Tim Pawlenty Wants to Waste $$$ Millions on Former Rep. Mark Olson's PRT Pod Boondoggle

[Avidor]

It's b-a-a-a-a-a-a-k... http://www.winonadailynews.com/news/local/article_83e794d2-ea08-11de-a4d0-001cc4c002e0.html">former Rep. Mark Olson's stupid pods... in Winona:

Winona officials gave new details Tuesday of their proposal to use state, federal and private funds for a PRT test lab at the Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical campus. They'll probably have to vie with other cities, as the Minnesota Department of Transportation soon may solicit proposals for PRT test sites elsewhere, a MnDOT official said Tuesday.

That article mentions MnDOT has a pod czar:

MnDOT commissioner Tom Sorel created a post last week to oversee the technology and appointed Mukhtar Thakur as MnDOT's director of PRT development.

A major bridge fell down, our roads are http://www.mn2020.org/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC=%7B311D18CF-4FBF-4D96-AD81-BCF9CBBC3B6F%7D">"literally falling apart" and MnDot has a pod czar.

Here's http://www.dot.state.mn.us/newsrels/09/10/30-prt.html">an MnDOT press release.

The pod people are trying to say PRT is new and innovative, but that's a lie.... PRT has been pushed at the legislature by the worst of the worst anti-transit, right-wing Republicans - Bachmann, Mark Olson, Gen Olson, Krinkie, Vanderveer (and a few clueless DFLers).

Quote from recent http://www.mn2020.org/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC=%7BB0256E30-B0AA-4FBB-955B-8FFC7EE3D1FE%7D">MN 20/20 article about the pods in Winona:

"We would look to the state for some money," Miller said. "PRT needs a pilot project so people can see how it works. It looks good on paper, but people want to know if the cars stay on the track. We could set up a manufacturing plant, too. We've got all the parts here to make it happen."

What'll it cost? According to the promoters, $25 million would pay for a mile-long guideway and 20 cars, enough to conduct a baseline study. Then it's estimated that another four miles connecting downtown and the Amtrak railroad station with college campuses or other destinations would run $100 million to $125 million. Final build-out with more cars and guideways would cost another $50 million

This is Minnesota's latest installment of podcar fascination, a history that dates back nearly 40 years. Nothing ever came of the previous initiatives, at least one of which wasted a $50,000 public investment. In 2004, the Minnesota House voted for $4 million in borrowing for a PRT demonstration project in Duluth, but the proposal went no further.

If you live in Winona, please tell the city council and the mayor to vote no on requesting public funning for the PRT pod boondoggle

Two years later, Rep. Mark Olson, the sponsor of the 2004 initiative, sought House approval for a "serious, unbiased and objective" cost-efficiency study of PRT as an alternative to light rail for the Central Corridor transit project. His amendment failed on a bipartisan vote of 107 to 26. That was the last time PRT was considered in the Legislature, said Rep. Frank Hornstein.

Both Hornstein and Sen. Scott Dibble, who head the transit subcommittees in each chamber, said the Winona proposal has no chance of state funding. "They're not going to get nickel one of public money while I'm around," Dibble said.

Rep. Mark Olson... y'know this guy:



Mark Olson's pods have no support in the MN House where they had to endure Olson's lengthy rants on PRT as well as rants against same sex marriage, global warming and evolution.

I have some of Mark Olson's PRT rants up on You Tube... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTArS_U3CE8 ">here's one.

Here's Mark Olson's http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IhYKkTN70s ">wacky "suicide and death" rant

In a http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2004/04/26_mccalluml_prt">2004 MPR article Michele Bachmann, who always opposed funding for reality-based transit said this about PRT:

"People on the right, people on the left, we have the common goal of moving people with transit, but doing it in the most cost-effective manner, in fact, in a manner that may end up costing no government subsidy, it may end up paying for itself,"

PRT has http://www.lightrailnow.org/facts/fa_prt001.htm">30+ years of controversy and failure

The pod people are always saying PRT is better that reality-based transit because "you don't have to ride with strangers".



PRT has no support among traditional transit advocacy groups in Minnesota (Transit for Livable Communities and the Sierra Club North Star both have resolutions opposing public funding of PRT). Here is http://www.northstar.sierraclub.org/campaigns/transportation/position200404.html">the Sierra Club's resolution.

Pawlenty wants a balanced budget amendment, but he wants to waste millions on the pie-in-the-sky PRT pork project... don't take my word that PRT is pork - http://prt.blip.tv/file/558255/">listen to a former MN GOP legislator describe PRT as pork.

