Twin Cities Streets for People

A recent front page article in the Star Tribune cited the head of MN-Dot warning that state transportation funding will face a $50 billion (yes, with a "B") dollar shortfall over the next 20 years. That is an huge amount of money in a state that with a total budget of about $15 billion dollars per year, and that typically spends about $1 billion dollars annually in road construction and maintenance.

But where does this number come from? It comes from a plan suggests a quixotic goal for the state: a transportation system where there are no traffic jams, where all cars are freely flowing at 50 mph almost all of the time. But is that really even possible? Read more >

Is the grass always greener? In the United States we are usually challenged to use local examples of what a good transportation network looks like. Even NYC and Portland, two usual suspects, have their varied issues. David Lazarus at the LA Times thinks:

I hate to be cynical, but I simply can't imagine political leaders at the local, state or federal level telling voters that they support a big increase in gas taxes, sky-high parking fees and high-density neighborhoods.

So don't hold your breath for a public transportation system that rivals what our friends abroad enjoy. It's not going to happen -- at least not until a majority of us agree that we're prepared to accept the trade-offs necessary to bring about such a wholesale change in how we live and travel. 

I am more hopeful that quality of life issues will push this issue and make it relevant for all of us. Imagining a different way of life really is not that much to ask. Read more >