[Mpls] Light Rail Report and Sails aflutter on 35W.
In the event the Legislature decides not to vote funds for the maintenance and operation of the Hiawatha Light Rail line.. http://www.railbike.com/history.htm Here's another great transportation solution from a Mpls/Issues regular: --- "When the gas runs out, or gets so expensive no one can afford to drive, I thought the below level freeway would be great flooded. We could start a whole new industry here in taxi boats, bus boats, etc. with ski taxis and bus skis in the winter. Sails aflutter up and down 35W--what a sight!" Wizard Marks, Central http://www.mnforum.org/pipermail/mpls/2001-March/001401.html -------- Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] City to Replace home grown Hispanic Stores with Corporate Blandness?
I heard that Nash Finch, a corporate food chain wants to put a chain-style, hispanic oriented supermarket called Avanza in the former Sears building. If this were true, it would likely seriously affect the homegrown hispanic stores that have worked so hard to revitalize Lake Street. Why would a city agency consider doing such a thing? Is there a Hispanic business organization fighting this? ...and where is the Mayor and the City Council on this? We can't exactly be celebrating our spicy hot multicultural community and and at the same time help a corporation turn Lake Street into Suburban Vanilla . Perhaps Steve Brandt can look into this. Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Pedestrian Killed at Nicollet and 38th
>From the Pro Bike/Pro Walk Conference last September:
".As Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak put it last week at an
international biking and walking conference held in St. Paul: "It's time
to recognize that this is not a marginal conference. "This is where we
need to go with our daily lives."
http://startribune.com/stories/781/3216473.html
>From the Strib:
http://startribune.com/stories/462/3481193.html
"Minneapolis woman killed in pedestrian accident"
David Chanen
Published Dec. 7, 2002
A 42-year-old Minneapolis woman died after she was hit by a van as she
crossed Nicollet Av. S. at 38th St. The van driver was eastbound on 38th
and had turned left onto Nicollet when she hit Janet Jones about 2 p.m.
Thursday, according to police. Jones died two hours later at Hennepin
County Medical Center in downtown Minneapolis.
Nobody was arrested.
Ken Avidor
Kingfield
___
Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy
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[Mpls] "....Even in this prosperous time..." -McLaughlin
Peter McLaughlin: "Even in this prosperous time, many communities are not effectively connected to the economy. Revitalizing our south Minneapolis neighborhoods require reconnecting them to the broader economy. We can do this with infrastructure, like the Hiawatha LRT line, the Midtown Greenway, new freeway access to and from I-35W." http://www.midtowncommunityworks.org/petermclaughlinp.html _ "Prosperous Time?" Ken Avidor STRIDE http://www.stride-mn.org Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Pedestrian killed at 38th and Nicollet
>From the Strib: http://startribune.com/stories/462/3481193.html "Minneapolis woman killed in pedestrian accident" David Chanen Published Dec. 7, 2002 A 42-year-old Minneapolis woman died after she was hit by a van as she crossed Nicollet Av. S. at 38th St. The van driver was eastbound on 38th and had turned left onto Nicollet when she hit Janet Jones about 2 p.m. Thursday, according to police. Jones died two hours later at Hennepin County Medical Center in downtown Minneapolis. Nobody was arrested. Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Where is the mayor on the 35W expansion?
Pre-election RT- http://www.mnforum.org/pipermail/mpls/2001-March/001360.html [Mpls] Ramps: Why are we doing this, again? R.T.Rybak [EMAIL PROTECTED] Thu Mar 15 09:29:01 2001 "With all the controversy swirling about the 35W on-off ramps, it would be helpful if we could step back for minute: Could some objective person involved walk us through the basic question: Why do we need to move ramps? What's wrong with the current allignment? Is this all about creating "flyover ramps" to the old Honeywell property? -Post-election RT- Minnesota Public Radio -- Midday http://news.mpr.org/play/audio.php?media=/midday/2002/12/03_midday1 R.T. Rybak: The 35W Access Project is one that has to do with how the area around Lake Street, the former Honeywell ... how Wells Fargo Mortgage area will come into play. For people who are listening to this, there are a number of different issues about how we get all of this traffic into Lake Street and then into the new Wells Fargo area." Ken Avidor STRIDE http://www.stride-mn.org Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] 38th and 35W- The "Ellipse-About"
Tom Johnson says: "Mr. Avidor refers to the meeting at Horn Towers where I said that the current ellipse-about concept may need to be refined, taking another shape. I probably also mentioned that some neighborhood residents are concerned that at pedestrian crossings at the 2nd Avenue/38th Street and Stevens Avenue/38th Street intersections and signals may need to be provided for pedestrian safety. If this occurs, the function of the ellipse-about or roundabout could change. A specific traffic analysis will be prepared at these intersections during the detailed design phase to help respond to this concern. I apologize if my comments concerning this matter were confusing at the Horn Tower meeting. " AVIDOR: The function, design, shape of the "ellipse-about" will have to change... it will change because there's no guarantee that motorists coming off a 35W will volunteer to stop for pedestrians and bicyclists. The frequent crashes we have now near 35W are the result of motorists' difficulty in making the adjustment from fast freeway to slow city street driving. The "mitigaton" shrubbery , trees and curved approaches will help make this intersection a killing zone for bicyclists and pedestriansmost likely , the victims will be children. So the design will have to change to prevent killing children by including stoplights and walk signs.which will make it a plain, ordinary on and off ramp. Then there's the cost of maintaining the shubbery, trees and grass. What is the dollar amount the City of Minneapolis will have to pay to buy and maintain the Access Project "mitigation".? Will the shrubbery always look like it does on the models and plansor will it look more like what we got now alongside highways...weed patches festooned with litter...Kingfield can do without that kind of "gateway". In these tough economic times, when all levels of government (except for the military) are facing what amounts to "structural adjustment" the City and County needs to pay close attention to how we spend moneywe can't approve a project that is uncertain whether it is safe, what it will look like or even what it will cost to buy and maintainwould you buy a house that way? Ken Avidor STRIDE Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] 38th & 35W-About That "Ellipse About."
>WizardMarks, Central WM: I called Tom Johnson at 4:58 p.m. today. He stated that he never said anything even remotely like what you have here, Mr. Avidor. He did say, however, that "the elipse about is central to the design and we intend to build it." AVIDOR: I distinctly heard Tom Johnson express his doubts about the "ellipse-about" at Horn Terrace, Tuesday, November 19th and I have at least one witness who will back me up. If Tom Johnson still considers the "ellipse-about" to be the centerpiece of the Project, with or without fountains...I invite him to join this forum and set the record straight himself. Perhaps he can also let us, the Mayor and the City Council know how much $ the City will need to kick in on the "mitigation". Ken Avidor STRIDE Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] 38th and 35W
I would be happy to argue whether roundabouts or ellipse abouts are a needed, useful or desirable addition to my neighborhood but Tom Johnson, the Project Manager of the 35W Access Project has already stated his doubts about whether the ellipse-about is still in the plans. Given the projected budget deficit, I doubt a fancy frill like the ellipse-about with landscaping and fountains on top will make it past the sharpened pencils at the legislature. ...and speaking of budgetshow much is the city going to have to kick in for the Project's "mitigation"? Ken Avidor STRIDE Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] 35W Expansion Project-The Planned Economy
Wizard Marks writes: "There is an assumption that this mini-revival (on Lake Street) is a permanent fixture. I think that assumption doesn't hold up to scrutiny. Many of the businesses are micro-businesses which plays to a particular group of immigrants. They are a stepping stone. Once they grow, the spaces they now have on Lake St. will not be enough. As this group assimilates, there is no guarantee that they will continue to cluster on Lake St" AVIDOR: The 35W Expansion Project supporters have an amazing ability to see way into the future...it's wonderful how they can chart the business plan of all those immigrant-owned stores and restaurants on Lake Street! The Saigon Restaurant in my neighborhood has been here for ages and shows no sign of leaving...they must not have seen Wizard's business plan. WM-"Their land connection, their home place is far away. In a generation, they will be fluent in English (children grown) so that they will not necessarily choose to live here. Or to stay here as businesses. Incubator and micro-businesses cannot, over the long haul, strengthen Lake St. to produce the kind of taxes we need to generate. If we're going to do this project, we want the positive effects to last at least 20 years. A large percentage of micro- and incubator businesses have not yet passed the five year mark. If taxes are raised suddenly to where we would want them to be, every business goes down. They're too small to bear that burden." AVIDOR: And a big-box business, like K-Mart for instance has what it takes to stay in business? WM-".If we juice the engine with bigger businesses with a history of success in this type of half-and-half environment AVIDOR: Can we really afford to continue to "juice the engine" of private enterprise? Is the $150+ Million worth it? WM:"..Not that many of these incubator and micro businesses are particularly interested in serving the general public at this point. Other than food products (in restaurant form or grocery form) may be all of the goods on offer I'm likely to need in all these businesses. These businesses are intent on playing to their choir, which is totally OK. However, I still have to leave the area for many of the things I need to buy--virtually all the things I need to buy. I really don't want to be pushed out of my neighborhood. I would like to be able to buy locally. AVIDOR: I really don't think the Somali, Asian or Mexican store owners have any intention of pushing Wizard Marks out of her neighborhood...I'm sure they would welcome her if she came into there stores. I was sorry to see the Grand Avenue Bakery close in my neighborhood...but now I walk 3 more blocks to the Marissa Bakery at Nicollet and 38th and get bread and pastries thereI can't speak Spanish but their baked goods are delicious in any language and they've never refused my money. WM:"... it's very interesting that among all of the new businesses on Lake St. East of the bridge, there may be a handful of businesses owned and operated by African Americans, the largest single minority group in this area." AVIDOR-Should the race and nationality of the business owners be matched with the race and nationality of the neighborhood? And how is this to be accomplished? This sort of thinking on the part of the 35W expansion supporters reveals their desire to control the economy of South Minneapolistime and again they reveal their discomfort with the economic revival of South Minneapolis because it is happening naturally, without any input from them... rather than cover this grass-roots, economic miracle with concrete and Wal-Mart (WALL-MART!), I suggest they learn to get used to the taste of lychee nuts, curry and burritosit's a lot more fun and a lot cheaper than expanding the freeway to accommodate a suburban-style, big-box "Regional Retail Center". Ken Avidor STRIDE Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] 35W Access Project-Urban Legend
