Transit Episode

John is joined by PeggySue Imihy (city planner) and Jonathan Ahn (transit consultant) for a conversation about transit in the Twin Cities. First, we try to answer a philosophical question inspired by Linden Hills: Can trees and bus stations co-exist? We talk about the City of Minneapolis' plan to reallocate space for transit, pedestrians and bikes on Hennepin Avenue -- and the resulting uproar over car parking. As the pandemic persists and a bus driver shortage forces service cuts, Jonathan and PeggySue offer reasons for optimism. PeggySue makes a distinction between BRT (meant to serve existing riders) and rail transit (economic development). Transit fan "Sam in the Wedge" becomes our first caller to ask a question on the air (about whether the city is truly and sincerely pushing for bus lanes on Lake Street -- a street controlled by Hennepin County). PeggySue describes the many cooks in our regional transit planning kitchen, as a way of explaining why the process and results can be so confusing. We talk about the tradeoffs of free transit. Jonathan has an idea to speed up buses downtown. PeggySue helps John find the city of Crystal, MN on a map.

Blue Line light rail extension route information and anti-displacement work mentioned by PeggySue: https://metrocouncil.org/Transportation/Projects/Light-Rail-Projects/METRO-Blue-Line-Extension.aspx

Transit Assistance Program that provides reduced fares to low-income riders: https://www.metrotransit.org/tap-riders

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