With Highway 280 Closed, Why No Green Line Priority?

[Highway 280 being completely reconstructed just north of Territorial Road.]

Anyone who has talked to me about the Green Line for more than a minute knows how I feel about the train’s constant, maddening, interminable signal priority problem. The Green Line stops unnecessarily at far too many intersections as it travels through St. Paul, adding 10% to trip times even in the best circumstances. 

There’s a lot to complain about with these inadequate signals and misplaced priorities, but the worst offender is the onramp / frontage roads at Highway 280. These are not key intersections. They often carry small numbers of trucks and cars to their freeway entrances. Yet the Green Line train, carrying dozens or hundreds of people, always stops and wait to cross these streets, held for a most single-occupant vehicles.

Well, friend, the only thing worse than stopping at the Highway 280 on-ramps over and over again, slowing down transit for traffic exiting a freeway, is stopping at the Highway 280 on-ramps over and over again, slowing down transit for traffic exiting a freeway when that freeway is closed for over three months. 

That’s what’s happening now. Highway 280 is completely closed for a huge reconstruction project until late August. There’s zero traffic going down this aging, badly designed road that runs along the Minneapolis and St. Paul border. Frontage road traffic is a tiny fraction of its normal volume.

Yet the Green Line is still stopping at the stoplights.

This summer would be a great time to test out giving the Green Line to signal priority. Couldn’t the powers that be — MN-DOT, St. Paul, Metro Transit — tweak the stoplights  until the state fair? See how much time savings is on the table. How hard can that be?

Steven Higashide on Transit and Public Safety

[A fare check on the Green Line.]

One of the best urban podcasts out there, 99 Percent Invisible, had transit expert Steven Higashide on the other day to talk about how to improve the bus, and transit systems more generally in the US.

About 20 minutes into the conversation, he and Roman Mars began discussing safety concerns. I think what Higashide says would be a great improvement on the current conversations bout light rial safety happening in the Twin Cities.

Here's the quote:

Roman Mars: Another way to improve bus service is to make it equitable and safe. So how do you go about making sure everyone feels comfortable riding the bus? 

Steven Higashide: A lot of times transit agencies look at survey data showing that people are worried about their personal safety on transit, which is a major reason why people don’t ride, or a major reason why people stop riding. But transit agencies see safety as a concern, and often they very quickly to go policing as the answer. 

And that is one solution that makes some riders feel safe, but it can also make riders feel less safe. And you don’t want to create an environment where people feel like, by getting on transit, it could have implications for their immigration status, or it could lead to them being embroiled in the criminal justice system. 

And there are a lot of aspects to safety, whether that’s lighting, station design, or human presence, which may or may not be law enforcement. These are really things where conversions really have to happen at the community level, and [we should] ask what is the community definition of safety, and not just assume what the answer is. 

And then I also think the it comes to equity, fares are really important. How we pay for transit, how much, and whether people are really being treated equally. 

Let me just give a couple of examples, at a lot of transit agencies, it turns out that wealthier riders pay less because there’s a discount for a monthly pass, whereas low-income riders can’t afford to pay for that monthly pass up-front. Instead they’re paying $2.50 every time they get on, and it adds up much more than the cost of the monthly pass every time.

The point is that we need to have transit riders themselves figure out what is the best solution to light rail safety. In my opinion, more cops and fare-checks must not be the answer in today's climate of scapegoating immigrants and deadly policing. The state legislature should appropriate funds, butt out, and let Metro Transit handle this.

Also, cops or transit ambassadors should simply sign people up for the TAP program, instead of giving out fines.

Susan Henderson, Zoning Code Expert, on Form-Based Codes in Hennepin County

[West Broadway in Robbinsdale.]

Here's a transcript from an interview with Susan Henderson of Placemakers, taken from the wonderful Talking Headways podcast put together by Jeff Wood.

Henderson's firm did some work on the Bottineau station area planning and she mentions it in the podcast.

Here are the locally relevant highlights:

We have a fascinating [project] going on right now… Right now we have this amazing process in Hennepin County which is where Minneapolis is. They’re extnenidng their blue light rail northwest, there's an FTA grant, and the county is the fiscal agent for four municipalities.  

[My] contract is for doing the form-based codes. They’re not even all form-based. There’s some early stage interventions.  

One problem we’ve discovered has to do with capacity both at the staff level and politically. What are people actually able to do? And if we are doing our professional duty, then we’re crafting a code that fits the capacity to ensure successful implementation.  

Across these four municipalities, we have one that’s a "full stop' form-based code. And then we have one that’s basically a simple text amendment that requires good urbanism within a quarter mile of the station, and than just enables it as an option within a half mile.  