peaking) exist in thriving areas? What kind of stores would you personally prefer at 38th and Nicollet? > But giving 38th the traffic it historically had so that the comercial > zoning on the street has more of a chance to make the jump from > getting by, to truely thriving, is a start. I admit, making sure the > parking remains after construction, is a real concern. Yes, after we invite all those cars into the neighborhood, we got to put them somewhereand how many affordable homes will be demolished for that or how much money will city taxpayers be asked to pay for ramps to save the homes? > I can understand wanting to change something to make it better. I've > done quite a bit of that myself. But to take the position of what we > got is the best solution, so no build? "No Build" is like "No Buy" ...We have to say "No" to this lemon before the salesman will show us another deal...and there will be other deals. > And that IS what no build > means-leave it just like it is. I won't do that. I believe we can do > better than the interchange we got now. "Interchange"? The small businesses and homes at and near 38th and Nicollet are a part of our neighborhood and many of us would like to keep it the way it is...and it is a very positive thing to protect and preserve a neighborhood. Ken Avidor STRIDE Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] 35W Access Project-Urban Legend
Tom Holtzleiter writes: "At 38th street I see the same thing without the big empty parking lot. Instead right around the area up and down the streets (Nicollet and 38th) are empty buildings, or often struggling businesses. " Avidor: This is the the same thing the Access Project Supporters say about Lake Street. It's so untrue! See for yourself... Business is thriving on Lake Street and business is thriving at Nicollet and 38th Where did this "urban legend" come from? Ken Avidor STRIDE Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] 35W Access Project-Lessons from the Past
Wendy Introwitz Pareene writes: "But it is not like that at 46th Street, and at Diamond Lake Road there = is a vibrant little business district a block off the interstate. I = wonder if the combination of blocking off Nicollet with that ugly K-Mart = parking lot, plus the ramps at 31st and 35/36th Streets combined to = create the terrible blight at 35 & 36th?" Avidor- There is a much better understanding these days about what excessive auto traffic does to communities. Even the Access Project supporters admit that excessive automobile traffic does terrible things to communities. The Access Project supporters, however like to make a distinction between the effects on residential (bad) and the effects on business (good) but there isn't clear evidence that increased auto traffic is good for small business nodes like Nicollet and 38th Street. Nicollet and 38th Street is a combination of small businesses, much of which are minority-owned and homes High traffic areas tend to favor suburban-style franchise businesses like what you see at 46th Street. Such businesses require a lot of big, ugly signs and pavement to attract a high volume of customers in automobiles. This sort of development discourages pedestrians and creates a high-rent, franchise-based economy that makes every neighborhood look the same. But high traffic areas can degrade a small business node like the one at 35th and Nicollet Avenue because it's simply a bad fit for that community. In high traffic areas, people have less time to notice the subtle attraction of small businesses...if 38th Street became as hectic as 46th Street or 35th Street would anyone have the time to be seduced by the wafting olfactory allure of Shorty & Wag's wings and ribs? Cities are human eco-systems. Since cars were introduced into that eco-system in the last century, they have behaved as unpredictably as a Buckthorn or Eurasian Milfoil. The fact that we see Milfoil and Buckthorn in many places is no reason to allow it to spread further. There is a limit to our power of imagination...we have made so many mistakes based on faulty evidence and a hasty process. When it comes to the decision to move the ramp to 38th Street we should follow the Hippocratic Oath and "first, do no harm." Ken Avidor STRIDE Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] 35W Access Project-The Golden Rule
Kimberly Goodman wrote: "I know we as neighbors may not agree on this one since each of us is impacted differently. When I try and look a the big picture, including how the freeway should have included access at Lake and 38th back when it was built, and the overall benefits and impacts for all of Central, I have a different opinion than when I look at what it will do my friend's front yards on 2nd Ave. " Avidor- We can't avoid the moral dilemma the 35W Access Project puts us in. Automobiles like all powerful technologies benefit some and make others suffer. How do we "do unto others" in this case? Are the supporters of the Access Project really looking at "the big picture" when they say we must sacrifice one neighborhood for the greater good of another? There is a far greater picture that concerns what this auto-centric project will do to encourage more driving, more polluting, global warming, more crashes and more wars for oil. Instead of deciding which neighborhood to dump on, I think we should instead explore ways of reducing the car traffic burden for all while increasing human access with transit, bicycling and walkingthis is the plan of cities like Portland and Bogota. More on the Golden Rule and how some very religious people apply it to transportation at: http://www.whatwouldjesusdrive.org Ken Avidor STRIDE Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] 35W Access Project-Access to information
Scott Persons writes: "The ellipse-about ramp that is being created as part of this is one of the truly innovative parts of the project. So much of infrastructure project work is by definition mundane, it's so nice to see a feature like this that we can be excited about." Avidor- Tom Johnson said at Horn Terrace last Tuesday that the "ellipse-about" may no longer be a part of Project. He also said in response to my question about bicycle access on Lake Street that he didn't know whether bikes would be allowed on Lake Street. I reminded him that one of the engineers at the Thursday Open House said that bikes would be banned from Lake Street. Later in response to another question about bicycle access to the Greenway he said I would have to walk my bike on the sidewalk 2-3 blocks to get to the Greenway entrance. This points up one of the most frustrating aspects of the debate so far. We don't have easy access to precise information on the Access Project. Smith Parker was given a lot of money to develop and sell this project to the neighborhoods...so why don't they have a state of the art web site where we can go and easily find out whether bikes are allowed on Lake Street or whether the "ellipse-about" is still in the project or how much the whole thing costs? Another frustrating aspect for me is when I or someone else voice objections, we are put down as naysaying Nimbys who support the status quo. Then we are challenged to "come up with something better". People have a right to object without offering a counter-proposalcritics of this Titanic should not be required to build their own ocean liner before they get a chance to say it has too few lifeboatsSmith Parker was paid a lot of money ($2 million?) to hire experts to develop a plan...it should be judged on its own merits. We should never approve a huge project like this until every detail is clear and out in the open. I recommend that the process to approve the Project be halted until Smith Parker can put the Access Project on the web. For independent information on the 35W Access Project on the Web, go to: http://www.stride-mn.org Ken Avidor STRIDE Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] 35W Access Project-Fantasy vs Reality
Councilman Zimmerman has a letter about the 35W Access Project in today's Strib: from the Star Tribune letter to the editor sections at http://www.startribune.com/stories/1519/3443174.html ** The Fantasy World of the 35W Access Project met the Real World last night at Horn Terrace. The residents, all pedestrians, many of them disabled had a lot of questions about how this auto-centric project will change their neighborhood. Will waiting on a median in the middle of a widened Lake Street be as pleasurable as the the Access Process people say it is? They wanted to know if snow and ice will be kept clear of sidewalks and the median. They wanted to know how many pedestrians could fit on a median...especially if they were in wheelchairs. One woman said she would be scared of taking the elevator in the middle of the bridge to the transit station. Picture yourself doing this...especially at night and you'll see what she means. A man asked how the project will effect wind on Lake Street...will the destruction of existing structures create a "Venturi effect" under the bridge? this is not a small matter for pedestrians when you consider that an increase in wind speed at sub-zero temperatures can create dangerous wind chill. Did they conduct wind tunnel tests? I asked about the danger of the bus lane criss-cross. We were told that a crash would be impossible because of signals and careful bus drivers. The Horn Terrace residents did not share the confidence of the Project Managerthey had seen bus drivers run red lights and almost run them down. I brought up the problem of air quality in the transit station...will a transit station in the middle of the freeway, four lanes of cars on each side become a toxic gas chamber for transit riders? Look for more Real World questions at the Stride Web site; http://www.stride-mn.org Ken Avidor STRIDE Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] 35W Access Project-On being "nice.
