I am a big supporter of good transit, and I use our family car as little as
possible, biking to work throughout the year. After going to the Rush Line
Open House last night I came away thinking that instead of having light rail
through the East Side of St. Paul they should probably do the express bus down
I-35E.
Why?
It appears to me that this is a commuter line that will only serve the East
Side in a compromised fashion, if at all. If they choose to use the Bruce
Vento right of way, there are still a lot of open questions about what path it
would take to get to downtown St. Paul.
Along the current Bruce Vento Trail it seems it would pass along the businesses
and potential businesses of Phalen Blvd but otherwise only go through people's
backyards and our nature trails and parks (Vento Trail, Swede Hollow Vento
Nature Sanctuary).
What benefit could the light rail bring to the East Side that much better bus
service couldn't? Or that street cars couldn't? If we can't figure out the
benefit to the East Side, I think we should reject it rather than allowing
suburban commuters to tear a path through our neighborhoods. If they want to
get to downtown faster, let's invite them to live on the East Side and enjoy
our great (future) bus service and (future) streetcars!
Can you convince me why LRT on the Bruce Vento Trail would be a win for the
East Side? Thanks!