There are all sorts of tools that you have to use to make sure you’re giving the local government what they need. The thing I love about this one is that you’re working with these four groups simultaneously, and so it keeps us really really nimble because they all have different issues. [There are] different degrees of urbanity, from great little main streets to only suburbia, and by finding the right solution for each one expands the way we think about coding.
… 

[Q: That’s the Bottineau line. Is that still going forward?] 

Well they’re all hopeful. I can’t speak to the nuances of it all but it’;s in engineering. A lot depends on whether the federal funding happens. 

But also Hennepin County and the Metro area, they’re very progressive and committed to transit. And my understanding is that they’re going to try and find a way, regardless of federal resources.

Of course, the real problem with Bottineau hasn't been federal funding, but rather agreements with the railroad. So all of Henderson's work might be for naught.

Why I Love the Green Line: an Open Letter to my Fort Road Neighbors

[A car-choked street.]

Hello neighbor.

I live across the High Bridge from you, and spend a lot of time in your neighborhood. Plus, I take the bus and train an awful lot. Just wanted to drop a line.

Look, I get it. Many of you vividly remember the debate over Riverview transit back in the 90s. And you were right! Widening the street by 4' would have been a bad move back then, and would be a bad idea today.

But this is the year that Saint Paul's leaders, and that includes many of you, are going to make a huge decision about a transit line along the Riverview Corridor. It’s the kind of thing that, once made, is almost impossible to change.*

[A poll from a neighborhood Facebook page.]

There’s a lot of debate in the neighborhood along West 7th Street, or "old Fort Road." Many people have been very vocal about not wanting to see any rail on West 7th. And some people I’ve spoken to have said that the opposition from business leaders and community groups is so strong that planners are considering bypassing the 7th Street neighborhood in favor of a route along the river.

Alternately, some people would prefer a bus rapid transit investment that would minimize impacts to  today’s car-centric street designs (parking, higher speed travel lanes, difficult pedestrian crossings).

Personally, I think either of those two options would be a huge mistake. Bypassing West 7th Street would leave thousands of people out in the cold, and waste Saint Paul’s best chance to build a great transit city.

[Riverview doesn't have to look like this Green Line station, but the idea should be the same; give people secure, pleasant places to take transit.]

For me, a lot depends on how you feel about the Green Line. Reading through the neighborhood comments over the past month or two, I've noticed that many people seem to think that the Green Line is a failure. Or that it's too slow. Or that it's ruined University Avenue.

My experience is just the opposite. I take the Green Line (from end-to-end) all the time, once or twice a week for over a year now. When you spend time actually riding on the train, it changes your mind.

[Putting a bike on the bus rack.]

See, when compared to riding the bus, the Green Line is amazing. When you sit and watch the people around you, you see relaxed, comfortable folks. They might look bored, yes, but they're allowed to move, sit, and travel through the city without a car, but with respect.

Rolling up in a wheelchair, or with a stroller, or with a bunch of shopping bags, or with a cane, or with two kids, or with whatever burden you carry, the train is just so much better.  You can see a measure of relief in the faces of the thousands of people from the diverse Frogtown, Hamline-Midway, Downtown, and University-area neighborhoods trying to get around.

Even though we have a decent transit system, riding the bus around the city can sometimes be a disheartening experience. Stepping up over snowbanks, huddling in a shelter, scooching through cramped aisles, struggling to put your bike on the front rack...

Don’t get me wrong, taking the bus is a perfectly fine way to get around, and I often do it myself, but a predictable smooth-running train with level boarding and plenty of space is a huge step up in the quality of life for everyone on board. It's a sign that our city is treating the transit-dependent, the elderly, the young, the poor, and anyone else who wants to shed some car trips with some much deserved dignity.

[A pretty full Green Line car.]

That's important because Saint Paul is a diverse city with many of areas of concentrated poverty. Over 40% of our 280,000 people are people of color. Over half of the people living in the West 7th neighborhood rent their home. 35% of neighborhood households make less than $35K a year. Yet all through Saint Paul, and all though this planning process, almost all the people making decisions around the table are white owners of homes or businesses. This isn't to cast blame, but just to point out that lots of people are being left out. What about them?

Don't get me wrong. I have questions too. There tons of details about exact routes, modes, and design decisions still on the table. (Check out my suggestion for one possible route that would serve huge parts of the West 7th and Highland neighborhoods without having major impacts on parking or car travel on 7th Street).

[Wheelchair, guy in the companion seat, bike rack on the Green Line.]

By all means, people in the community should be debating how best to design and build rail transit in this corridor. Can a streetcar-style vehicle work? Should we use the Ford Spur? How do we get across the river? What are the trade-offs between stops and transit speeds?

