Public Transit News / Current Events (MN only)

[mullen]

interesting. i see a lot of questionable bus driver behavior. i hope these videos and documents are released and kstp is successful. metro transit serves the public.

[grant1simons2]

Silly question but what gives them the right to obtain the video? They aren't cops...

[mister.shoes]

The Met Council (who runs Metro Transit) is a public agency. The Freedom of Information Act allows citizens to obtain certain information about or pertaining to public/government agencies. The concept of a free press in this country makes them (theoretically) a servant to the public in assuring the transparency of the Met Council.

[grant1simons2]

I feel like footage from a security camera is one of those things citizens don't have access too. But I can see why they should want MT to release the footage, the fact they don't want to release it to a news source is fishy, even if it is KSTP.

[mister.shoes]

The only reason to restrict public access to security cam footage on public transportation provided by a public agency would be to shield badly-behaving bus drivers from any sort of prosecution—in other words, exactly what's going on here. The public has every right to know exactly what's going on with the employees of a public agency when they are in their capacity of serving the transportation needs of the public. And yes, I'm using "public" over and over on purpose. We, as the citizens/taxpayers funding the Met Council/Metro Transit, deserve to know.

[Minneapolisite]

Forgot the link showing all Metro Transit changes/updates as of 8/23. Note the new routes to the burbs with the aforementioned park & rides and that the cities get: nothing.

http://www.metrotransit.org/these-route ... nge-aug-23

[VAStationDude]

My memory isn't what it should be so maybe I'm wrong but I vaguely recall a sizable transit investment coming on line recently.

[MSPtoMKE]

Along with some significant improvements to routes connecting with the Green Line. As an example, the 87 used to be mon-fri 6am to 6pm every 30 mins, now it runs until late at night 7 days a week, and every 20 minutes most of the day. But maybe there aren't enough cool bars along the 87 for it to matter?

[David Greene]

And they don't run on 38th or go to Loring Park.

[Minneapolisite]

Why should people in the city expect to wait less than twenty minutes for a bus? Crazy talk!

[EOst]

Why should people in the city expect to wait less than twenty minutes for a bus? Crazy talk!

It's not as though we have a high-frequency network of buses that is more ambitious and comprehensive than any of the pie-in-the-sky subway plans advocated here.

Oh, hey, wait.

[mattaudio]

Really? The two bus lines near me run at 30 minute frequency. That's not high-frequency.

[David Greene]

And 38th street was the burbs, so why should they get transit?

[mattaudio]

Urban burbs.

[EOst]

Really? The two bus lines near me run at 30 minute frequency. That's not high-frequency.

I'm not saying it's perfect, just to suggest that Metro Transit ignores the city's problems in favor of the burbs is ludicrous.

I wonder what percentage of MT's budget goes to the high-frequency urban routes and the overlapping less-frequent routes. I bet it's a big chunk.

[RailBaronYarr]

Really? The two bus lines near me run at 30 minute frequency. That's not high-frequency.

I'm not saying it's perfect, just to suggest that Metro Transit ignores the city's problems in favor of the burbs is ludicrous.

I wonder what percentage of MT's budget goes to the high-frequency urban routes and the overlapping less-frequent routes. I bet it's a big chunk.

...and they get more out of them. Despite slow service (mixing with car lanes, stopping every damn block), crappier buses (those coach buses to the burbs are pretty nice), and more often than not a lack of any shelter at stations (MT builds shelters for people's cars in the burbs), urban high-frequency routes require far less subsidy per passenger. I'd wager a bet that if you took every urban route and ended it at ~4-5 miles from the city core (cross town routes like 94, 53, etc excluded), those routes would more than likely turn an operating profit for MT.

[David Greene]

Urban burbs.

Whoosh!

[Didier]

Interesting video about the new streetcars coming to Toronto over the next five years.

http://www.blogto.com/city/2014/08/ever ... f=facebook

[twincitizen]

I spotted this thing today (yes, while driving. yes, I'm a bad person)


Southwest Transit's new double decker on NB 35W by twincitizen, on Flickr

[Tcmetro]

They have another one in full SWT colors.