. Not long after opening a streetcar line, Portland birthed United Streetcar, the only manufacturer of modern streetcars in the U.S.

It is easy to see why many American cities are choosing to invest in streetcars, but will the Twin Cities join them?

Studies are underway to evaluate streetcar feasibility and determine the best routes for streetcars in both Minneapolis and Saint Paul.

In Minneapolis, an Alternatives Analysis (AA) has narrowed the most feasible routes to a single starter line. From downtown, the line would travel south on Nicollet Ave. to Lake St. and northeast on East Hennepin and Central Ave. We imagine this starter line will have strong potential for future development and would attract visitors and downtown workers to a wide variety of restaurants, shops, and other attractions. The AA will also examine a longer route—from 46^th St. South to 41^st St. North—that may follow a successful starter line.

Other promising routes include a streetcar along the Midtown Greenway connecting the Hiawatha LRT and the future Southwest LRT (a project being studied by Metro Transit) and a streetcar along West Broadway serving North Minneapolis. Particularly given that the proposed Bottineau LRT route skirts North Minneapolis, a new streetcar on West Broadway could bring welcome reinvestment potential to that area of the city along with more frequent transit service.  

These potential streetcar routes and many others are simultaneously being assessed as possible rapid bus corridors.

Saint Paul is also studying streetcars. By the end of 2013 when the City’s streetcar feasibility study concludes, it will have identified one to two priority corridors for implementation. Over a dozen corridors are currently being examined, including Snelling Ave., Payne Ave., Lexington Pkwy., West 7^th/East 7^th St., Rice St., Ford Pkwy., Robert St., Grand Ave., and several others. Evaluation criteria include ridership potential, development potential, and transit-supportive land uses.

Streetcar Funding

Both Saint Paul and Minneapolis still need to identify a funding source for any future streetcar lines. Streetcars are not currently identified in the Metropolitan Council’s Transportation Policy Plan, nor eligible for funding through the Counties Transit Improvement Board (1/4-cent metro area sales tax for transit), or by Metro Transit, which has had very limited resources to increase bus service over the past decade.

Given the potential of streetcars, however, a variety of new funding sources are being explored. These include: 1) allowing streetcar construction and operation as one use of an increase in the metro area sales tax (HF 1444), 2) value capture legislation (HF 617), which would allow Minneapolis to secure a portion of capital costs by borrowing against future property tax increases in locations served by a streetcar, and 3) federal funding from the Federal Transit Administration’s Small Starts program.

Want to get involved and learn more? Weigh in on bringing streetcars back to Saint Paul. Stay informed about ongoing Minneapolis streetcar planning efforts and upcoming opportunities to participate: Nicollet-Central or Midtown Corridor.

Find more on Portland’s streetcar system and development-oriented transit here.

 

This Spring: Influence Twin Cities Regional Development for the Next 30 Years

By Dave Van Hattum, Senior Policy Advocate

 

 

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.

Upcoming Thrive MSP Roundtable Discussions:

• Tuesday, April 30, 6:30-8:30 PM, Eagan
• Saturday, May 4, 10 AM-Noon, Saint Paul
• Thursday, May 9, 6-8 PM, Shoreview
• Thursday, May 16, 6-8 PM, Minneapolis

Setting Goals for Land Use and Transit

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:

Top Ten Elements in Regional Plans: Our Peers Have Set a High Bar

Thrive MSP 2040 – Why and How to Create a Shared Vision

Find a Way!

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.

Met Council/TAB Propose 58 New Transportation Projects for Funding

By Dave Van Hattum, Senior Policy Advocate

The Metropolitan Council recently took public comment on an amendment to add 58 transportation projects totaling $159 million in federal funding to its project list known as the “TIP.” These projects were selected by the Met Council’s Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) in 2012. The applications were first submitted back in 2011.

Here is a sample of four of 58 projects being funded—one from each of the four categories and the amount of federal funding to be awarded:

• $6 $7 million widening of TH116 in Anoka County from two lanes to four lanes in the cities of Andover and Ham Lake (Surface Transportation Program category)
• $1 million for an extension of the Point Douglas Regional Trail in Washington County (Transportation Enhancement category)
• $6.4 million for improved bus service on Snelling Avenue in Saint Paul (Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Category)
• $1.6 million for replacement of a Hennepin County bridge on TH46 over Godfrey Parkway in Minneapolis (Bridge Improvement and Replacement Category)

Click here for the full list of projects by category.

As a fairly new member of the Transportation Advisory Board, let me attempt to decode how this process works.

Every couple of years, the Twin Cities region decides how to spend a good chunk of federal transportation funds—approximately $160 million to $180 million. The Twin Cities Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) is tasked with running a process to make these funding decisions. TAB, an extension of the Metropolitan Council, is comprised of 33 members including elected officials.

The federal funding allocated by TAB is a relatively small amount compared to larger sums of state and federal transportation funding that MnDOT, and to a lesser extent, the Met Council and regional transit agencies, allocate. However, the variety of transportation projects that can be funded with this money is less constrained (i.e. no state constitutional limits restricting funds for “highway purposes only”), and could have a greater amount of public input.