But bypassing all the people whose lives would be meaningfully improved by a major transit investment would be a disaster. That’s what they’re doing with the two Minneapolis rail lines, skipping the heart of the city. And it’s a shame. Saint Paul should do better.

Try the Green Line. Take the bus. Think about who lives here, all your neighbors, not just the ones who show up to meetings.

The future of the Fort Road neighborhood depends on what choices we make this year. Let’s give our transit riders a great future.

See you on the sidewalk.

Yours truly,
Bill

[A man with a cane and an unleashed dog crossing West 7th Street.]

[Guy on the Green Line with an elaborate wheelchair setup.]

[Riding the Green Line on Halloween.]

[Two wheelchairs / scooters on the Green Line at the same time.]

 

[Guy hauling U-Haul boxes, bike (not his) on the Green Line.]

[Folks looking out Green Blue Line windows.]

[Riding the Green Line on a December evening.]

[Riding the Green Line on a December evening.]

[It's time to "level up" the bus.]

* In 2010, Hennepin County SWLRT planners decided for the 3C alignment down the Kenilworth Corridor instead of going through uptown. It was the wrong decision, but there’s nothing anyone can do about it now.

TCSidewalks Live: Noteworthy Dive Bars of the Green Line

It's time once again for a quasi-historical tour of the dive bars of the Twin Cities. This time we'll be zooming in on the Green Line.

As it turns out, dive bars are unevenly distributed along University Avenue, the vast majority of them occupying the amazing stretch of blocks on the Northeast corner of Snelling and University. Perhaps this part of the street is so dense because of the dearth across the way, the former streetcar barns and warehouses that have become the city's largest collection of big-boxes, parking lots, and strip malls.

Dives also abound elsewhere in the neighborhood, scattered throughout Frogtown and points North along Thomas and Minnehaha Avenues. But that is the subject of another tour...

The rich vein of Green Line dives lies begins just East of Snelling Avenue and extends to the edge of the industrial areas to the West. Measured in miles, the voyage might not seem daunting. But measured in the depth, the expedition will plumb the souls of even the most world-weary. I have lingered in the chambers of University, and listened to the songs of old bricks. I will share with you what historical pearls I have gleaned. Together we will make what we can from the dust.

Legendary Saint Paul musician, restless soul, sometime taxi driver, and everyman historian of the underbelly Mike Gunther will be joining us to share tales of pre-light rail University. Brace yourself for February, get on the Green Line, and enter the world of the Midway.

What: A walking and train tour of some noteworthy dive bars of University Avenue.
When: Thursday, February 19th; departing at 6:30.
Where: Begins at Trend Bar and proceeds West.
How much: Free, but please drop a buck or two into the tip jar if you are able.


[Facebook event.]


Q: Huh?

A: This is a walking and train tour taking place in Saint Paul called "Noteworthy Dive Bars of the Green Line."

Q: What is a Dive Bar?

A: Cleanly defining a dive bar is difficult, precisely because dives are not very clean. It's a bit like Justice Potter Stewart's definition of obscenity. Here's what we know...

Windows - These are a minus. Dives eschew fenestration. What happens in the dive, stays in the dive.

Staff - Ideally, there's only one staff. Maybe someone works in the back. The more staff, the less divey.

Regulars - A must. When you walk into a dive, people should stop talking like in a wild west saloon and look at you a bit funny. Unless you are a regular, you really don't belong. 

Daydrinkers -Yep.

Pull Tabs - 90%. Meat raffles are also good. Best is when there's a pot of some sort of free food sitting on a table.

Nonchalance - Dives can't be trying too hard to make money. If they are, they're not dives any more. No fancy menus. No fancy paint jobs, etc.

Cleanliness - Nope.

"Craft Beer" - Not generally, unless its brewed within the same city as the dive.

Food - Almost always greasy or nothing. Heggie's Pizza is the hallmark of a dive.

Q: Do I need a bike?

A: No, not at all.

Q: It's February, you idiot.

A: The train is warm and near. You will have to walk about a mile, in total, but not all at once.

Q: Can I come for part of it, but not hang out with you the entire goddam time?

A: Yes. I will be tweeting locations, there will be a quasi-schedule, and you can always call (if you're lucky enough to have my digits) to find out where the tour is at. Come just for one dive, or enjoy the whole diving expedition.

Signs of the Times #96

 EGGPLANT

LOADING

THIS SIDE

OF LOT

[Parking lot. Selby Avenue, Saint Paul.]

SOMETIMES I SITS

AND THINKS;

SOMETIMES

I JUST SITS

[Bench. State fairgounds, Saint Paul.]