Wizard Marks writes: "...I know for darn sure that horsing around with who hired who and where their allegiances can be assumed to lie is a colossal waste of time. And mean too." Avidor: When it comes how $150+ Million of the taxpayers' money is spent, I think we should spend as much time as possible getting our questions answered properly...haste makes waste There's an old trick that used car salesmen use to size up customers. They drop a book of matches and if the customer bends over to pick it up for the salesman, the salesman knows it's going to be an easy sell. "Nice" people don't ask a lot of questions... Is asking questions about how our money is going to be spent on a big highway project like the 35W Access Project "mean"? Sometimes it isn't "nice" or comfortable to talk about our money and how it's spent. Don't worry about looking like an "angry" citizen. Don't worry about hurting the feelings of politicians by asking how your money is being spent. Harry Truman had some good advice for politicians who take offence to questions and criticism "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen" Ken Avidor http://www.stride-mn.org Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] No Access for bikes on Lake and Nicollet
The "Access Project" will deny access to bicyclists to the section of Lake Street they intend to widen...this was revealed by one of the engineers at the Open House at Phelps Park the other night. The engineer then suggested that bicyclists will use the Greenway trench .(made even more subterranean by the addition of a wider bridge and a new flyway)... There's a lot of problems with making the Greenway trench the only way east-west corridor next to Lake Street for bikes. The Greenway has too few entrances and exits. The Greenway is still unfinished. It has no shops or services and it's a lonely place at night. Also the amount of construction planned for the Greenway trench to rebuild and replace bridges makes the Greenway an uncertain route for many years to come. The new entrance to the trench will be on the East side of 35WHow will bicyclists on the west side of 35W get to the Greenway if they are banned from crossing over at Lake Street? This points up a major flaw in the 35W "Access" Project designit is primarily SUBURBAN in nature. Cities were created to facilitate transactions...commercial social and cultural. A house is simaler.. homes are where transactions take place...the bathroom, the kitchen, the dining room. Good design in homes tries to maximize the space where transactions take place by reducing the need for connecting hallways...nobody buying a home asks "how many hallways does it have?" The Access Project essentially is about increasing connecting space for car traffic instead of preserving or creating those places where tranactions take place. This is why the project will increase car traffic rather than reduce it. It assumes that pedestrians like to walk past long stretches of empty "green space" Did they bother to ask the pedestrians there now why they walk on Lake Street?...if they did they would learn that they walk to get somewhere..to work and to shop...the elimination of stores for big expanses of nothingness creates a burden and a visual reminder that they are "too poor to own a car". This is the thinking of affluent engineers and planners who drive a lot...If they were pedestrians, they would realize that the sort of "green space" they depict in their plans and models will for most of the year not be green, but cold, barren windswept areas...People like to look at storefronts as they walk...like affluent folks do in Linden Hills and Saint Anthony Park ...why not Lake Street? The historic problem with suburban-style "green space" near busy intersections in cities is they are very noisy, dirty , and covered in trashnot an ideal place for a picnic. I predict that the "green space" planned to replace a vital business district will remain a business district for hookers, drug pushers and other illegal businesses. Illegal activity of this sort does not pay taxes...we are demolishing tax-paying businesses to subsidize a tax-free, illicit drug and prostitution enterprize zone. If the planners of this project were pedestrians they would see how awful it would be to cross a widened Lake Street...the medians only add insult to injury. Imagine standing on a median in winter, the noise and pollution, the slush splashed by cars on all sides...waiting...now imagine you are crossing with small childrencarrying bags of groceries...or that you are blind or in a wheel chair... Walking and bicycling are my prefered mode of transportation. This project pretty much denies me the freedom to choose how I gain access to a important intersection and a vital commercial district. For others, children, the poor and the disabled who live nearby, walking is not a choice. The least able to adapt will suffer the collateral damage if we allow this brutal, big-box, autocentric, suburban invasion of South Minneapolis to happen. Ken Avidor http://www.stride-mn.org Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] "Council member charges untoward coercion on I35W ramps"
>From the Strib article: "The debate over a proposed Interstate Hwy. 35W access project in south Minneapolis took a volatile turn Thursday night when a City Council member alleged backroom deals and political pressure by project backers. Council Member Robert Lilligren alleged that, despite a facade of public participation in project decisions, heavy pressure is being put on opponents to support corporate interests favoring the $153 million effort, which would add ramps at Lake Street and shift others. Read the entire Strib coverage of last night's 35W Access Project "Open House": http://startribune.com/stories/462/3433190.html Also the second part of the Spokesman-Recorder's series on the Access Project: http://www.spokesman-recorder.com/News/Article/Article.asp?NewsID=18645&sID=4 ** There's one last "Open House" Saturday November 16 - Fifth Precinct - 3101 Nicollet Avenue -10:00 a.m. to noon This is probably the last time the taxpayers of Minneapolis can get an idea of what an expensive, ill-conceived boondoggle this Access Project is. Ask lots of questions...if you think you're getting evasive answers, keep asking questions. This is your money they want to spend. The impression I got at the meeting last night was that we have only seen the tip of the iceberg as far as what this project will cost. Ken Avidor http://www.stride-mn.org Kingfield . ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Highlight From Monday's 35W Access Project "Open House"
Tuesday's Open House was a dreary and sad example of how the 35W Access Project has divided the commmunities along 35W...like a civil war, it was neighbor against neighbor, friend against friendthe process has encouraged citizens to scramble selfishly to get whatever they can out of the project with no regard for the greater community. The invocation of the late Senator Paul Wellstone in support for the highway project by a self-proclaimed Republican was perhaps lowest point of meeting for me. The highlight of the evening for me was when Wizard Marks helped the confused engineers figure out which side of a city bus has doors. Wizard is correct in saying the scale of this project is breathtaking. Taxpayers, hold onto your wallets. Ken Avidor STRIDE Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] 35W Access Project
I recommend reading Issac Peterson's excellent 2 part series about the so-called Access Projectinteresting quotes from a letter written by Mayor Sayles Belton about her concerns for the community... The first part is at http:www.spokesman-recorder.com The second part is not yet on the web so you will have to go out and buy the paper...a bargain for fifty cents. I also recommend the new and improved stride web site... http://www.stride-mn.org ...for the latest info on the Access Project. ...and if you dont have something more fun planned for tonight...like a root canal...endure the Access Project's "open house" tonight... Thursday, the 14th at Phelps Park-701 East 39th Street 7-9 pm ... for a two-minute chance to say something about it. ...Ken Avidor STRIDE Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] The 35W Access Project
In today's Strib article on th 35W Access Project they list the Phillips Partnership as a source for information on the Access Project. There is no official "AccessProject.org website that I can find...you have to go to the "www.phillipspartnership.org" to get Access Project info on the web. Who is the "Philips Partnership?" Sounds like some folksy sort of neighborhood group, huh? >From their web site... "The Phillips Partnership is comprised of top executives of prominent corporations and non-profit organizations, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, Metropolitan Council Chair Ted Mondale, and Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin. Commissioner McLaughlin and Jim Campbell, retired CEO of Wells Fargo, serve as the Partnership's Co-chairs.. " Also...Tom McGrevey and few other businesses aren't the only ones against the projectthere's a solid and growing group of ordinary citizens from different neighborhoods against the Access Project. Check our website : ( http://www.stride-mn.org ) or go to the corner of 31st and 2nd Avenue and look at the banners and signs in yards and on neighbor's houses...STRIDE is having a tough time keeping up with all the requests for signs and banners... I wish the Strib would have looked into the role of the law firm , Smith Parker in the 35W Access Project... Smith Parker manages the whole 35W Access Project on behalf of the Phillips Partnership and Hennepin County. The Phillips Partnership includes Wells Fargo, Allina/Abbott Hospitals, Fannie Mae, Hennepin County, and the Met Council. Smith Parker is a law firm which does extensive lobbying and public relations work. They are involved in just about every single transportation project in South Minneapolis. They have recently been selected by the MetCouncil to manage the region's "Smart Growth" initiatives. Smith Parker's client list includes Allina/Abbott Hospitals and Wells Fargo, who (surprise) will directly benefit from the project's recommendations. You can find Smith Parker's client list at http://www.smithparker.com/selclients.html - I wish someone would do an article on "Public/Private Partnerships" ...the kind that Smith Parker specializes in.what is the role of these very powerful organizations in a democracy? Should we always assume that such partnerships will always do "nice" things for us?Perhaps we need legislation to protect communities from these "partnerships" that carry so much combined economic and political clouteven Smith Parker seems to agree... >From the Smith Parker Web Site... " New initiatives to create public-private partnerships raise numerous state and federal regulatory issues relating to procurement, financing, and public purpose" Ken Avidor STRIDE Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] MIA and the 35W Access Project
There's an old saying: "When elephants make love, the grass gets trampled." Without grass the love-happy elephants will starve. When politicians, big corporations and institutions that depend on corporate funding make expansion deals, the neighborhoods get trampled. When the politicians, corporations and institutions finish their expansion plans...after they've built their big boxes and high-flying fly-ways and "ellipse-abouts" and taxed us to pay for them they might find that the residents and small businesse-owners who fix up old homes, and make their neighborhoods safe and nice places to live and work in have moved away. Our elected officials shouldn't expect that people will forever put up with living in an "urban sacrifice zone" AND pay high taxes...they'll move to greener pastureswithout so many horny elephants. Ken Avidor STRIDE Minneapolis ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Walking the Talk about Walking.
>From Laurie Blake's Column, "Crossing the street is no easy feat." ( http://startribune.com/stories/781/3389552.html ) ".The incident was dangerous and its timing was shocking, Kelly said. "Here we were at school with hundreds of young kids talking to them about walking to school," said Kelly, who hopes to make St. Paul the pedestrian capital of the state." Avidor: Our mayor talks a lot about walking but when it comes to walking the talk about walking ...he's handing out donuts only to motorists. Maybe he should walk in the footsteps of Mayor Kelly. Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Inquiring Minds Want to Know-35W Access Project
There are a lot of questions about this project that remain unanswered. STRIDE hopes that curious neighbors, enterprising reporters, and honest politicians consider the following set of questions (and try to find answers to them): 1 - Who is Smith-Parker? why are they involved in just about every single transportation project in South Minneapolis? Why are they, a law firm, project managers for a transportation project? aren't they also legal counsel to the same corporations that stand to benefit the most from their project recommendations? 2 - Who made the decision to continue with OSM Consultants when the privately funded Abbott Northwestern Transportation Study (of 1997) somehow morphed into the Phillips Partnership's Access Project? After Smith-Parker and other project lobbyists secured federal funding - was there any public bidding process for design services or was the project simply given to OSM? what about when OSM went out of business and some of their staff went to work for SEH - was the project then simply handed over to SEH? - was there any public bidding process then? 3 - Who decided that this should be an automobile-focused transportation project? Is that what Smith-Parker did as a way of representing their clients' interests? 4 - How come the 28th Street flyover is still part of the project? has any neighborhood requested the construction of a NEW highway off-ramp to 28th Street? 5 - Why was the PAC forced to vote last December to accept Mn/DOT's ultimatum of HOV lane additions to the project? wasn't that the same thing that Mn/DOT had tried to ram down the neighborhoods' throats just a few years earlier? Smith-Parker representatives at the meeting assured PAC members that the vote would help secure funding, but as of yet, Mn/DOT has no money to pay for the $97 million that will be their share of the $150 million project (and which includes $40 million to "accommodate" those two additional lanes) - and Hennepin County has had to offer to provide up-front funding to keep the project alive - can they even do that? 6 - Why are we spending $40 million to "accommodate" additional lanes on 35W before citizens have a chance to express their opinion on this matter? (Mn/DOT says that they won't even consider building the lanes before 2010) - is it so that ten years down the road, when neighbors mobilize to oppose the construction (paving) of these new lanes Mn/DOT can tell them that $40 million was already spent, and that it would be irresponsible to not make use of this "investment" and pave the lanes? Ken Avidor STRIDE Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] S.T.R.I.D.E. Forum on 35W
** Community Forum on the I-35W Access project Thursday, October 24th, 7 PM-9PM Hosmer Library, 347 East 36th Street The I-35W Access Project will: * cost $150+ million * run a new flyover ramp over Lake Street to the Wells Fargo campus. *The destruction of the tot lot at 28th Street * double the width of Lake St. at Nicollet. *The loss of businesses and years of construction. * move ramps from 35th/36th Streets to 38th Street. The I-35W Access Project is NOT a done deal! Southside Traffic Reduction Initiative for Determining our Environment www.stride-mn.org *** Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Garages and Politics
Catherine Leighton writes: "To turn social pressure, including ostracism against those who drive, as a solution to pollution/congestion/etc. is distasteful. " Avidor- I don't agree with demonizing car drivers either. I recognize that most people have to drive to get to work and shop because Minneapolis was transformed in the last century into an auto dependent city. The Star Tribune since Sunday has had an excellent series of articles and editorials explaining how our elected officials over time have created the auto dependent metro region we live in. But that's not to say that there isn't an individual responsibility regarding car use. We may not all be able to live "car-free" but most Minneapolitans can become "car-light" by planning to reduce unnecessary car trips and choosing to drive the smallest vehicle they can. Everyone regardless of whether they walk, bike or take the bus or drive can let their elected officials know that they want to shift government spending on car infrastructure to transit. Technology is not "neutral". Cars creates a range of problems that are often dumped on the least politically powerful in our societythis creates social inequity. The individual car driver must be aware of the tremendous costs of car dependency. I don't think people should be made guilty because guilt and shame are not very good at transforming people from passive to active participants in the political process. Anger is much better. Is it possible to be against the use of coal and uranium to make electricity and still use electric lights and computers? Is it possible to be against airport noise and still travel on Northwest Airlines? We don't give up our right to be a part of the political process that effects our lives simply because technology is involved. If we say that technology is "Progress" and we cannot challenge or restrict it in any way, what is left to discuss here or in any public forum? When I ride in Critical Mass, I am always amazed with how many drivers honk and wave at us. I think it's a mistake to think that all car drivers want to drive. I also think it can be mistake for pro-walk, pro-bike, pro-transit activists to alienate sympathetic car drivers by always laying a big, heavy guilt trip on them...it can make us look like grim-faced puritanical prudes...and we're not! I like to walk and bike because it's fun and it would be even more fun if more car drivers joined us... that's a message car drivers and transportation policy makers also need to hear. Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Strib on Traffic Congestion.
