2017-03-28_PWETC_Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Member Heimerl suggested that staff include some of the information materials (e.g. Blue Book) as attachments to tonight's meeting minutes for information to the public. As a transit rider to commute to work, including airport travel, using both the A - Line and Green and Blue Lines as well, Member Heimerl questioned the commitment to make public transportation a good fit. Member Heimerl opined that it seemed to receive half commitment at best, using the example of the time required to go from downtown Minneapolis to downtown St. Paul, opining that he could ride his bike faster than that. Since part of that delay was caused by stopping for traffic lights along the way, Member Heimerl questioned why the train didn't get the right- of-way versus cars allowed to dictate to trains, especially given the significant investment in light rail and ultimate goal of attracting ridership with a faster option. If the trains aren't proven successful, Member Heimerl opined that they were just a waste of money; and stated his preference for either a full commitment or abandoning the effort completely. If people were to be encouraged to ride it, Member Heimerl stated that there was the need for a public push to make that happen. Member Heimerl also noted his safety concerns when riding a bus along the shoulder of the Interstate next to a retaining wall, opining it was just an accident waiting to happen. Member Heimerl asked how to get sufficient commitment to support transit; and therefore it had prompted one of his questions as to Metro Transit's overall budget and the percent collected from fares versus that total budget. Member Heimerl opined that the A -Line was a great improvement; but stated if he was a person with limited mobility, he would have concerns at the stations when the bus didn't stop at the same location on the pad each time. Mr. Thompson advised that the buses should do so. If someone was handicapped, Member Heimerl noted the inconsistency could create issues; and suggested that improvements such as this would make a strong statement for customers who would in turn support public transportation. At this point, however, Member Heimerl opined that there was mixed support and therefore mixed messages on the program. Mr. Thompson reviewed the running time for the Green and Blue Lines from one downtown to the other, agreeing that there were significant interruptions at insignificant intersections as pointed out by Member Heimerl. Mr. Thompson gave credit to the City of St. Paul and MnDOT in recent corrections made to improve those issues. Regarding one specific intersection cited in Member Heimerl's email, Mr. Thompson advised that he had spoken to the rail operation staff, who had informed him that some intersections could not have priority (e.g. traffic flow issues from Lexington Avenue onto University due to vehicle stacking at I-94). However, Mr. Thompson agreed that there were some locations where it seemed that trains should have signal priority but didn't at this time. Page 9 of 14