MADE

HERE

[Sidewalk. Downtown, Minneapolis.]

WE

ARE

CLOSED

[Doorway. West Side, Saint Paul.]

Darkness cannot drive out

darkness only light can do

that Hate canot drive out

hate only love can do that

-Martin Luther King Jr.

[Concrete. Green Line, Minneapolis.]

I will be

closed tuesdays

for the rest of

the summer because

I am old and feable.

I need 3 days of

rest instead of 2.

Please stay with me

as I need all of you!

thanks

ME

[Door. University Avenue, Minneapolis.]

ride

a

bike

[Ad. Location forgotten.]

NOTICE

RECENT VANDALISM AT

THIS STOREFRONT IS

RECORDED ON SURVEILLANCE

PLLICE HAVE A SSTRONG

LEAD CAUGHT ON

TAPE

IF ANYONE HAS ADDITIONAL

INFORMATION LEADING TO

THEIR  CONVICTION, PLEASE

CONTACT ST PAUL POLICE

A CASH REWARD

WILL BE AWARDED

FOR ANY INFORMATION

LEADING TO THEIR

ARREST & CONVICTION

[Door. University Avenue, Saint Paul.]

MPR Decoder: Green Line Signal Timing

Occasionally, I listen to Minnesota Public Radio. So, occasionally, I share with you what I have heard in a segment I call MPR Decoder.

Here's last week's short Daily Circuit segment about signal timing on the Green Line. Host Tom Weber had on Brian Lamb from Metro Transit and Nancy Homans from the Saint Paul Mayor's Office to talk about the tension between the city and the Met Council over the stoplights of Saint Paul. Both officials stayed on message pretty well, even when Tom dropped a Chuck Marohn soundbyte on them (which the transportation policy equivalent of a bunker buster bomb). 

You can listen to it here, or enjoy this rough [slightly annotated] transcript:

[INTERVIEW BEGINS]

Tom Weber (TW): ... to the amateur observer [i.e. everyone with half a brain], it would seem a quirk makes this trip longer. It might be too late to change, but give us the theory... Why is it that stations were put after that stoplight vs. before, and now there are situations where there are two stops?

Brian Lamb (BL): When you’re taking the width of the street and trying to split the stations, if they were side by side it would further curtail the driving lanes ["curtail" is an interesting verb], so that’s why we have split stops.

TW: You have em right now where the stations are across the stoplights. But why not switch it? Why not have it be before the red lights, so that you’re putting the stops before the red light?

BL: Technically we do have the capability to reverse run [I like anytime a wonky professional drops jargon, like the "reverse run"], so we could run the westbound train down the eastbound tracks. However the system is designed that when we get the signalization optimized, and we don’t have it done quite yet [understatement], the train will go right through the intersection and only stop once. So therefore then it has a little more dwell time that's possible, on the far side before it leaves for the next station.

TW: So if it were before the stoplight and it turned green but the operator was loading passengers the train operator might feel pressure to say, c’mon!

BL: Exactly. You might miss another 90 seconds of the signal.

TW: So Nancy, the city has a big role here because the Green Line itself are operated by Metro Transit, but the lights are operated by the city. It sounds like its not working quite yet.

Nancy Homans (NH): We knew that from the get go, that once the system was installed it would take some fine tuning. It has to serve obviously automobile drivers, bus riders, pedestrians, bicyclists, folks who want to cross the intersection. [And in that order, too.] We made a commitment from the get go that the Green Line would not be a wall down the avenue that people would be able cross to get to the stores on the other side. So the challenge is that everybody gets the amount of time they need and everybody is well served and we are making those adjustments.

TW: The city … one of the debates is about "minor intersections" that the city could give up a little bit of its power to operate those lights and hand it over to metro transit so that it flows better. Is that gonna happen?

NH: What the Met Council and Metro Transit have asked is for us to consider signal preemption, which is that if the train is is coming it gets priority, at these intersections. We have indicated that we are willing to do that. [The "we have indicated that" is such a passive super political speak kind of phrase, isn't it. Like, "we have indicated we'll help you using a secret code akin to baseball signs where the managers scratch themselves on the ear..."] We need a little bit more comfort around some detection systems, but we are wiling to do that because we believe that if we can shave off a little time of those intersections, that the Snellings will work better. [“The Snellings" is like a nightmare I keep having, where I'm stalked by evil MnDOT engineers or something. Or maybe it's a horrible disease? "Looks like you've got a case of the Snellings. That's not going to clear up anytime soon."] 