The Transportation Advisory Board (with assistance from a Technical Advisory Committee) creates funding categories and develops detailed scoring criteria to select what it believes is the best slate of projects proposed by local units of government and other public agencies. The Regional Solicitation process gives all cities and counties in the region an opportunity to submit projects for TAB’s consideration.

When approved, the Metropolitan Council will add this new roster of 58 projects to its running list—the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) document. These projects are planned for implementation over the next few years. The TIP includes a listing of all road, bridge, transit, and non-motorized projects in the region funded with federal money.

Advocates should take note that local decision-making about how to spend much of this federal money has great flexibility, particularly in the category called the Surface Transportation Program (STP).

Unfortunately, the TIP amendment is the end of a lengthy project selection process and, as such, is not the best opportunity to shape outcomes. So where does the greatest opportunity for public impact lie?

The key shapers of outcomes are: 1) how the regional solicitation is designed, 2) the TAB policies that put certain projects in certain categories, and 3) the scoring criteria and selection of projects by the TAB/Met Council.

Given recent changes in federal law, the Met Council has recognized the need to re-assess, from the ground up, the categories, selection process, and scoring criteria for this flexible federal funding. The Council is also developing a new long-range regional plan (Thrive MSP), which will inform the Council’s Transportation Policy Plan, which then informs how money, including this federal funding, gets spent.

Bottom line: As we’ve reported previously, how Twin Cities residents get around is changing greatly, with less car travel and far more transit, bicycling, and walking (partly made possible by more compact, mixed-use development and improving transportation options). The biggest opportunity for change will come in the future when there is an opportunity to influence the criteria and policies that drive the type of projects that can be submitted and how they are scored. Stay tuned for future communications about opportunities to help shape how our region grows and how it invests federal, state, and local resources.

 

Transit is a GO in Governor’s budget

Barb Thoman, Executive Director

Update:

Update: The Governor’s State of the State address last night focused on providing leadership to solve problems for Minnesota and end the chronic deficits we have faced over the last several years. Transit for Livable Communities, a member of the Invest in Minnesota coalition, believes that increased revenue must be part of the solution to provide for a future that works for the residents of this state.

The Governor last night spoke of delivering jobs and support for business to provide those jobs. More transit does this. He spoke about delivering efficient services, maintaining a healthy environment, and efforts to keep seniors in their homes and to make college more affordable. More transit helps do this.

Minnesotans by a vast majority support increased investment in transit—as a way to reduce traffic, create jobs, and help make budgets balance for working families, students, and seniors.

The Governor’s plan would broaden the sales tax and specifically fund transit expansion through an increase in the sales tax. While it does not go the whole distance, the Governor’s budget would put in place a stable base of funding for metro area transit —bus and rail.

In the case of transit, there are clear indications that investing more will have a high return on investment for the state.

As noted in our response to the Governor’s budget (see below), our coalition plan would do more.

The Governor has funded his vision. To those who criticize elements of his plan, remember that to embrace the vision for better transit in Minnesota without embracing the funding needed is false, empty leadership. Doing nothing also is not an option. It is time to act. We need transit for a stronger economy.

Original Response to Governor Dayton's Budget Proposal:

Governor Dayton’s budget proposal today sends a clear signal that transit is essential to building a stronger economy. It includes a mix of cuts and new revenue, including for transit. The overall plan takes two major steps forward.  

Firstly, the Governor’s budget recognizes that building out the regional transit system—bus and rail—will create jobs, attract top employers, and make it more affordable to get to work and school. The build out of the regional system will create 30,000 jobs, according to the Itasca Project report (pdf). The experience of the Central Corridor shows that subcontractors and workers come from all over the state.

Secondly, the Governor’s attention to the overall budget structure hopefully will mean that we can count on steady and expanding transit service, rather than funding battles that have resulted in whittling away of bus service. A stable funding platform eliminates uncertainty for everyone—for businesses and for individual families planning their budgets.

The Governor’s budget includes broadening the base of the sales tax and adding a new ¼ cent sales tax in the metro. These funds would:

• expand bus service by 1% each year—the first increase to basic bus service in a decade, and
• fund the Southwest LRT, Bottineau LRT, Gateway LRT or BRT, I-35W South BRT, up to 12 Rapid Bus or streetcar corridors, and up to 5 additional highway BRT lines.

 

This is a huge step forward in recognizing that we must increase access to transit for Minnesota families, seniors, and students. We know that transportation is the second largest household expense (after housing) and more people are turning to transit as gas prices remain high. We also know that more people are bicycling and walking for transportation.

We do have some concerns in these areas. As we dig deeper into the governor’s budget and continue working at the legislature, TLC and the Transit for a Stronger Economy coalition will be looking to make sure:

• that greater Minnesota transit service is not left behind. Transit use is growing in Greater Minnesota and makes a huge difference to seniors, people with disabilities, and to residents in cities like Duluth, Saint Cloud, and Rochester, and
• that cities and counties have funds for providing sidewalks, safer crossings, bike routes, and access for people with disabilities.

The Governor’s budget sends a very strong signal about the importance of transit. It’s a great floor for the session ahead, but it’s not quite the whole structure we need for Minnesota to thrive.