When the Governor talks about attracting a new Amazon distribution center to Minnesota, does he tout our great bike paths? Er, bike roads? ...
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It's not your imagination. It's not your fault. There's a deliberate campaign by city, county and state transportation planners to get more cars off our freeways and streets. See "Twin Cities Traffic Congestion: It's No Accident" for more specifics. Star Tribune traffic expert Tim Harlow provides the latest example in a piece headlined "Lane Markings on Minneapolis Streets Baffle Drivers." Harlow focuses on the nauseating experience awaiting the 15,000 drivers who will be detoured from the newly closed Franklin Ave.--I-35W bridge onto two east-west arteries in south Minneapolis. Spoiler alert: Avoid W. 26th and W. 28th at all costs! The city recently put...
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SWLRT has hit several walls: a structural operating deficit brought on by the Council favoring LRT expansion and bike lanes over a well-run bus system, a Legislature that has refused to fund SWLRT (though it gave one-time cash to help with the deficit), and The BNSF Wall. These and problems we do not know about have prevented the Council from requesting federal funds. Good. ...
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DFL Governor Mark Dayton’s plan, like many “blue state” governors, uses “transit oriented development” or TOD, to pull money out of the suburbs and greater Minnesota to fund and re-enforce a city centric power model. That model shifts how and where people live, and how they get around, to change the political landscape in favor of left-wing control of local and state government. ...
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This Summer, American Experiment has had a great group of interns. Among many other duties, they have frequently held up a "Stuck In Traffic" banner on a pedestrian crosswalk across Highway 394 during rush hour. The banner is substantially identical to the Center's traffic congestion billboards. They also made a hand-lettered sign that says "Honk 4 Highways." As the end of the Summer approached, the interns made this video that documents their efforts. It includes the sound of lots of cars and trucks honking for highways. The audio features our most recent radio commercial on congestion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_UrWp0sEx4 Thanks to interns Tori Roloff, Josh...
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“In the Council’s mind, it’s like a high-stakes poker game. The Council is betting that by spending hundreds of millions of dollars, they can pressure Congress and the FTA into approving the projects. They talk as if it is a done deal, as if big talk and spending will make it so. But the federal grant program doesn't work that way.” Anoka County Commissioner Matt Look ...
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Surly Brewing Company sends out periodic emails about product launches, etc. Today's email included an entertaining rant about traffic congestion in the Twin Cities. First Surly's email, then a few comments: THE SURLY GUIDE TO ROAD CONSTRUCTION Road construction. The two words that make Minnesotans cringe the most, even more than “Gary Anderson” or “last slice”. It impacts all of us, even non-drivers. There is a road just south of University in Minneapolis that, due to a new apartment building, is down to about half of one lane, but is STILL OPEN TO TWO-WAY TRAFFIC. It’s also open to bikers and pedestrians. It’s basically...
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So why did the Council step up and make a reasonable rate increase now? Answer: They are flying out to DC to lobby Congress and the FTA/DOT on a regular basis trying to secure full funding grants for LRT expansion: Southwest LRT and Bottineau. But the Met Council, and its friends on the Hennepin and Ramsey County boards (Peter McLaughlin, et. al.) have NOT secured federal funding. ...
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Peter McLaughlin is a Hennepin County Commissioner and perhaps Minnesota's foremost advocate for wasteful spending on fixed rail transit. He is a member of the Metropolitan Council's Southwest Light Rail Transit Corridor Management Committee, which met on June 28. At that meeting, McLaughlin railed against Center of the American Experiment and our information campaign on transportation in the Twin Cities. (To learn all about it, go to MNCongestion.com.) This is McLaughlin speaking: . [audio mp3="https://2lffqo2moysixpyb349z0bj6-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/JH-MC-clip.mp3"][/audio] . It is noteworthy that McLaughlin challenged not a single fact set forth in our report, "Twin Cities Traffic Congestion: It's No Accident," which you can download at the...
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It isn't true that building more roads will simply lead to more congestion...
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