But the challenge is that those intersections are green all the time unless someone has pushed the walk button to cross, or there’s someone waiting to cross [in a car]. So how those people are served or how a pedestrian is served... we want to make sure that those people aren’t skipped where they’re waiting and then wait for a train and then there’s a full 90 seconds or so before they get to cross. So we’re just trying to make sure we get that right.

TW: Is the goal and the meaning of the line to get people from downtown to downtown quickly? Is that actually the goal?

BL: As with many forms of transit, it has multiple goals. There are fewer people who will go the full length of the route from downtown to downtown, than people who... maybe the average length is a couple of miles... to go to a different part of the corridor. And that’s what makes this route so successful. 

By the way, we’re already over 30,000 riders per day, which is one of the most successful new starts in the country over the last several years, because it has that intermediate traffic. [More successful than the great Peoria express bus of 2011!] So it really has to serve people going long distances and those going short distances. 

For the most part those going downtown to downtown during peak they also have the option of the 94 express service. That bus is very successful as well.

TW: The solution sounds like you’re not saying "oops we made a mistake when we made the stations," [Britney Spears song?] but you’re saying that you’re saying you can fix what’s going on now simply by altering traffic signals. Is that correct?

BL: That is correct. We believe that with the proper signal balance b/w preemption and priority which is just the signal timing that we can keep the trains moving so that the only times the trains are stopped is when they’re picking up people. 

TW: So Nancy when will that happen?

NH: [She's not gonna answer that one!] We have a team of folks that are working on an intersection by intersection basis. So we will see improvement over time. We’ve already seen improvement from June 14th to today. And we expect to be working on this for months. And when new development and new transit are added we’re going to have to tweak it again. This is a continuous process of getting this right and we believe that when the signal timing is improved that will improve the ability of operators to predict that the lines going to stay green and they’ll be more confident going through the intersection. 

BL: And it is an iterative process as the signals get more synchronized we believe we can pick up the travel speed b/w the two stations and then it’ll cause another round of signal optimization. We’re at 33K before the U of MN or any other colleges are really in session, as the loads start to change that’ll be another opportunity to tweak the schedules.

TW: Nancy said we’re not gonna just make a wall and that the LRT is just going to go through untouched, its one of the things debated. Last month we spoke about transportation funding. Here's a short piece of audio from Chuck Marohn, of the organization Strong Towns... [Dropping a clip like this must be the best part of a radio host's job!]

Chuck Marohn (on tape): ... a billion dollar investment, yet we make it stop at red lights, how can you have a billion dollars dropped on a line and say "we’re going to make it sit here and let that cycle through when there’s no other cars around or there’s one or two other cars on a side street getting across…" If you’re going to make an investment of that size why would you not make it the priority of the corridor well the reason is that we’re sensitive to the notion of shaping behavior, telling people how we’re going to live. Well, we’ve done that. We’ve spent a billion dollars on this corridor, and I think we’ve gotta own the fact that transportation does shape behavior.

TW: Chuck is saying, "own it." You spent so much money, you should make it the only thing going through all the time, thoughts?

NH: We also added three additional stations so we could serve the communities that live along the line, that they were the people that needed to get to education and employment and stop for them. [Classic dodge, like a Dodge Aires or something.]

TW: That’s not the issue that chuck was saying. Chuck was saying, fine have as many stations as you want but just get ride of red lights. [Well done, Tom. Asking the follow-up question after a dodge must be the best part of a radio host's job. Actually there seem to be lots of fun parts to a radio host's job. I'm probably wrong about this.]

NH: In order to allow peds to cross University safely, we needed additional signals. We added those. As part of the design we involved thousands of people to help us understand how to do this best. 

But we agree, we need to get through more quickly and we are going to work day in and day out to reduce those signal impacts on the train, and give the pedestrian the appropriate amount of time, but at a different time and space to get through. We need to get the train down University Avenue and support all the amazing development that’s happening along the line, the 30,000 folks that are already riding, and the people that will be riding.  We understand our responsibility to that [with great traffic FUBAR comes great responsibility], and we think we’re working a very fine balance and we have partners at Metro Transit to help us get that balance right.

[Sounds good to me. Let's get it done, Saint Paul! The proof is in the train.]

 

Ranking Green Line Stops from Least to Most Exciting

Abstract: These days, riding the Green Line is exciting. How exciting is it? Only meticulous quantitative analysis can tell you.

Overview: Excitement is difficult to define precisely. Physics tells us that excitement is the amount of heat in electrons or something like that. Picture a vibrating slinky.

Physics also tells us that there are two kinds of energy: kinetic and potential. In LRT station area terms, Kinetic Excitement (KE) is the equivalent the the currently existing vitality. I.e. how many people are walking around a given station area at this very moment? How many interesting shops presently exist?

