[Mpls] auto anxiety

[David A. Greene]

Michael Atherton wrote:
> David Wilson wrote:

>>I drove Hiawatha Ave. today and paralleled the LRT route.  My 
>>experience wasn't as bad as Jason describes (it was aprox.  
>>3:20 pm) but the waiting time at the lights was a quantum 
>>level greater than pre-LRT.  The sequencing didn't make much 
>>sense to me.  I can imagine what that stretch will be like 
>>during rush hour--bottled up, slow-going, anxious, and angry
>>drivers.

What, specifically, didn't make sense?  Remember that a "quantum"
level is not very much at all.  :)  In all seriousness, though, I
honestly haven't noticed much change paralleling the LRT at all.
It may be due to the times I travel, of course.  If anything, I
would expect the cross and turn traffic to be worse and the
straightline Hiawatha traffic to be somewhat better.  It
surprises me to hear otherwise, certainly that it is significantly
worse.  It would be nice to get some measurements from the traffic
planning people.

> Maybe drivers should just ride the LRT. ;-)  Of course riding the 
> LRT would only be a reasonable argument if there was a complete system
> in place, rather than one line.

While I think extending the system is absolutely critical, I don't think
the Hiawatha LRT is useless.  It's a very resonable argument if one
works downtown and travels along Hiawatha (or lives downtown and works
in the southeastern suburbs).  I use it almost every weekday and the
cars headed into downtown are standing room only.  A significant
number of people find it useful right now, even without the Mall
extension.  The numbers (or my percerption of them) surprised the
heck out of me.  They will increase when the line goes all the way
to the Mall.

>>Drivers are willing to adapt to change if things "make sense" 
>>and if they feel that everyone has to endure the consequences.  

Makes sense to who?  Mass transit is going to make perfect sense to
mass transit advocates like myself and roads are going to make
equally perfect sense to driving enthusiasts.  To me, slight delays
in traffic movement are a very small price to pay for the speed and
efficiency of rail, BRT, etc.  Others may disagree.

The real answer, of course, is that we need both in a well-planned
transportation system, not roads and haphazard transit when the
legislature decides to make funding available.  What we _don't_ need
is toll roads and HOT lanes.

                                      -Dave