The Strib has a lot of good stuff on transportation today: I think the Strib's editorial and articles make a very good case for scrapping the 35W Access Project and for increased spending on transit. Editorial: "Life in the slow lane' What now? Freeway era comes to a close" http://www.startribune.com/stories/561/3359308.html "Exhibit A on what not to do." http://www.startribune.com/stories/1519/3357756.html "Buses do serve commuters well, but can they unclog congestion?" http://www.startribune.com/stories/781/3360329.html Laurie Blake writes: "But when it comes to total transit impact, the number of buses serving the Twin Cities area is smaller than in many similarly sized metro areas that have one downtown." ".when it comes to the actual number of rush-hour buses on the streets, Metro Transit has 772 with two downtowns to serve, compared with 839 in Denver; 931 in Seattle; 848 in Pittsburgh and 1,152 in Houston. Only Cleveland, with about 600, and Portland, with about 570, have smaller rush-hour bus counts. "The number of buses on the street reflects transit spending. Per capita spending for transit in the Twin Cities area came to $87 in 2000, compared with $264 in Seattle, $200 in Portland, $138 in Pittsburgh, $129 in Denver, $91 in Cleveland and $89 in Houston, according to Federal Transit Administration data." Ken Avidor http://stride-mn.org Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] I35W Access Survey on the Web.
I encourage everyone interested in the future of transportation in Minneapolis to take a look at the new survey on the I35W Access Project at http://www.stride-mn.org Ken Avidor STRIDE Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Hennepin County's Offer to bond for "Up-Front Funding"
(From The I-35W Access Project Recommendations to the Kingfield Neighborhood Association e-mailed to me this morning) "The (35W Access) project has a current price tag of $150 million, including $40 million to rebuild the freeway to accommodate MN/DOT's proposed HOV lanes. This amount will increase if the freeway needs to be rebraided to eliminate weave problems created by the new Lake Street ramps. It may also increase if additional mitigation measures are needed. "MN/DOT has committed to paying for the largest share of the cost, but has no money. It has said that it will only fund the project if new transportation dollars are provided by the legislature (e.g., gas tax increase), meaning that project funding is far from a sure thing. Hennepin County may, however, bond to provide up-front funding." Avidor: Last year I sat through a half a dozen dreary meetings as a member of a parents advisory council to the Minneapolis Schools. The big topic all year was budget cuts...they kept saying there was no money for schools...none whatsoever...but here is a source of money they may have overlooked..."Up Front Funding" from Hennepin County. Ken Avidor http://www.stride-mn.org Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] ...Doing it for the kids.
Terrell Brown says: "The 'do it for the kid' argument gets a little worn out ... schools ... asthma ... whatever is the theme of the day." Avidor- Do we have any kids on the list to respond to this statement?... Terrell Brown again: "Sometimes its more realistic to make a change (such as relocate to a less densely populated area) than to expect a few million people to change for one's own wishes, even if those wishes have some validity." Avidor- Fredrick Douglas, Martin Luther King Jr., Vaclav Havel, Gandhi, Susan B. Anthony and other crusaders expected to change the rigid minds and ingrained habits of millions ...should they have been more "realistic"? Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] 35W Access Project-new web site.
* * http://www.stride-mn.org * * Ken Avidor Stride Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] McLaughlin on how to get "big things" done.
From a statement by Peter McLaughlin on the Midtown Community Works web site: http://www.midtowncommunityworks.org/petermclaughlinp.html "The only way to get 'big things' done is through strategic partnerships. Through many initiatives I have learned that it is essential to mobilize the strengths of the public and private sectors, and the community. It takes a clear, bold vision, workable strategies to make the vision a reality, and a deep sense of optimism in the face of barriers and cynicism. The Midtown Community Works Partnership is a great example of such a strategic partnership. Even in this prosperous time, many communities are not effectively connected to the economy. Revitalizing our south Minneapolis neighborhoods require reconnecting them to the broader economy. We can do this with infrastructure, like the Hiawatha LRT line, the Midtown Greenway, new freeway access to and from I-35W, and new improvements to Lake Street that will help to reconnect us to the regional economy." Avidor- Prosperous time? And who exactly are the barriers of cynicism? *** >From another man who liked to build "big things"... "You can draw any kind of pictures you like on a clean slate and indulge your whim in the wilderness in laying out a New Delhi, Canberra or Brasilia, but when you operate in an overbuilt metropolis you have to hack your way with a meat axe." -Robert Moses, City Construction Coordinator for New York, 1964 *** Ken Avidor STRIDE Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] 35W- The War in our Neighborhoods
Speaking of war When I was at the 35W Access Project meeting last Tuesday, I met with some of the homeowners and small business people who are against the expansion of 35W and the widening of Lake Street. I asked one businesswoman what the process felt like and she told me "It feels like war." People who live and own property next to an expanding highway project like 35W are in constant danger of becoming "collateral damage". Passing resolutions against wars in far off places is fine, but what about the war here in the neighborhoods to save homes, livelihoods and our environment? Our elected officials have have chosen to be "partners" with the very people who want to pave over neighborhood opposition to expanding 35W. Look at the list of partners on the Midtown Community Works: http://www.midtowncommunityworks.org/themcwpartnershi.html .now look at who the contact for MCW is: http://www.midtowncommunityworks.org/contactus.html Who is Smith Parker and who do they represent? Look here : http://www.smithparker.com/selclients.html Who is the "Project Manager" for the 35W Access Project? Tom Johnson. Read his bio here: http://www.smithparker.com/johnson.html ...quoting from that bio: ( Johnson ).As Deputy Chairman at the Minnesota Waste Management Board, he managed the media and public affairs work that led to the selection of locations for two hazardous waste management facilities. " Elected officials who profess to be for the environment and social justice should not be partners of a law firm or lobbyist that boasts of paving over neighborhood opposition to hazardous waste facilities . Elected officials who profess to be for the environment and social justice should join with us in opposing the 35W Access Project. Ken Avidor STRIDE Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Stop the Access Project! -STRIDE
Announcing the formation of STRIDE ** STRIDE Southside Traffic Reduction Initiative for Determining our Environment STRIDE invites you to join us on bike, foot and bus. Our mission is to work with public officials, businesses, neighborhoods and individuals in implementing the following goals of the Minneapolis Plan: "Enhance the opportunities for pedestrian and bicycle movement", as well as to put "Transit First!" The Minneapolis plan advocates traffic reduction. This means seeing a future with less cars on the road and more bikes, peds and transit riders. These alternative modes of transportation help free our communities of pollution and facilitate livable, human-scaled land uses. In order to accomplish two things must happen. More people must opt personally for alternatives to the car. Secondly, we must not induce demand for driving by widening roads. Rather, we must induce demand for alternatives by planning for excellent transit, pedestrian and bycicle options. Our first initiative: the I-35 Access Project The current I-35 Access project proposes a southbound exit and northbound entrance at Lake Street. The new ramps will mean demolition of dozens of homes and businesses. Lake Street will be widened to as many as eight lanes in order to accomodate additional automobile traffic. The project is several years old and has been largely driven by the interests of the major corporate employers of the near south side: Allina Health Care, Wells Fargo and others. STRIDE invites you to join us in helping avoid this misguided step away from the goals of the Minneapolis Plan. Therefore, STRIDE officially advocates what we call the "Transit/No Ramps" option for 35W. As a solution to congestion, we support a dedicated busway in the middle of I-35 with a state-of-the-art transit station at Lake Street as proposed by the I-35 Access Mitigation and Enhancement Committee. We oppose any new ramps, as well as the widening of Lake Street. When Lake Street is completely redone in the next ten years we favor strong pedestrian streetscaping, no more lanes for traffic, and a trolley or LRT in the Midtown Greenway corridor. Come join us in working for a livable city! ** Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Where You WON"T be able to take your kids. (if the 35W Access folks have their way)
The 35W Access folks want to build a freeway ramp through the tot lot at 28th Street. Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Crack Down on "Ignorant, Impatient" Motorists?..Bikes in Bus Lanes?