Rough glances can easily measure the kinetic excitement of an LRT station.

Potential Excitement (PE) is more difficult because you have to use your imagiation. That said, potential excitement is perhaps the definitive kind of excitement, becasuse most everyone can imagine things more exciting than the status quo. Measuring potential excitement requires a quick glance combined with future daydeams.

Combining these two types of excitement gives us our Combined Excitement Measure (CEM) for the station area as a whole.

Methodology: Two trips taken on the Green Line on separate days at separate times, with eyes wide open and imagination engaged.

Results: [As follows]


#18: Stadium Village

Unless there's a game at the giant stadium, this place is extremely boring. Extremely boring! I can't imagine anyone spending time here willingly. There are all kinds of parking lots surrounding this station, parking lots of every variety. It's a veritable who's who of car storage.

KE: 2.0
PE: 3.2
CEM: 5.2

#17: Robert

Government employees might be the least exciting group of people. These buildings are boring too, as government buildings must be. Hard to see anything interesting ever happening at this spot, barring a large protest on the Capitol Mall. 

KE: 4.3
PE: 1.0
CEM: 5.3


#16: Fairview

Many old people bespeaks a certain lack of vitality. The vastness of the Grigg-Midway building is matched only by its shoddiness. This station is boring for sure. Can it get less boring? Doubtful.

KE: 3.0
PE: 4.1
CEM: 7.1


#15: Victoria

The single family homes along here (probably actually duplexes) make this somehat interesting, but not necessarily exciting. There is a great deal of auto-centric dullness in this area, for example the "eco-garage", Latuff Brothers, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, and the massive U-haul facility. The prospect of any of these buildings being replaced with actual people-type-things fills me with anticipation. But I'm not holding my breath.

KE: 3.0
PE: 4.6
CEM: 7.6


#14: Lexington

Ugh. The PE/KE ratio here is very high. So many parking lots and auto shops, so little time to enjoy each one individually and really appreciate each one's soul-sucking architecture. There are parking lots with fences, parking lots without fences, walls with fake windows and walls with no windows... so you've pretty much got everything. The only saving grace is the payday loan store on the corner? (DQ, White Castle...)

KE: 3.7
PE: 4.0
CEM: 7.7


#13: Prospect Park

This might be the strangest station on the line. Like the Stadium Village station, it's basically parking lots without any sign of life. Yet I sense potential here missing from its neighbor. I have a tingling sensation that something could be built here that might provide a teensy catsup squirt of excitement. Nay, a dollop.

KE: 3.0
PE: 5.8
CEM: 8.8



#12: Westgate

An unexciting place whose only pulse comes from its proximity to students. The Westgate Industrial area is where dreams go to die. The row of shops on the Southeast corner account for the lion's share of excitement.

KE: 5.0
PE: 4.5
CEM: 9.5


#11: Hamline

Along with Snelling, the most dichotomous station on the line, with the crappy big box desert on the south side and occasional spots of shady historic intrigue on the north. The Town House accounts for two full points of KE all by itself. Lots of potential here too, what with all the abandoned old car dealerships.

KE: 5.0
PE: 7.8
CEM: 12.8


#10: Rice

This station sits right on the seam between one of the most derilict spots in Saint Paul and the Capitol complex, which makes it a odd mixture of lobbyists and very poor people. That's actually half exciting by itself.

Also, there are going to be lots of new buildings built on the old Sears site. I can imagine so much more besides, as the old Greyhound station or the blocks of Rice Street north of University start to get fixed up or demolished.

Future visions remain constrained, however, by incessant political parking lot fetishes.  

KE: 5.8
PE: 7.1
CEM: 12.9


#9: 10th

Surrounded by boring buildings, for example the Department of Health and the History Theater. On the other hand, there's a few very nice churches and and the McNally Smith School of Hipster. On the other other hand, it's far too close to the freeway and there's little chance of anything cool being built nearby.

KE: 7.1
PE: 6.0
CEM: 13.1


#8: Central

Surrounded by giant vacant lots, on which many things can be imagined. Unfortuantely surrounded by skyway-addled buildings, yet many pedestrians still walk past. The bus stops are quite exciting, perhaps overly so at times.

KE: 7.0
PE: 7.0
CEM: 14.0


#7: Western

This is the best intersection on University Avenue, the only one with actual buildings at all four corners (versus parking lots). It's also chock-a-block full of amazing Asian restaurants, though a bit weak on street life because of the lack of density in the area. Apart from more foot traffic (and night markets), I hope nothing changes here because it's already awesome.

