Twin Cities Transportation Issues (Minneapolis, Eden Prairie: 2014, insurance, credit card)

[Beenhere4ever]

Originally Posted by golfgal

https://twitter.com/TotalTrafficLA

Don't know what drivers do out there. Must be crashes by the hundreds! I certainly will never rent a car there. Whatever it costs to have someone else drive, I'll pay it!!!!

[Beenhere4ever]

Only a matter of time till the Star Tribune printed a letter like this (realistically they must get dozens and don't have the space to print the same thing over and over):

ROAD CONSTRUCTION

Too much is being done at once in Twin Cities

Congratulations to the fine people of the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Surely your intention in starting simultaneous construction projects on Hwys. 169, 13, 494 and 101 — as well as on Flying Cloud Drive in Eden Prairie — was a coordinated effort to infuriate as much of the west and southwest metro as humanly possible (“The Drive” blog, July 29). So on behalf of everyone who has to commute to or from that side of town, I say thank you. Mission accomplished.

ADAM SKOGLUND, Eagan

Maybe this is a conspiracy by our ruling elite to get SW suburban people screaming "we want light rail yesterday!"

[Beenhere4ever]

Sugar toxicity is an unexamined danger on our roads. Many people carb load like marathoners but live like couch potatoes. The result is a continuous state of sugar toxicity, which affects many vital functions necessary to drive safe. The Department of Public Safety is totally focused on distractions and substances like alchohol. To my knowlege they don't even track circumstances suggesting sugar toxicity. They should be. Under the influence of sugar toxicity, you can lose sleep you need PLUS you can black out behind the wheel. I'm not sure if the literature is even reaching the national traffic safety authorities. But it is something I've been aware of for some years. Frankly, a Dunkin Donut could be as bad as two beers for some people. Trouble is, due to publicity and DWI laws, people are more likely to eat the donut.

Background: Driver obesity and the risk of fatal injury during traffic collisions -- Rice and Zhu -- Emergency Medicine Journal

[Beenhere4ever]

Anybody mention this Twitter feed? https://twitter.com/MSP_Traffic

[Beenhere4ever]

This is all the world needs when trying to get people to park and ride. Granted it is in Michigan where the economy is much worse, but geez. By the way, Minneapolis has had a sporadic problem of street parkers losing catalytic converters too. All you need is SOMEONE locally who'll give cash for stolen converters.

Beware motorists: thieves in some states have been targeting cars parked in carpool lots. According to a story from an NBC affiliate in Grand Rapids, Michigan, cars parked in park and ride lots have been targeted by thieves.

[Beenhere4ever]

Louisiana prohibited social media while driving. Guess that outlaws use of Twitter to hear about wrecks. Once again, I think an audio source on that is better. Louisiana should follow up with a state-operated radio frequency people can turn on while stuck on the freeway.

For those of you with Onstar or some GPS app, the law wouldn't seem to apply to you since you can't actually post on those things.

[Beenhere4ever]

On a shopping trip, I saw a lady on a scooter, and it occurred to me we're well on our way to one of my dreams where thousands of scooters (or other motorized two-wheelers) were everywhere. Got me to thinking about my hemming and hawing about buying myself one of those. I'm a bit heavier than most riders. That's been an impediment, at least in my mind.

I wonder if MN law prevents the two-wheeled motorist of going through freeway traffic, taking advantage of the narrow width of the vehicle.

And then the last thought: Suburbanites won't ride buses because the stops aren't walking distance. But they might be biking distance. And Metro Transit buses have racks you can load your bike on. Riding a bike in a suit is common elsewhere in the world. And nowadays suits are less and less necessary. A dress shirt and a tie fills most work needs. Just seems to me a person could cut their miles driven a whole lot. Plus buses have privileges on freeways that commuter cars don't. I actually did what I'm talking about. There's a big hill on the way to where I work. Most of the trip was pretty easy except for that hill. So I'd load my bike on the bus and ride until I just had a short distance to where I worked.

[Beenhere4ever]

The Star Tribune reported how light rail projects are in trouble other places as well as here. I think the novelty has worn off and now the drawbacks are coming to the fore. Transit is a tool that will have to go forward, but I'd predict that all the other options are now going to be aired out. Plain fact is all this stuff was pushed aside too long due to the American love affair with the auto. And that was the doing of petroleum, auto makers, and Madison Avenue. The idea that you can ignore everything but highway building, run up huge debts on every government level, rediscover what you jilted, and then just put it in is part of the romantic imagination of the American mind. The war on taxes of every kind has eroded the naive support of big government projects. Most of us sat on the sidelines when the propaganda was painting TAX as demonic. Now there is going to be a price for that apathy. We won't just get the toys that we fancy right now.

LRT fight risks project | Star Tribune

[stuckinsj]

Man ... Beenhere4ever you really need to get out more. Visit Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Portland, and Seattle because they are building light rail like crazzy and ridership is breaking expectations and almost (I'm sure there are people like you in every city) everyone loves it.

[Beenhere4ever]

And, once again, we have someone saying "keep up with your peers". As though the basis of good government is what matters elsewhere, regardless of impact on who is here. That's high school thinking. And it is a reason why maturity beats enthusiasm.