Avidor- I've heard that bicyclists have recently been getting $80 tickets for biking down Nicollet Mallnot a good way of encouraging city-friendly transit and reducing air pollution and car congestionuntil they get better bikeways, bicyclists should be able to use the bus lanes. * ...from the article by Laurie Blake at: http://startribune.com/stories/781/3316460.html Stay out of bus lanes Displaying ignorance or impatience, drivers routinely travel in the bus-only lanes in downtown Minneapolis. So the city is preparing an ordinance to crack down on the violators Bus lanes have been marked on Hennepin Avenue, Marquette Avenue, 2nd Avenue, 4th Street and the Nicollet Mall. The lanes are there to allow buses to cut through traffic and stay on schedule -- and they keep buses out of the way of other vehicles. But the lanes are a tempting way to get around traffic congestion and to travel in the opposite direction on one-way streets -- so violations abound. Vehicles using the lanes illegally pose safety problems and slow the buses. To keep the lanes clear, the city is proposing a $150 fine for violations. The City Council is scheduled to vote on the proposed ordinance in October and enforcement would be phased in by the end of the year, said Jon Wertjes, city transportation engineer. The proposal would reserve the lanes for buses, emergency vehicles and people doing maintenance work in the lanes. Taxis would be permitted to use the lanes at night and on weekends. But couriers, limousines and unmarked police cars would be out. Whether bikes should be permitted to use the lanes is still under consideration. *** Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Crash at 36th and Grand
Chicken Little didn't have photographic evidence that the sky was falling. My photos prove that there is a serious and persistent threat to life on the streets and sidewalks of Minneapolis. If there was a rabid dog running down the street the police would shoot it. If a man was wielding a machete on the streetwell we know what happened to him...but speeding cars and red light runners are allowed to crash, kill , maim and terrorize us. The first step is for the City Government take responsibility for the safety of our most vulnerable of bicyclists and walkerschildren. Stop making excuses- if Hennepin County won't allow traffic calming, take the streets back form the county. If the County won't let us take them back, let's secede from the County. Unsafe streets affect neighborhoods in many ways...this from www.livingstreets.org.uk: "In many places, streets have become dirty, dangerous, full of litter and graffiti and dominated by speeding traffic. As a result, walking is in decline; children canÂ’t play outside or walk to school; neighbours no longer talk to each other; older people donÂ’t go out after dark and people are reluctant to spend time outside due to fear of crime." Young couples move into my neighborhood, have kids and move to a cul de sac in the 'burbs when their kids begin to walk. Guess why! We could pump a billion dollars of NRP money into a community , but if parents are too afraid to let their kids out of the house, it's a waste of money. If we spend $150 million into a highway project that widens streets and dumps more dangerous cars into the neighborhoods, we expect more people to use Minneapolis as a temporary stop. Instead of accepting this "urban sacrifice zone" where the billboards say "We Buy Ugly Homes" (do they have those billboards in Wayzata?) let's have a little self respect and demand from our well paid city officials, at the very least - safe streets for our kids. Ken Avidor 36th and Grand ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] correction: Crash at 36th and Grand
Steve Brandt is correct ...it was 36th and Grand Avenue..sorry. Ken Avidor 36th and Grand ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Car Crash 38th and Grand
Since the media doesn't consider car crashes newsworthy, (hmmm...I wonder if all those car ads have something to do with it) here is a link to see what happened when two speeding cars collided at 38th Street and Grand Avenue last Saturday. http://www.roadkillbill.com/crash.html Now you can see for yourselves that I'm not exagerating the risk children take when they walk or bike on the sidewalks, alleys and streets of Minneapolis. When are we going to get enforcement of the speed limits? When are the cops going to crack down on motorists who run red lights? Ken Avidor 38th and Grand ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Sustainable, "green" Minneapolis?
Annie Young wrote: "... with Mayor Rybak's Green Initiatives and a deep rooted commitment that seems to be rising up around sustainability issues (key to the Green Platform) throughout this City, in another decade Minneapolis may truly be Green in more ways than one" Avidor: Annie, is the 35W Access Project going to help make Minneapolis a sustainable, "green" city ? Ken Avidor 8th Ward ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Strib Article on Pro Bike/Pro Walk
The Mayor makes a good impression on bike and pedestrian advocates at the Pro Bike/Pro Walk Conference last week: ".As Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak put it last week at an international biking and walking conference held in St. Paul: "It's time to recognize that this is not a marginal conference. "This is where we need to go with our daily lives." http://startribune.com/stories/781/3216473.html Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Bikes, Walking and Politics
Take a look at the tourist brochures for Minneapolis. Do you see any pictures of congested highways or parking ramps? . Lots of pictures of happy people biking and walking around the lakes and Nicollet Mall. It's the same with politicians. On their brochures, they're on a bike or walking ...not talking on a cell-phone in a SUV. When they get elected, however they get "realistic" and vote for parking lots and ramps and big highway projects like the 35W Access Project. I think it shows a lack of knowledge and conviction that bicycling, transit and pedestrian friendly cities are far more successful than"automobile slums". There are tons of studies that prove this, but they would rather listen to the highway engineers, developers and other folks who make money pouring concrete and asphalt. Pedestrians and bicyclists should remind these politicians that we won't let them rent the "green" tuxedo in the next election that they returned after the last election. Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Bikeracks on Buses
Minneapolis needs bike racks on ALL the buses. You may have noticed bike racks on some of our buses. What you DON'T see is many bikes ON those bike racks. The reason? because bicyclists are not going take a trip with their bike one way without a guarantee that they can return with their bike. On a recent trip to Saint Paul, I biked the entire length of Lake Street without seeing ONE bike rack on the 5 #21 buses that passed me. If there is a route that should have racks on all buses, it's the #21 because Saint Paul is so spread out. Last month, when I was in Los Angeles I saw lots of bikes on the racks. Every bus I saw had a rack. At the Pro Walk/Pro Bike Conference this week, I learned that many other cities have racks on over 90% of their buses. In Montreal they are putting bike racks on cabs. It makes sense to have buses and bikes work together. Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Honor the Naysayers!
Accountability!people want accountability!...when they're talking about public school teachers, that is. But, what about highway engineers?When MDOT's highway engineers screw up so bad that traffic gridlocks and people get injured or killed in car crashes, do we ask for the same draconian measures we ask of the Public School system? Take their licence to practice engineering away?...shut down or even "reform" MDOT? Privatize the highways? Take the funding away? .nope, nope, nope and nope...heck, we give them even MORE money!!!..maybe like Lynnell says, it's because teachers are mostly gals and engineers are mostly guys...who knows... Anyways, here is MY plan to build more accountability into the system * HONOR THE NAYSAYERS! On every beautiful, functional structure in Minneapolis is a plaque proudly listing the public officials who had a hand in approving the building of it. Unfortunately, there are no such plaques for the naysaying public officials who voted against ,ugly and or wasteful structures such as the LSGI or the proposed stadium. I say it sometimes takes MORE courage to vote against a project than to vote for it. I say let's honor these responsible naysayers with plaques on the site where the boondoggle was to be built. I also think that plaques should be affixed to completed boondoggles like the intersection of Lake and Hiawatha that identify who voted for and who didn't vote for them. Maybe there should be plaques on the sites of demolished buildings that say, for instance "On the site of this awful wasteland of parking lots once stood the historic Gateway District and here is a list of the folks responsible for destroying it ..." The next time someone, says in frustration, "Who the heck allowed that horrendous thing to be built?!" they should be able to check the plaque. Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Lake Street
Dave Jenson says: > "The Access Project is about moving more cars BETTER. > Where should traffic be? Where should it not be?" > Avidor: When the debate is narrowed to to so few options,the answer is always pour more asphalt and concretepreferably in another neighborhood. If we broaden the question to how to enable ALL people, not just motorists to get to where they want to go and to get what they need without destroying the environment and their community , we get lots of different options. This is the direction other smart, progressive cities are going in. Dave Jensen: "Without the impetus of the Access Project, I doubt we, the > residents of SMpls, would have the opportunity or the > professional horsepower needed to make traffic better." Avidor: I went to one of those Access meetings years ago. Most of the "professional horsepower" were highway engineers. In my discussions with them I realized they had their minds made upyou can lead a highway engineer to clean water, clean air and safe streets, but they seem to prefer to drink asphalt and concrete. Incidentally, the 2001 Crash Statistics booklet is available for free from the State Department of Public Safetycar crashes are another topic that usually isn't counted into these discussions about transportation policy and planning. 568 deaths 2,949 severe injuries 14,861 moderate injuries 24,413 minor injuries The economic cost of car crashes to Minnesotans in 2000=$1,619,010,900 Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Trench for Lake Street Greenway Swap
I was riding my bike on the Midtown Greenway yesterday and I noticed the tracks that used to run along the bikeway are being pulled up. I presume a busway will occupy that space. Very few people, it seems bike the Greenway and it's no wonder. In spite of the heroic efforts of the people who work on the Greenway, it remains an ugly, broken glass , graffiti and litter strewn, subterranean wasteland..no shops, no peopleBORING. Now, bus riders will get to share the bleak, boring Trench with bicyclistsunless... We do a swapturn the trench into an auto and truck only freeway and put the bike/pedestrian and transit only Greenway on Lake Street Motorists are used to traveling in ugly trenches like 35W. Motorists are too busy staying alive to look at their surroundings. The Trench doesn't have street lights to hold up traffic.. 35W and Hwy 55 could be connected to the trench and the the Trench feeds right into the new Wells Fargo Ramp and the Sears complex making the 35W Access Project people happy. Stores on Lake Street would have parking in the rear accessed by a frontage road on the south edge of the trench. And bicyclists, pedestrians and trolley riders would flock to the new Lake Street Greenway...outdoor cafes, festivals.it's a win-win. Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Is Mpls prepared for an Oil Shortage?
