Re: [Mpls] Lanes on Lake Street

[WizardMarks]

Russell Raczkowski wrote:
Wizard Marks says. . . .
"Three lanes of vehicular traffic is not acceptable. We already have long 
waits in traffic with 4 lanes, it would only get worse."

Russell responds. . . .  

Things are not so simple.  There were proposals before the Lake Street 
PAC for three lanes that had support from several PAC members, and 
"process" has insured that those options are "not acceptable."

WM: Like any deliberative body, one makes one's argument and the body 
decides whether the argument makes sense or not and votes it up or down. 
Those who wanted 3 lanes did not make an argument which held sway. They 
did not have the votes to pass 3 lanes.

What Wizard misses here is that it depends on your vision for Lake Street as
to whether three lanes are "acceptable." 

WM: I haven't missed anything. The traffic is such that reducing the 
number of lanes would result in traffic sitting at lights, pouring 
pollution into the air. As it is, I can seldom leave my house on a 
Friday without an oxygen tank as it is, the windows on the north side of 
my house are usually kept closed.
It is also the case that the three lane option was suggested to accept 
more bicycle traffic. However, we've already spent multiple millions 
creating a bike-exclusive Greenway path/road to pull the bikes off Lake 
St. It really is OK to have a commercial street dedicated primarily to 
auto traffic.

It also has to do with time frame.  Are we willing to spend millions on a reconstruction 
project that will definitely cause  traffic problems in the shortest term for marginal 
traffic "improvement" in the short term supporting a technology (autos) that will 
become obsolete in the longer term (20 to 30 years)?

WM: That's all speculation. Overall, the PAC was unwilling to base it's 
decisions on speculation.

WizardMarks, Central
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