Go to publictransit.us and http://www.publictransit.us/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=212&Itemid=1">download the white paper on pods in Winona, Minnesota.

http://tinyurl.com/WinonNewsPodEdit">Winona Daily News editorial about the pods - "Our view: Space pods seem a little too far out"

Read http://faculty.washington.edu/jbs/itrans/beegle_notes_rochesterprt.htm">notes from MnDOT invitation-only pod "seminar" in Rochester, Minnesota November 17, 2009.

The pod people have crazy http://www.ultraprt.com/mn.htm">plans for Edina, St. Paul and Rochester too!

If you live in Winona, please contact the the city council and your representatves and tell them you don't want them to waste taxpayers' money on Pawlenty's pods.

[geardaddy]

1. Good for Dibble.

:applause:

[Avidor]

2. Reminders of Who Supported PRT and Who Didn't a Few Years Back

This is what our Speaker of the House had to say about PRT back in 2003:

[kenfrequed]

8. Yup.

Definitely a way to waste and drain money from public transit for an experiment that can be denounced later.

[Minnesota Raindog]

3. But just think--if you can ride in a private pod...

...you don't have to sit next to "those" people like you do on the bus or light rail/commuter rail. Isn't that what it's all about?

[Avidor]

4. PRT guys do play the race card

Check out this http://prttruth.blogspot.com/">PRT blog:

"This would actually enhance personal choice, freedom to make trips on YOUR schedule and individual safety (don't have to ride the light rail with the gang members."

The fact is, no neighborhood anywhere in Minnesota is going to cut down half the trees on their streets for an ugly PRT monorail.

Does Tim Pawlenty want PRT on Summit Avenue? Does Gen Olson want PRT in Wayzata and Excelsior?

This is what it would look like:

[Lydia Leftcoast]

5. And that's not even considering the logistical problems

of stations and on-ramps.

I once had a blind date with an engineering type who was a PRT enthusiast. I asked him about the logistics of it, such as, what do you do during rush hour when all of downtown is trying to go home, but they all live near different stops? Do you stop the whole line of pods when one passenger wants to get off, or do you have on-ramps and off-ramps? If so, won't there be backups as there are on freeways? Or will all the pods stop and start at each station?

He admitted that he hadn't thought about any of that.

[Avidor]

6. Yeah... PRT has high geek appeal, but it's totally impractical...

What the experts say about PRT:



- Professor Vukan Vuchic, "Transportation for Livable Cities" (Rutgers 1999):

[kenfrequed]

7. hmmph

The Cat should be eating the riders, as well as the public transit money that it will waste.

[Avidor]

9. Winona Voted for Federal Pod Funding

http://tinyurl.com/poz-winona

"While there was little discussion of PRT during the meeting, the vote came after council members examined the system during a pre-council informational session that lasted more than one hour."

This is the proposed Winona PRT route:

[CatholicEdHead]

10. It is cheaper just to put a walkway in at that intersection across US 61

But not this POD idea. A public walkway would be easier and much safer as there is quite a bit of foot/bike traffic that try to get through that intersection. The MN41/US 61 intersection is one of the most dangerous ones in Winona (along with the 14/61 intersection) but the Pods is an overpriced way for a system that will be underutilized. Just put a walkway with bike rails on the side and it will be much more effective and quite a bit cheaper.

[kenfrequed]

11. What a waste of money

It is an impractical non-solution to a percieved problem regarding the bus system. A problem that was solving itself when gas prices pushed more people into public transit. But the Pawlenty appointed Met council decided to cut service and increase rates during the same period. They were trying to make the system fail when it had the best chance of demonstrating its successes. I expect this was particularly important to them with the wild success of Light Rail Transit.

[Avidor]

12. Please tell Rep. Walz - no Federal $$$ for PRT monorails in scenic bluff country

Winona Daily News - "Leaders line up to support PRT"

http://bit.ly/8XpOyd

MnDOT has made their support for the pods official:

http://www.dot.state.mn.us/transit/index.html

The PRT plan for Winona

[CatholicEdHead]

13. Look at Stage 3

How lazy do you have to be to go on this where it appears to be on the bike lanes on the west side of Lake Winona. Even Stage 2 may impact the bike paths on the east side of Lake Winona between the lake and Highway 61.

Winona is a huge biking town (along with most of the surrounding region) even with the bluffs. I expect this project to fall flat in the long run.