Something to think aboutThe Federal Government is preparing for war in the Persian Gulf. It has been announced that they are stockpiling oil in the event of a shortage...A stockpile of 700 million barrels of oil sounds like a lot , but the U.S. uses something like14 million barrels of oil a day, and half of that comes from overseas...even a partial disruption of the supply could mean at the least, price increases which will make a mess of the budget. What plans does this city have in the event of an oil shortage?...nearly all the transport in this city runs on petroleum-police cars, fire trucks, MTC Buses, school buses etc. Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] The Anti-Pass-The-Buck Punch Card
Has this happened to you? You talk to a candidate before the election (no names, please) and they claim to agree with you about your concerns and swear to do something about it. After they get elected they start making excuses...for instance..."Minneapolis doesn't control that...some other governmental authority-the Neighborhood Associations or the Planning Commission or the Park Board or Hennepin County or the Met Council or the State or the Federal Government or the Intergalactic Federation controls that. Then there is the "Weak Mayor Form of City Government" or "No money in the Budget" or"the Nasty Suburban Republicans in the Legislature" excuse. I'm not saying these excuses are phony, "my dog ate it" excuses. But they point to a system where a frustrating structure of government allows and encourages excuses instead of action. Most working people can't tell their boss they'll do something and blame their inaction on somebody else. The Anti-Pass-the Buck Punch Card could change all that. It looks like one of those cards Breuggers Bagel Bakery hands out. This is how it works: The candidate agrees to accept a APB card and keep it on their desk. Every time they make an excuse to not do something they said they'd do in their campaign, the card gets punched. A dozen punches and the politician resigns and seat remains empty until the next election. Committees, task forces,hiring consultants and studies not considered a substitute for action. Either more politicians will take action on their campaign promises or they won't try to promise everything to everybody before an election and deliver excuses afterward. If the APB card weeded out a lot of politicians, we would be left with a streamlined government that would run out of other politicians to pass the buck to without having to change the state constitution or city charter. Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Lake Street and Crystal Balls.
Wizard Marks wrote: "I35W's poor engineering has been a major factor in the decay of Lake St. The point of the mitigation is to attempt to reverse the decline by making Lake St. more accessible to the freeway." Avidor: Freeways like 35W are city-killers...nobody chooses to live near one. There is no way to "engineer" a freeway into an urban amenity. When I look at tourist brochures of Minneapolis I see lots of people walking, rollerblading and biking down Nicollet Mall or the Lakes...no pictures of car-clogged 35W. 35W is a festering sore. "mitigation" is a band-aid on that sore. We can stick band-aid after expensive band-aid on the sore but it will continue to fester. Lake Street suffers from a lack of decent mass transit and too many cars, busses and trucks...which results in a noisy, dirty, polluted and ugly environment... this essential sensory information is unavailable to the thousands of sound and climate-controlled , steel and glass cocooned motorists who roar down Lake Street every day...if they were instead, walking or riding bikes, Lake Street might some day be pictured in the tourist brochures. The last thing Lake Street needs is MORE cars. Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Streetcars and Light Rail
There is a difference between streetcars and what we call "light rail" Here is a good description from the Light Rail Transit Association website ( http://www.lrta.org/explain.html )which has some excellent pictures of cute, modern streetcars : "An F.A.Q. (Frequently Asked Question) - What's the difference between tramways and light rail? "Mike Taplin, the LRTA's Chairman answers: First, when we say tramway we mean streetcar in the American way of using words. For instance, there is a streetcar line in Seattle running from the Waterfront to the train depot. In Portland they have a light rail line running from the city centre to the eastside (and now a new line to the westside). These lines are light rail because they are mostly segregated from other traffic, passengers get on and off at stations rather than in the street, and the cars run faster. However there is no definite border line between streetcar and light rail - they merge gradually from one to another, and as a streetcar system gets upgraded it becomes light rail. A lot of this is to do with planning jargon; streetcars are seen to be old fashioned whereas light rail is trendy! " Avidor: I think it would be a mistake to put streetcars in the Greenway trenchthat might be a good express, commuter rail route to Saint Paulthe idea of streetcars is that they are on the street-close to where people want to shop, work and play. I also think that the old streetcar business nodes on Lake Street that still exist long after the Twin Cities streetcar line was ripped up would suffer if we established new routes. For an idea of what this city lost when we switched from streetcars to automobiles, get a copy of the book and video "Lost Twin Cities" by Larry Millet. Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Lake Street and Crystal Balls
The folks who want to widen Lake Street (The Southwest Journal) say we have to because of a study that predicts an increase in car traffic on Lake Street. Experience should make us wary of men in suits holding their crystal balls...are they working for families and neighborhoods or are they working for the developers, construction companies and construction unions that have been wrecking buildings and pouring concrete and tar all over the city for decades? -We should remember the "Ten years of budget surpluses" these guys predicted a short while ago . -We should remember they predicted air traffic growth would require a giant new charter terminal AND a parking facility for the Humphrey TerminalAND a new airport! -They also predicted the Twins would leave unless taxpayers built them a new stadium. They can't predict the future.. there a lot of facts, trends and unknown variables (like terrorists with box-cutters) that these guys aren't putting into their prognosticating balls...here's a few facts they leave out: -The Baby Boomers are getting older and will soon reach an age where they can no longer safely drive a car...to meet their needs, the city will need a more walkable, less polluted neighborhoods with traffic calming and better mass transit. -The U.S. imports over 60% of the oil we use to get from here to there in cars. Minnesota imports 100% of its oil. Much of this oil comes from places that are politically unstable...Colombia, Venezuela, Nigeria and the Persian Gulf where we are about to go to war with the nation that holds the second largest reserves while Saudi Arabia (a monarchy where most of the 9/11 hijackers came from) teeters on the brink. We don't really know how much oil is left in the ground because the wonderful oily folks that brought us the Enron, Harkin and Halliburton accounting fiascoes control that information...do you still trust them? -The effects of Global Warming will increase worldwide demands on the U.S. to reduce fossil fuel use...we could , when the climate gets REALLY screwed up be facing sanctions from the international community. Instead of letting these guys with the crystal balls tell us what we're going to get based on some bogus study, let's tell them what we want...I want a more beautiful, cleaner, quieter, safer, economically sustainable city that my family can walk and bike around without fear of being run over or gassed with carcinogenic exhaust fumes..I'm guessing most people who live around Lake Street would prefer that to a cross-town freeway...especially the people who have to push their groceries and kids down Lake Street in shopping carts because (duh) they can't afford a car. I want Lake Street to have a sleek, modern streetcar line (like every industrialized country and many smaller nations have) and I want bike lanes and wider sidewalks...and one lane for the horse carriages and oxcarts that are going to replace the cars and trucks when the oil runs out. Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Nicollet Avenue
Dore Mead wrote: As has been the case in the past, there will not be designated bicycle lanes. Avidor: I thought it was City policy to increase the number of bike lanes. Mead: It should be noted that, because these sidewalks are not in a commercial area, it's legal for bicyclists to use these sidewalks. Common sense suggests that all bicyclists take extra precautions in this area to avoid any conflicts with pedestrians. Avidor: Will the sidewalks/bike lanes be cleared of snow as frequently as the roadway? How will the "towers" effect snow removal? Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] What happened to the bike lanes?
There used to be wide bike lanes on the bridge that carries Nicollet Avenue over the Minnehaha Creek. Now there is only a very narrow car lane and a extra-wide sidewalk with brick pylons at each endvery unfriendly to bikes, especially in Winter when snow and ice will cover the sidewalks. Does anyone have information why the bike lanes were eliminated and how are bicyclists expected to cross the bridge now? Here's an interesting article about the increasing popularity of bicycling worldwide: http://www.earth-policy.org/Updates/Update13.htm Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Minneapolis Arts
This subject always reminds me of the tale, "The Pied Piper of Hamlin". Artists have become an "urban amenity" useful for fixing up declining neighborhoods and vacant factories... after they make the place hip,safe,fun and habitable for the gentry, they usually get a not too subtle hint to move on when the rents go sky highThey might be able to afford to stay if we could earn a decent living. The Star Tribune article made it sound like the only way cities like Minneapolis and Saint Paul could help artists make a living here is by dispensing grants. The City could also ask Minneapolis businesses that used to hire local artists to resume the practicefor instance: We have how many actors and theater groups? Why is there so few locally produced commercial television shows? Would it be impossible to produce a daytime soap opera here? How about locally produced commercial childrens show? We have tons of good local musicians...how many of them do you hear on the commercial radio stations? Look at the comics in the Strib, City Pages and the PressPatchhow many local cartoonists? Would Charlie Schultz have a chance to get "Little Folks"published in his hometown today? How many other publishers use clip art instead of hiring local illustrators? Stock photos instead of local photographers? How many offices hang prints instead originals by Minneapolis artists? Another problem for artists here is a provincial attitude that nothing local could be as good as something Bi-Coastal or EuropeanAn art director at one of the major magazines in town once told me he prefered to hire "award-winning illustrators from New York". The City could do a better job promoting a commercial , not just a charitable partnership between local business and local artists. Here's an idea a Mayor's award for Minneapolis businesses that hired and promoted local artists. Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Environmental concerns-zoning
There is a difference between zoning and planning. There are examples of planned cities such as the Roman colonia (coloniae?) and Hausseman's Parismodern zoning is a response to the rapid growth of industrial cities and an effort to keep residential areas separate from ugly, noisy, polluting factories...in the post-WWII era it became a way of locking in the status quo in middle-class residential neighborhoodsmore recently, zoning has a lot to do with cars , parking and big-box-style retail shopping than factoriesfor instance, I've heard of some suburbs that require two and 3-car garages. The stated idea of requiring 2 and 3-car garages is that it keeps cars out of view on the driveway in front of the house...but it's unstated reason is to keep people who can afford only a one car garage (or none) out of that community. I find it interesting that this thread began with the observation that more people in Minneapolis are paving over their yards for parking. There was an article in the NY Times about this nationwide phenomenon...I suspect the reason for paving over the backyard has to do with the high price of housing and increasing number of people moving back into their parents' home or doubling upalso the increasing sprawl and the growth of low-wage jobs out in the burbs requires more lower income people to keep a beater or two in the back yard ( in case the primary beater doesn't start). Lower income neighborhoods bear the worst of the automobile's danger, ugliness and pollution. The Central neighborhood for instance has more than its share of smelly autobody shops, car washes, filling stations and acres of asphalt. Linden Hills has much less of this stuff. If every residential Minneapolis neighborhood had to accept the full impact of the automobile's environmental effects.no NIMBY...I'd bet we would once again have the finest streetcar system in the world. I would prefer to see environmental problems taken care of at the source, and that takes planning. When we restrict filling stations in our neighborhood, unless we agree to drive less or give up driving...those stations will be located in neighborhoods that wield far less political clout. I agree that a paved over back yard is ugly ( I live next to one) but I would prefer to see long-range city-wide and regional planning to address this problem...with greater emphasis on transit.not just zoning. Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Environmental Concerns, and more
Constance Nompelis asks: "Here's the big problem: WHO gets to decide what is okay and not okay for Minneapolitans to do with their own property? " Here's a few arguments some New Urbanists have against zoning: The most beautiful cities in the world were built without zoning and planning. There is a lot of ugly cities and bland suburbs with extensive zoning codes. Imagine Venice or Florence with our zoning codes. Zoning makes neighborhoods homogenous, boring and inconvenient.restricting restaurants, bars and places to buy essential things. Zoning gives a lot of power to officials who can give property owners a variance from the code. Without zoning, citizens would be more directly involved with the design of their neighborhood and city. I think it would be an interesting experiment for Minneapolis to go without zoning for ten years or soit would save the taxpayers money .and maybe I could buy some wine or beer a block or two from my house. Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Critical Mass
Critical Mass is a celebration of bicycling...sort of like Mardi Gras on two wheels. Some folks get a little carried away with the feeling and do dumb stuff like ride against traffic which I don't think is a good idea for safety reasons. I think its important to remember that the difference between bicyclists breaking traffic laws and motorists breaking traffic laws is that cars kill and maim people. I want to thank the Mayor for riding with the Critical Mass. His participation made it more fun and safe. I don't ride all the way with the Mass, either and I seem to remember the Mayor leaving the Mass near City Hall which is far enough. I encourage other folks in government to ride with the Mass to see how much more safe, quiet and fun the streets of Minneapolis are when they're filled with bikes instead of cars. Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Welcome to L.A.
