Transportation and health: Modes matter
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Two new scientific studies offer a nice complementary perspective on our transportation choices and their often ignored consequences. Continue Reading
Between Hwy. 53’s rock and hard place
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It’s been four years since owners of the Thunderbird iron mine near Virginia, Minn., told state officials they will have to move Hwy. 53 out of the way to allow expansion of their taconite extraction operation. The state is supposed to relocate the so-called Main Street of the Iron Range by 2017 under terms of a 1960 easement agreement, but the Department of Transportation announced last week that it almost certainly can’t meet the deadline. Continue Reading
Zip Rail dreams
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Planners of a proposed high-speed passenger rail link between the Twin Cities and Rochester, Minn., have narrowed their focus to eight possible routes out of 1,200 combinations originally considered. In general, the surviving options would connect downtown Rochester and the Mayo Clinic with St. Paul’s Union Depot or Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, mostly along either U.S. Hwy. 52 or Hwy. 56. Continue Reading
OPINION | Peace in the Valley and transit equity for all
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When compromises are reached at the State Capitol, legislators typically pronounce “Peace in the Valley.” That great old gospel tune popularized by Elvis Presley is actually about death rather than reconciliation, but the political sentiment is clear.
Let’s go for Idaho Stop
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Opinion is divided even among two-wheel-and-pedals enthusiasts, but allowing bicyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs and red lights as stop signs deserves more consideration in Minnesota. Although bicycles can replace motor vehicles for many transportation uses and users, there is no compelling reason that lightweight, foot-powered conveyances should be bound by the same traffic laws as multi-ton, high-speed automotive menaces. Continue Reading
Minnesota thickens biodiesel blend
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Minnesota will be the first state in the nation to authorize a 10 percent blend of renewable biodiesel in petroleum diesel fuel on July 1, AgriNews reports. Continue Reading
D.C. gridlock pauses to stop floods and carp
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In a rare burst of bipartisan harmony in Washington, Congress just overwhelmingly approved a $12.3 billion water resources bill with two critically important measures for Minnesota. Continue Reading
Tardy and detoured, Amtrak struggles to serve
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It should have come as no surprise last week when the long-awaited return of passenger train service to Union Depot in St. Paul arrived more than an hour late. Continue Reading
Broaden the Southwest LRT debate
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As the Metropolitan Council begins mediation to resolve thorny disputes with the City of Minneapolis over the planned Southwest light rail line, little-heard advocates for the environment and the disadvantaged are seeking to join the negotiation. Continue Reading
OPINION | Metropolitan Council plans go wrong, but not as the right imagines
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“Forcing more people to live in multifamily housing … Subsidizing expensive alternatives to driving … Diverting gas taxes and other highway funds … Converting general-purpose lanes to dedicated bike lanes … Undemocratic, grandiose and ultimately destructive … Play[ing] ‘Sim City’ with the lives of Twin Cities residents.”