Author
The gentleman from Scott County takes public transit to the Capitol
For the first two months of the legislative session, Shakopee DFL Rep. Brad Tabke spent a lot of time on transit. On the day he was inaugurated, his truck was badly damaged in a three-vehicle wreck. So, he used transit to get to and from the state Capitol four days a week. Tabke’s daily journey […]
Buses, rail, biking, walking and, yes, even some driving: DFL transportation plans
The new D Line is a bus rapid transit marvel that mostly replaced the old Route 5 — the state’s busiest bus route — running past diverse neighborhoods on Portland, Chicago and Fremont Avenues in Brooklyn Center, Minneapolis, Richfield and Bloomington. It has only been running since early December. But it’s already been the source […]
As transit agencies cut service, people in wheelchairs get stranded
One day in late August, a Metro Transit driver of a Route 18 bus, which runs between Minneapolis and Bloomington on Nicollet Avenue, told Leroy Mitchell to get off of his scooter-style wheelchair or disembark to make room for riders boarding an already-crowded bus. Mitchell, a south Minneapolis resident, wasn’t able to. “I said [to […]
Divided Legislature hits usual roadblocks on transportation deal
With the state flush with a nearly $9.3 billion surplus, the Legislature has lots of ideas — and cash — to address transportation issues. Whether any of those ideas will actually happen remains to be seen. Republican and Democratic-Farmer-Labor legislators disagree on how best to address getting around, and the conflict is complicated by global […]
Pandemic dealt a blow to transit — is it permanent?
Jill Adams commutes from Burnsville to work as an academic advisor at the University of Minnesota three days a week but works from home the other two days, taking advantage of the U’s new hybrid work model. “I prefer to work from home,” Adams said. “I like knowing that I can still see students and […]
Self-driving car, you’re about to meet Minnesota winter
ROCHESTER — By the time the twee orange-painted vehicles officially made their debut in Rochester on a sunny morning in late September, Akec Garang had already ridden them twice. Garang, who lives in downtown Rochester, was captivated by the vehicles and how they can handle varying traffic conditions. He stepped on about half an hour […]
Living with rent control, from someone who grew up in rent-controlled housing | Column
I grew up in San Francisco, raised by low-income Chinese immigrants in a building where every unit is rent-controlled. San Francisco has had rent control since the late 1970s. Last year, California adopted rent control statewide, covering buildings built within the past 15 years. Although I struggled with growing up in a rent-controlled unit, I […]
Metro Transit has an excellent low income, reduced fare program, but people aren’t using it
A little known transit assistance program that offers train and bus fare for a buck remains largely untapped by the more than 600,000 metro Minnesotans who are currently eligible. People who are on an array of public assistance programs like Medical Assistance, MinnesotaCare, unemployment, food stamps, energy assistance, free or reduced lunch or live in […]
The great outdoors: Not just for white people
Mai Nhia Xiong-Chan almost didn’t go to the Boundary Waters with her friends this year. Xiong-Chan, who is the vice president of admissions at Hamline University, had some experience camping, but not the strenuous portaging and canoeing for which the Boundary Waters are famous. But Xiong-Chan was glad she went. She was honoring the wishes […]
Reliability problems stall transition to electric buses
DULUTH — Ambitious plans to electrify Minnesota transit bus fleets have thus far run headlong into technological problems. For several years, Duluth and the Twin Cities transit systems have been testing electric buses in an effort to reduce their carbon footprint and air pollution. For the most part, they’re a hit among riders and drivers. […]
Spotty transit access keeps the carless out of vaunted state park system
For the three years Lee Oglesby lived in Minnesota, she went to Minnesota State Parks twice. Oglesby, who got to know the outdoors as a Girl Scout in Florida before relocating to Minnesota to work in publishing, didn’t have a car and hesitated to rely on others to get outdoors. “I don’t wanna impose on […]
As riders return, transit system again faces safety, nuisance issues
Editor’s note: After this story was published, the Reformer became aware that the writer, who was once active in a group called Twin Cities Transit Riders Union, said during a 2018 Met Council meeting, “Abolish Metro Transit Police.” To avoid perceptions of bias on the issue, Pan will not be reporting on transit safety issues […]