>From today's Strib: http://startribune.com/stories/462/3025152.html "The haze that enveloped the Twin Cities on Friday came not from auto pollution or evaporation, but mostly from Western wildfires whose smoke has drifted over portions of Minnesota, prompting state officials to issue an air pollution alert for the Twin Cities area." Cars have nothing to do with the haze in Minneapolis ...right? ...Read on "...meteorologists are also watching a different pollutant, ozone, which forms in the atmosphere in hot, sunny weather. And depending on the weather, automobile emissions and other factors, ozone could reach a level today or Sunday that would prompt another air pollution alert. Elevated levels of ozone are also of concern to those with respiratory disease, such as asthma. Even healthy adults and children are advised to limit outdoor activity if ozone levels rise much higher. "We don't want people to panic or think they can't go outside," said MPCA information officeer, Rebecca Helgeson. "But we also think they need to know that if they have certain health conditions, they should cut down on the amount of outdoor exercise and just keep alert to what their own bodies are telling them." Confusing, isn't it? Ken Avidor Smoggy Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Neighborhood Names-Kingfield
The elderly woman who used to live across the street told me that a part of Kingfield used to be called "Rose Hill". I also heard a rumor that some realtors are calling Kingfield , "Linden Hills East". Ken Avidor Kingfield or whatever... ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Two below Zero.
The housing thermometer now measures two below zero. Niccolet Ace demolished one home on Earth Day and the other home before noon today. Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Nice Strib Story on Gary Hoover.
Nice Strib story on Gary Hoover: http://startribune.com/stories/462/2247476.html Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] 8 lanes on Lake Street
I'd like to comment on the story in todays Strib about the plan to widen Lake Street to 8 lanes, but I think there's a bigger story on Lake Street that I noticed the other day while waiting for the bus. I saw what looked like tattered, dirty rags hanging from light-posts along the street. At first I thought they were air-quality monitors, but I remember my City Councilman telling me that the air quality monitors had been removed a while back. A closer look revealed the colors and patterns of flags of various nations. Somebody had the bright idea of hanging the proud symbols of countries along one of the most pedestrian-unfriendly, polluted , truck, bus and car-clogged streets in Minneapolis. I fear we risk an international incident ...if a representative of one of these countries (at least one, China is a nuclear power) learns how we desecrated their flag with vehicle exhaust filth. How would we react if Old Glory was treated this way? On the other hand...if the plan goes forward and we increase traffic on Lake Street, the resulting increase in air pollution will probably blacken the flags with soot so thick, we won't have to worry about upsetting the rest of the world ...and we will only have to worry about our soot-blackened lungs. Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] No Money for Rail Transit?
The suburban politicians like to say the Hiawatha Line cost too much money. The enemies of transit always say there isn't enough money for light rail and intercity railbut high above the Earth, it's another story: "CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Astronauts sent the international space station's new railcar down a short stretch of track today in the inaugural run of the first permanent railroad in orbit. But they soon encountered a snag, prompting NASA to interrupt the test. The solution for this is probably going to involve a lot of manual commanding from the ground,'' Mission Control informed the astronauts. Space station resident Carl Walz got the railcar rolling this morning by sending computer commands from inside. The empty flatcar crept along at less than two-tenths of an inch per second, then sped up to four-tenths of an inch per second as it traveled 173/4 feet and then stopped, on cue, at a designated work station. "The $190 million railcar eventually will be used to transport the space station's robot arm from one end of the outpost to the other for construction work." The entire story is at: http://startribune.com/stories/1556/2231793.html * 17 3/4 feet of track at four tenths of a second and computer snags for $190 million of our money...makes the Hiawatha Line and the Empire Builder look pretty darn good. Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] From the Future Mpls Issues Archives
I'd love to say "I told you so" about the news that Ace Hardware will demolish the two homes they bought to build a parking lot, but I have a far more important thing to post. My computer has been acting strange latelyI can now access FUTURE Mpls Issues archives... here's one amazing post from the future: ** Mpls Issues 4/15/2045 "The Minneapolis City Council will vote this Friday to award reparations to countries that have sued the city for being one of the world's major greenhouse gas producers. Nation's such as Bangladesh and cities such as Venice that have been destroyed by rising sea levels point at past Minneapolis City Council decisions that encouraged car use as reasons to demand billions in damages. Of course the City of Minneapolis is deep in debt for building countless parking ramps , stadiums and other , now useless structures. "The City Attorney has suggested offering the millions of "Greenhouse Refugees" homes if the flooded nations drop their monetary demands, but there is a lot of opposition from the City Council, especially the Phillips and Whittier neighborhoods where most of the refugees are expected to be resettled. "There is a question whether Minneapolis will be able to absorb the millions of refugees. Thousands of homes have been demolished since the beginning of the century and replaced by parking lots. "Some people are suggesting that the refugees be housed in the vacant stadium or the vacant hotel and theater on Block E. Others are suggesting that we house the refugees in cars parked in the empty ramps. I think this is a good idea since most of us can't afford to buy gas anyways. If we can have everyone's car towed to a ramp, we will be able to house a lot of those refugees in the empty garages and carriage houses." Avidor: There were also some posts about the last year there was ice on the lakes (2017) and a lot of posts about the redistricting after the 2030 Census, but I don't want to clog up your inboxes with stuff you're not interested in. Here's a present-day story about how our carbon-burning habits are creating problems elsewhere http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/0415-02.htm Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] 35W and Redistricting
David Brauer wrote: "The highway was built as an intentional racial moat and now the political heads have forced more of us to leap it. There's good that can come from that." I agree. One good thing that may come from it is an increased resistance to MDOT's plans to make the moat wider. -Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Cities and Children
Buried in the local news is the story of a toddler run over and killed in the K-mart parking lot on Lake Street last Sundayno word whether the city will send police to control speed-crazed motorists rampaging in the streets... A client of mine told me that she won't let her kid walk to school...four blocks away I suggest they set up speed traps near every school in the city and share the proceeds with the schools...50th Street between Nicollet and Lyndale whould be a good spottwo schools on 50th Street and every driver drives twice the speed limit of 15 mph. This is a very dangerous city for kids...I just read a great speach by the former Mayor of Bogata, Enrique Penalosa. He has some great suggestions for making a city safe for children. The whole speech is at: http://socrates.Berkeley.EDU:7001/Events/spring2002/04-08-penalosa/index.html Here's a few excerpts: The task for all of us involved in creating environments where many generations will live is not simply to create a city that functions efficiently. It is to create an environment where the majority of people will be as happy as possible. Happiness is difficult to define and impossible to measure; but let us not forget that it is what all our efforts, collective or individual, are about. Over the last 40 years the environment became an issue of deep concern to all societies. So much that today any 8 year old is worried about tropical forests and the survival of mountain gorillas. Curiously, a similar interest in the human environment has not yet arisen. There is much more clarity in our time as to what the ideal environment is for a happy gorilla or a happy whale, than what the ideal environment is for a happy child. We are far from having a shared vision of an ideal human environment; much less of the transportation system for it. God made us walking animals: pedestrians. As a fish needs to swim, a bird to fly, a deer to run, we need to walk, not in order to survive, but to be happy. A bird can survive inside a small cage and even bear descendants. But one suspects the bird would be happier inside an enormous cage the size of an auditorium and even more flying free. As we could survive inside an apartment all our life, but we can be much happier if we can walk and run about, as freely as possible. Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Critical Mass and the News
Some people have asked me why they didn't hear about the police action against the Critical Mass last Friday. I tell them it fits a pattern of corporate media bias towards their major advertisers, the auto industry. Today's news is a good example. Our local media is reporting that there were 237 car "accidents" in the Twin Cities Metro Area yesterday (I apologize to the list that there was no Minneapolis statistics available) at least two people were reported killed , at least 45 people were reported injured. The weather is blamed by the corporate owned local media for these crashes.The State Department of Public Safety no longer uses the word "accident" to describe crashes, but the corporate media which derives a large portion of their income from automobile ads continues to minimize the carnage and waste created by our auto dependent transportation system. Does anyone doubt who would be blamed if bicyclists, trains or buses had as many crashes and injured and killed as many people? Some more examples: A few weeks ago my youngest daughter saw a kid hit by a car in South Minneapolis being loaded unconscious into an ambulance...I saw no mention of the incident on T.V. or in the paper. Car crashes are the leading cause of death, in America for children and young adults, but if you only read the newspaper and watched the TV, you'd think it was serial killers or drugs. If you read the corporate media you get the impression that the only cost of an automobile-based transportation system to society is the gas tax...but there are other costs...and not always in dollarsthis is the real story from the Dept. of Public Safety: "Minnesota Motor Vehicle Crash Facts, 2000 page 4 Department of Public Safety, Office of Traffic Safety "Overview of 2000 traffic crashes For almost two decades, the total number of reported traffic crashes in Minnesota has been approximately 100,000 per year. In the absence of some dramatic societal change, this total will not change abruptly. In 2000, there were 103,591 traffic crashes reported to the state. There is a cost associated with such a large number. Of the reported crashes in 2000, 557 were fatal crashes in which 625 people died. Also, there were 30,830 injury crashes where no one died but one or more people sustained injuries. In all, 44,740 people were injured. Finally, there were 72,204 “property damage only crashes” (PDO) in which there was at least $1,000 in property damage but no one was killed or injured. There was a 9% increase in these PDO crashes from the previous year. The severe winter weather late in the year helps to explain this increase. In all, based upon National Safety Council cost estimates, the total economic loss to Minnesota from traffic crashes was 1.68 billion dollars." The corporate media also would like you to think that "Drunk Drivers" are the major cause of car crashes. This is also not true. "WHY the crashes occurred Inattention/distraction, failing to yield, and speed The three contributing factors that investigating officers check off most frequently, considering all crashes together, are driver inattention or distraction (about 23% of all factors cited), failing to yield right-of- way (about 14%), and illegal or unsafe speed (about 12%). The likelihood that a particular factor was involved varies however with the age of the driver, the severity of the crash, and whether the crash was a single-vehicle or multiple-vehicle crash. In single-vehicle crashes, speed is cited more often than any other factor, except among drivers over age 65, for whom inattention/distraction is cited most" I could give lots more evidence of auto-favoritism by the corporate media, but I don't want to clog up your inboxes. I encourage everyone to read the crash statistics on the MN Dept. of Public Safety website; http://www.dps.state.mn.us/trafsafe/trafsafe.html Recently, a lobbyist told me that the automobile was "the engine of our economy", responsible for the billions of dollars spent on roads, bridges and parking ramps etc. Certainly, automobiles are useful (and profitable), but when we minimize the dangerous nature of cars and refuse to limit their use in populated areas and provide safer alternatives, we are no different than ancient civilizations that sacrificed humans to appease gods who were the engines of their economies. Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Our Folun Gong.