KE: 8.3
PE: 6.0
CEM: 14.3


#6: West Bank

On the face of it, this stop is a complete dead zone, surrounded by embankements of dying grass, sandwiched by high speed roads. But lurking out of sight all round you is the city's most interesting neighborhood. My imagination runs wild. Think of all the things that might happen here!

KE: 4.4
PE: 10.0
CEM: 14.4


#5: Raymond

From an architectural / urban design standpoint, this is the other great University Avenue corner. I don't see a ton of new development happening here, but I can easily imagine the existing building stock getting remodeled and trebeling in excitement levels. Yet for how nice this seems to be, there isn't a lot going on. There's not even a coffee shop.

KE: 7.0
PE: 7.5
CEM: 14.5


#4: Snelling

Lots of dynamism despite everything, due to all the foot and car traffic. In fact, just sitting on this corner for ten minutes and watching the LRT conductor blast its deafening horn as cars ignore the turn signals and block the tracks is deliciously entertaining.

Still the CVS, Spruce Tree, and American Bank trifecta leave much to be desired, in every sense of the word desire. And apart from the bank, there's little hope of the wrecking ball making anything better anytime soon. Still, so many vast parking lots. So many dive bars.

KE: 9.4
PE: 6.0
CEM: 15.4


#3: Dale

On the plus side, there's a vibrant-but-ugly library and Big Daddy's BBQ. On the down side, the Uni-Dale mall parking lot and a Wendy's dominating half the space. On the up side of the down side, the Uni-Dale mall parking lot is pretty much the best mall parking lot in town. Still, I can't wait for the wrecking ball.

KE: 8.4
PE: 7.0
CEM: 15.4

#2: Union Depot

Currently as exciting as downtown Saint Paul ever gets. Likely to become better over time as, for example, the surface parking lots fill in, Station 4 gets replaced, and the TPT building de-fortifies itself.

KE: 8.0
PE: 7.6
CEM: 15.6


#1: East Bank

Well, the middle of campus is pretty much ground zero for people watching in Minneapolis. You'll never be bored here between the hours of 7:00AM and Midnight. Plus there are seemingly endless numbers of new buildings popping up. This is the station that sets the bar for excitement. If only the street design wasn't so convluted it'd be perfect.

KE: 9.7
PE: 8.5
CEM: 18.2


Conclusion: Station areas displayed a wide range of excitement. Some station areas are exciting because they're exciting right now. Some are exciting because they might be exciting in the future.  (Think about that for a second.) Some are a combination, others lack any sense of dynamism.

To make a long story short, Saint Paul is kinda boring but at least you can dream.

Green Line Should be the Model for Twin Cities Transit

"It almost feels like living in Europe." he told me.

I was standing on the Hamline Avenue platform this weekend, chatting with another man waiting for the Westbound train. It was around sunset, just past the passing of a rainstorm. It was just the two of us.

"Honestly, this is just the beginning," I said.

Later, slumping into the seat on the brand new train, I had a funny feeling. Somehow, I was already used to it. Maybe it's the long three-year construction, but to me the train already felt a part of my background, a comfortable connection, blending into the city like a fire hydrant, a billboard, or an onramp.
 

Green Line vs. I-94

[Images from Mike Hicks.]

There has been a lot of great reporting on the Green Line over the last few weeks. Maybe the most interesting for me was Iric Nathanson's historical digging about the grand opening of I-94 in 1968. It seems so difficult to imagine a time when the freeway was new. And to read the quotes from the newspapers, the freeway was met many of the same kinds of kvetching that you'll find today with the LRT.

Here's an example, from a 1968 newspaper:

“Monday afternoon an $80 million concrete trail with a bewildering series of interchanges will open to drivers willing to risk travel between St. Paul and Minneapolis.” Whereatt reported.

“The I 94 loop-to-loop link, constructed on the proposition that people in one city wish to visit people in the other, has no less than 18 interchanges. At some of the intersections you can get on and off. At others you may be able to get off while traveling west, but you cannot get on and go west. At others, you can get off while traveling west, but on only if you chose to go east. The entire thing is baffling to the point where the State Highway Department’s public information in not quite sure of anything except that, with great ceremony, the long awaited roadway will open."

All of these small design details turned out to be massively important. For example, the missing Westbound 94 to Northbound 35W connection meant that Cedar Avenue on the West Bank became a nearly unwalkable traffic funnel. The fact that anything remains of the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood today is a testament to resiliency and diversity. Fifty years later, MNDOT is just now beginning to fix the problems that its design created by implementing a road diet on the street.

