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Regular City Council Meeting Monday, September 18, 2023 Page 3 use if on a bike. She stated the sidewalk is very inconsistent. She thought there was very little consistency throughout the corridor. Councilmember Strahan indicated her concern with the Easy Pass if there is any lane reduction that is going to push more cars into the neighborhoods. She thought this was going to push more cars onto County Road B and B2 as well as greater problems trying to have those B access points for people who maybe do not have a car. A great consideration if going to the HOV lanes is that they are making sure not to reduce the number of lanes they have. She noted HOV lanes are not geared toward people who have economic needs. Those are geared toward people who can pay the most and can access that and it is a struggle for her to see how that is an equitable resolution. She explained in the neighborhood of Lexington and Roselawn there is a large wheelchair apartment building and throughout that area there is inconsistency of access for bikes and is even more pronounced for folks relying on a motorized wheelchair for their mobility. Seeing that it is inconsistent going across Roselawn or other points where it crosses is troublesome for those who need the access. Councilmember Groff concurred with many of those things. He thought walking and biking in that area was very difficult and noise was a factor there as well. Councilmember Etten thought this was very important and agreed with a lot of the comments made by Councilmembers Strahan and Groff. He thought the high points in the presentation were certainly things that he has heard. He thought there are so many other needs besides improvements to Highway 36 for cars and so many needs that the residents in the City are impacted by daily. He thought it would involve working with MnDOT extensively to make improvements to the area. He indicated he would like the north and south connection to be a main concern and to be looked at because it is a main walking and biking area for schools and residents. Councilmember Schroeder thought the Dale Street ramp was horrible and she gets a lot of resident complaints and feedback on that as well as Snelling Avenue. She thought that MnDOT working with all of the other partners will be important to address some of those concerns as well. Mayor Roe noted that one of things talked about in the Comprehensive Plan was the A-Line extension and he did not know when or if that may happen. But he did know the City was going to get the G-Line on Rice and Robert Street, which is on the Metro Transit website and pending funding is being discussed for the project to start the project in 2026-2027 timeframe. He concurred with engagement with students and parents. He stated if looking at improving Highway 36, in terms of how it functions, it can only benefit the City's residential people on County Road B and B2 because one of the big issues the City hears about is when there is an accident or problem on Highway 36, it gets unbearable on County Road B and B2.