A streetcar named "SPAM"

[kickysnana]

Short for Minneapolis and St Paul. Another suggestion ICICLE. Now my suggestion was Boondoggle but I am sure someone already suggested that. I lived in St Paul my whole 57 year life. The route the new light rail is taking I took maybe 4 times. It doesn't go where people go.

If they had taken even part of the money they have spent on this ICICLE, SPAM, BOONDOGGLE and made the bus system workable for the citizens in the last 20 years We would be say ahead of the curve and perhaps this BOONDOGGLE would be of some use but that just didn't happen and all the "think happy thoughts" about mass transit is not going to make this anything but a BOONDOGGLE.

Rant over.

http://www.twincities.com/politics/ci_8468568

[Lydia Leftcoast]

1. Since you've ridden the U. Ave. bus maybe four times, you have no idea

how popular it is. It's by far the most frequent bus service in the entire Twin Cities, and it's often standing room only to and from the U. Linking the two downtowns through the University and several immigrant neighborhoods is a much better route than the Hiawatha Line ever was.

It wouldn't take much money to improve the bus system, actually. What they need most is to redraw the existing routes, which are mostly spaghetti additions to the old streetcar routes designed exclusively to carry commuters to work.

They need to ask the question, "How can we make it easy for people to live without a car?" instead of, "How can we get people from downtown and back?" I'd get rid of some of the less-used suburban routes (let 'em suffer if they insist on living way the hell out in Maple Grove or Lakeville)and use the resources to put frequent service on all arterial streets in the cities and first ring of suburbs, seven days a week.

[CubFan7125]

2. Downtown

Here's the problem with your theory. Most people don't travel downtown, they travel from suburb to suburb. T

[Lydia Leftcoast]

3. Right, that's why the CURRENT Twin Cities transit system is so out of whack

It doesn't serve anyone well, not suburban commuters nor city dwellers, because it's still concentrating on getting people downtown.

The people who need transit the most are in the cities and inner suburbs, not in the McMansion areas.

[qb]

4. I have taken routes 50 & 16 dozens of times... usually crammed in the aisle like sardines.

Same with 94B&C. This is a good route. It just doesn't serve elitist suburbanites.

[geardaddy]

5. Why does your profile say

that you live in New Brighton then?

[pengillian101]

6. New Brighton is considered north St. Paul. n/t

[geardaddy]

9. Self delete

[Avidor]

7. Rail Transit is not a "Boondoggle"

Phil Krinkie, Rep. Mark Olson, Michele Bachmann and other clueless right-wing Republicans say rail transit is a "boondoggle".

However they have promoted a true boondoggle:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwA6oSdEahs

Learn more here:

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/03/prt-techno-dream.php

[pengillian101]

8. RE: your post------ Short for Minneapolis and St Paul.

My shortcut name - is like the airport's - MSP.

I lived in the Twin Cities area for lots of years. I always drove to my jobs, because bus service was terrible. A bus from the northern suburbs would take 2+ plus hours and a transfer to Golden Valley. But - I resisted and moved even more north to Sherburne County.

I had a few carpoolers - but that can be weird if you have different employers and schedules and personalities. And then...somebody FARTS in a snowstorm when the windows are up! And nobody owns up - LOL!

Safe commuting to all my fellow Minnesotans!

I am now semi-retired up on the Iron Range and I only have to travel down a short hallway to my computer.

:-)