There are a thousand like examples: St. Anthony Park, all the razed density between Franklin Avenue and downtown, the acres of "urban renewal" in Saint Paul, and a hundred others. The freeway catalyzed massive changes in the hearts of our cities, scooping out a dingy emptiness that quickly became normal. Who is left to remember what Seven Corners was like?

The Green Line will become normal too, and to ride along it is to feel the impending pressure on the land nearby. Just as the freeway eroded the value of anything it touched, the Green Line is going to change University Avenue. Parking lots will become apartments. Dilapidated buildings will be remodeled. This is all going to happen, and sooner than you think.


The Green Line's Double Edge


Unlike the other LRT projects, the great thing about the Green Line is that it's in the middle of a major street. Some people might see this as a huge disadvantage, causing delays and congestion for cars and transit riders alike. For me, this is the Green Line's secret weapon.

Unlike Hiawatha Avenue, or most of the proposed SWLRT or Gateway corridor routes, here the train transforms the street. University Avenue does not feel remotely like it used to. Cars drive slowly. Eventually they'll begin stopping for pedestrians. There will be crowds and clusters of people at street corners, crossing to and from the platforms. Unlike our city's other transit plans, this is an urban environmental gamechanger.

Riding along the train, I can envision the virtuous cycle taking place. As more and more people ride the train, more and more buildings will be built or improved along it, and more and more people will ride the train... With each turn of the screw, the great choking mass of cars will slowly evaporate until you have a walkable urban place. This is how to plan a transit system. It's not enough to simply add a quick transit option, you must calm traffic at the same time. Doing one without the other is weak sauce.

Transit should be planned not with a whimper, but with a bang. It should run down the middle of the road, not through a park or a freeway margin. Kinks aside, the Green Line will show us how it's done. Eventually, and perhaps not too far from now, it might just feel like living in Europe.*

* Like Bulgaria or something, not the really nice part.

No Bike Parking along the Green Line is Absurd

One of the reasons that Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677) is my favorite philosopher is that he has an amusing habit of calling certain things "absurd." For example, the impossibility of having more than one essence (or "nature") was self-evident, obvious to anyone with the semblance of a rational mind.

I rode the Green Line this weekend, and I'm very pleased with it. That said, there are lot of little details that leave much to be desired. For example, how walkable are the sidewalks alongside the light rail? What are the crosswalks and station connections like? How are the bus connections? Will the land use regulations foster walkability? Will there be bike lanes connecting to the stations?

These are all things that have little to do with the light rail train per se, things far outside the purview of train conductors or traffic signal engineers. But in another way, these little details are the key to the whole enterprise.

For example, look at bike parking. The average 10-mile Twin Cities intra-city light rail connection costs $1,000,000,000. Meanwhile, the average bike rack costs $250. For those keeping score at home, that's a four million-to-one ratio.

[Maths.]

Yet for some reason somehow during the three decades of planning and three full years of construction (including complete reconstruction of almost all of the sidewalks alongside the path of the light rail train), one is hard pressed to find a bike rack anywhere near the new Green Line.

Let's look at a few spots where this lack of the obvious is the most absurd. If "penny-wise, pound-foolish" is a thing, what might you call this?


Spot #1: the Washington Avenue bicycle and transit mall

One major change catalyzed by the Green Line was to re-design Washington Avenue through the University of Minnesota campus into a bicycle and transit mall. There is now a large bicycle-only lane (complete with expensive bicycle-only turn signals) running through the East Bank, which is the #1 place in the entire state of Minnesota where people ride bicycles a lot.

Good luck finding a single bike rack along Washington Avenue, which is lined with businesses where people riding bicycles will stop and do things. Instead, bike riding people will lock their bikes to anything they can find...









Spot #2: the Washington Avenue bicycle and transit mall

Person #1: Hey let's design a street for bicycles, only have nowhere for them to park.

Person #2: OK. Let's spend a billion dollars on it too.

Person #3: I can't think of any problems.

[Repeat for three years.]

[A winter one just for fun.]

Spot #3: the Union Depot

This is a $250,000,000 multi-modal facility next to the $1,000,000,000 train. After a great deal of pleading from the downtown Saint Paul bicycle community, the managers of the Union Depot installed convenient bike parking right by the massive station entrance, which is where 99% of bicyclists riding to the Union Depot will look for it.

[Six months ago: a semi-useful bike rack.]

[Technically, these racks were placed a bit too close to the railing.]

Don't worry, they're gone now.

[Today: the place where bike racks used to be.]

Spot #4: Anywhere else along University Avenue

Oh yeah, there really isn't any bike parking along the ten miles of University Avenue either.

[Don't worry, this bicycle is purely symbolic.]

PS: 

Spot #5: Anywhere in Downtown Saint Paul.