The biggest transit show in Minnesota: The State Fair

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If you want to see the biggest transit show in Minnesota, or anywhere between Chicago and the West Coast for that matter, hop a bus to the new State Fair bus terminal between now and Labor Day. Almost half of fairgoers arrive by bus, and those are now concentrated on the northwest side of the fair grounds. In addition to the new entry gate that replaced Heritage Square (see above), the terminal itself is just temporary fencing and lines painted on the asphalt of the big parking lot that serves the U of M’s St. Paul Campus most of the year. Built on the cheap, the loading and layover areas will need improvement because the buses are crushing the thin asphalt. Even so, it’s a big improvement on the facilities it replaced. Continue Reading

TC Spotlight | Bike shops in the Twin Cities

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Bike shops get the spotlight this week, which may seem odd considering the typical biking season is winding down. But we’re talking about the Twin Cities, where a sizeable portion of the bike community rides 365 days of the year. Around these parts, all seasons are bike seasons.Below we’ve highlighted just a few of the many diverse bike shops in the Twin Cities. Use the comment section to tell us your favorite shops. If you’re a bike shop owner, feel free to use the comment section to tell us more about your shop, and use our calendar to spread the word about any upcoming events.Alley Cat Cycles1621 Harmon Place, Ste 150B, Minneapolis, MN 55403 | 612-486-5807Hours: Mon, Wed, Thurs, Fri 11am – 7pm; Sat & Sun 11am – 6pm; Closed TuesdaysAlley Cat Cycles, formerly Kitsune Cycles, is a hidden gem tucked, appropriately enough, in the alley just south of Hennepin Ave., between Utrecht Art Supplies and Joe’s Garage near Loring Park. Continue Reading

Private sector to the rescue?

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As a newly minted think tank fellow seven years ago, I heard Bob Poole, the libertarian Reason Foundation’s thoughtful and nonpartisan transportation expert, argue in a local luncheon speech that private investment offered the only feasible way out of America’s chronic shortfall in funding roads, bridges, transit and other ways of getting around. Continue Reading

Bike ride offers tour of Minnesota’s African American history

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Saturday, August 23, presents a great opportunity to have an historical experience relative to the African American communities’ presence in Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Major Taylor Bicycling Club is offering its Second Annual Dark 2 Dawn: A Ride Through African American History.

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A tale of two bike paths

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*Comments here are in my individual capacity and not representative of the Jordan Area Community Council*

Over the past few weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to attend a neighborhood events where bike path options have been brought forward–a presentation by the city of Minneapolis about 26th Avenue North, and a Jordan Area Community Council listening session on the Humboldt/Irving Avenue proposal. While I could go into elaborate detail about each project, that’s a topic for another post or two. Instead, what intrigues me as of late is the community perception of each plan. Continue Reading

U of M study finds MnPASS shockwaves work well

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Apparently, there’s something MnDOT calls  “shockwaves” that occur when motorists approach the looney-laned, multi-messaged, maniacal sign montages found in conjunction with the MnPASS lanes on 35W and 394.  According to a so-called “study” by some Highway Department scam at the the University of Minnesota called the Minnesota Traffic Observatory, the “shockwaves” “work well.” Continue Reading

A one-sided fight over St. Paul’s streets

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Under pressure from the City Council last week, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman outlined a $54 million street-improvement program—more than 10 percent of his proposed $515 million operating budget for 2015. Hizzoner thus significantly raised a group of rebellious council members’ bid of $22 million for streets after they likened his earlier plan to “putting a Band-Aid on a broken hip.” Continue Reading

Consider the humble — but ever nimble — bus!

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On the Monday after the blast-off of the Green Line I stopped at a bus shelter for a quick transfer, rejoicing that I was making my way across town – by bus – in record time. As I waited on that sun-drenched morning an elderly gentleman stopped by the shelter to check the new bus route routes and schedules. After a quick perusal of his expanded transit options he declared, “I’m just going to ride ALL of those new routes, just to see where they really do go!” Continue Reading