I’ve found myself involved in recent conversations about transportation in the Twin Cities region and increasingly these are becoming more frustrating. No, I’m not talking about pothole season. And it’s not just the usual venting about growing congestion, lack of transit options (even with the expansion of light rail) or the inability to safely cross any urban or suburban corridor as a pedestrian. My frustration is growing with the lack of broader “systems thinking” that is needed for truly designing and investing in a multi-modal system for getting around town. A couple of examples have led me to this thinking:
Transit for Livable Communities, an effective regional advocacy organization that is pushing for more transit and transportation options, recently released a map of bike route projects through Bike Walk Twin Cities. http://bikewalktwincities.org/sites/default/files/Project_map_Sept_2009.pdf
It’s a great list of projects but when I take a look at my neighborhood in St. Paul, plus the surrounding area that makes up the whole central area, we are cut off from accessing any of the routes or biking amenities (e.g. Summit Ave, River Road, Lake Como) that can safely connect the neighborhood to some of the greatest assets of the city. Sure, there are plenty of streets, but you take your life in your own hands when you attempt to find a route that crosses University Avenue or I-94; the only options are Snelling, Lexington, Hamline, Dale, etc.—all major arteries that are really only made for cars. (I’ll concede Victoria and Prior as two “ok” options.)
I can’t believe that neighborhoods and communities around the metro aren’t facing some of the same challenges. What’s most frustrating to me is that the bike route conversation seems divorced from the transit conversation, which is divorced from how pedestrians use streets and sidewalks, and so on. In addition, we don’t seem to ever make connections between how we design and use roads for cars with how our roads could be redesigned for other modes, whether they be multi-modal or repurposed for specific modes (e.g. dedicated bus routes, bike routes). I’m no expert on the subject but I’m afraid the richness of this type of discussion has only been relegated to the professionals.
Example #2: Yesterday, I heard a Hennepin County Commissioner, and longtime champion of effective public transit, describe himself as an “infrastructure determinist,” which recognizes that what and where we invest in as infrastructure today will have huge implications and repercussions for how neighborhoods, cities, and the region function in the future. With the growing interest in using more efficient forms of transportation or options that reduce our carbon footprint, lines like the Northstar Commuter rail and the new Central Corridor light rail are often profiled for the localized benefit or conflict they command. These lines are part of a much larger, regional system that must be (and hopefully will be) developed. However, the development of this system is not just about transportation. It will influence the future competitiveness of our region, as talent and capital seeks accessible and livable communities. It will also influence how well parts of the region—whether be by core urban neighborhoods or suburban communities—stay connected to the prosperity of the whole.
We’re living witnesses to what happens as a result of infrastructure investments be they perceived as positive, like the design of robust public park and parkway systems nearly 100 years ago, to those perceived as negative—e.g. the removal of whole neighborhoods for highway construction. Perhaps our forefathers weren’t necessarily thinking in whole systems for these infrastructure investments but we have the chance to do it now. What will be our regional legacy?
Sue – I agree and it’s great to see how different communities are taking on multi-modal and accessibility challenges. There’s still more work to be done – Andriana
Andriana -
Let’s hope those in charge, especially in St. Paul, start thinking more holistically. Good parks and trails are benefits for those of us on wheels too. I’ve lived in Brooklyn Center all my life, and at least in my southeast section, my wheeling options are great. We have sidewalks that I can use to get to the Mississippi (Three Rivers parkway), to shopping (Brookdale and Target) and our library and city hall. For bikers, we have Shingle Creek Parkway, Palmer Lake trails and we’re close to Victory Memorial Parkway and the whole Minneapolis trail system. Even crossing Hwy. 100 on wheels is safe and simple for me. Add to that, the Route 22 bus now stops right outside my front door and I’m finally, after years of transit advocacy, life is pretty near perfect. Here’s to having all of us in the metro have that kind of future.