I'm sure many of you have read about the Chinese Government's brutal crackdown on the Folun Gong, a peaceful movement that practices a graceful form of group exercise. When I read about ordinary people being arrested , beaten and thrown into jail because of a little peaceful flexing of muscles I'm puzzled: what sort of crazy, repressive regime would fear a bunch of peaceful, health and exercise fanatics? Then I think about the over-the-top, brutal harassment and repression of Critical Mass last Friday. Critical Mass is a ten year old movement that celebrates bike culture. Like Folun Gong , Critical Mass is non-violent and peaceful. The people who participate in CM are ordinary people, mostly young college kids who have very strong feelings about the environment, health and social justice. They suffer, as all bicyclists do, the daily frustration of sharing the road with noisy, polluting , life (and planet) threatening cars. Once a month, they peacefully come together, for the fellowship of other bicyclists and to say "we ARE the traffic". These people are not criminals any more than the Folun Gong are. What I witnessed last Friday was a brutal suppression of a peaceful group of citizens not unlike the brutal suppression of the Folun Gong. We cannot say that the police were responsible for what happened at 3rd Avenue and 6th Street anymore than we should hold the Chinese police responsible for the crackdown on the Folun Gong. It is the responsibility of the government...our government to instruct the police on how it should treat citizens, not vice versa. The right of free speech and assembly is a right guaranteed by the Constitution...a political right our elected officials must protect against the authority of the police who's only interest is to keep order . The police will justify their brutality by saying that the Critical Mass breaks traffic laws. The elected officials must step in to instruct the police that a certain amount of rule breaking is a part of public gatherings and as long as the intent of that rule breaking is peaceful and respects public and private property, the police should look the other way as they do when a sports team wins a championship and the fans celebrate by throwing confetti (littering) or running around naked except for purple and gold body paint(public indecency). Ritual rule breaking is a part of the celebration of urban life that takes the edge off of being an up-tight, law-abiding citizen all of the time...it's the safety valve that lets off a little steam to prevent the build up of explosive emotions. There is a precedent for allowing the Critical Mass to ride without police harassment. In October of last year, Mayor Sharon Sayles-Belton sent this e-mail to the Critical Mass: Original Message Follows From: "Sayles-Belton, Sharon" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "'[EMAIL PROTECTED]'" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> CC: "Johnson, Randall" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Fri, 26 Oct 2001 17:13:15 -0500 I am sorry that I can not ride with you today. I did speak to many people about Critical Mass since I spoke to you. And I am committed to helping you to get your message out. All I ask is that you obey the traffic laws and do not try to purposefully disrupt traffic. Promoting alternative forms of transportation should be encouraged. I am forwarding my message to Inspector Randy Johnson of the 5th Precinct. I was on that ride and it was peaceful and without incident. I would like to see the current Mayor and City Council be as forceful as the previous Mayor in protecting the right of the Critical Mass to ride without official harrasment . I hope the Mayor and other former activists on the City Council will recall their own leadership and participation in demonstrations and act to protect the rights of citizens to gather peacefully without official harassment. Perhaps elected officials will join the Critical Mass next month to make sure that the brutal events of last Friday are not repeated. I would also like to add that our Twin City has a once a year event called The Saint Paul Bike Classic where the police cooperate with bicycle activists in closing streets to cars for an entire morning ( http://www.spnec.org ) . Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Stop the Lot!
>From the Kingfield Chatter Yahoogroups E-mail list: Dear Ken, I was still on the Kingfield Board the night of the vote re: the Ace Hardware parking lot. I and Jean Massey both objected to a vote that night. The item was not even on the agenda, it was put forth as simply giving a board member on the zoning committtee #20 minutes" I and Jean voted against the motion. I also e-mailed Robert Lilligren and Dan Niziolek a detailed explanation of my objection. I received no reply from them. However, I was dismayed to hear from david brauer via e-mail that he and Steve on the board had private chats with Dan and Robert. As you know Dan and Robert are on the city coucil zoning committee. So if there is a comment that there was no neighborhood objection that is a falsehood. I have expressed my extreme displeasure with the way the Kingfield Board operated on this issue. Except for Jean, I was met with no response or negative response. Please feel free to foward this e-mail to anyone and everyone. Sincerely, Margaret Hastings former Kingfield Board Member Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Rondo in Kingfield?
David Brauer says: "Anyway, I think Ken's tack with the race stuff is incomplete and unfair. No one, save Ken, has mentioned a racial angle." Avidor- I wasn't the first one to bring up the "racial angle"on this matter. David Brauer did in a post on February 3rd : David Brauer: "They (Ace Hardware) employ a rainbow coalition of neighborhood residents..." Avidor: I think if the ethnic make-up of the store's employees is relevant then perhaps the ethnic make-up of the neighbors directly effected by the loss of housing and the parking lot may be relevant also. Given the history of the environmental degradation of minority communities (and it is Black History Month) I think the effects of this project on the black community is definately relevant . David Brauer: " The implication is that Ace Hardware and the Kingfield Neighborhood Association wants those houses down because there are black people in them (as the Rondo planners did). " Avidor: I really doubt that the Interstate planners put on white robes and said "let's destroy some black neighborhoods." They felt that Interstates were "progress" and some urban neighborhoods had to be sacrificed. The urban neighborhoods they chose to destroy were the least politically powerful and least likely to raise a fuss. It's like water running downhill... it seeks the path of least resistance. David Brauer: "There have been newspaper stories (Ken quoted 'em), orange signs posted on the trees in front for the committee hearings (not big enough for drivers to see from the street, but way big enough for neighbors). The only neighbor who testified at the Planning Commission was in support of Ace's plan. Yeah, he was white, but I hope that doesn't disqualify him. We've had two neighborhood board meetings now, one public meeting, email list announcements (which I realize not everyone gets), but I can tell you through all of it most Kingfielders - and most neighbors - have been in support of the plan. " Avidor: The story I think David is refering to was in the SWJ on Jan 28th...the Ace Hardware story is at the end of a larger story on affordable housing , no headline about the KNAso I didn't see it until Saturday. As for the two meetings David says were held on the parking lot...quoting again from February 3rd: David Brauer:" Most of us didn't know about Ace's proposal until the day of the meeting (our zoning committee only heard it the day before), so the house-loss issue was a surprise. Adding to the head-in-the-vise feeling, Ace had already purchased the properties and was itching to get going." ...And... "Some board members asked for a delay, and there was some logic to doing this since it was being sprung upon us. However, Ace's good citizenship and the idea that the fundamentals wouldn't really change led the board to ultimately approve the upzoning recommendation 9-2 ." Avidor: As for notification, I only received an email AFTER the KNA made their decision. I still don't think adequate discussion has taken place on this matter and I urge everyone to contact the Mayor and the City Council (Before March 1st) and tell them that we need more time to work out a comprehensive plan for parking and traffic at Nicollet and 38th Street. -Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Rondo in Kingfield?
The Rondo neighborhood was a mostly black neighborhood that was paved over by Interstate 94. There's an excellent book about that neighborhood called "Rondo Days". I understand that the residents of Rondo still get together every year for a festival also called "Rondo Days". The destruction and isolation of minority neighborhoods to make room for cars is a pattern that's well documented across the nation: I took a bike ride over to 38th and Nicollet where Ace-Nicollet Hardware is planning to build their parking lot. I wanted to see if the two houses on the site could be easily moved and I saw that the houses were built into a hillside which would make them very difficult to remove (and expensive). I also noticed two men throwing a football around with a kid in the alley. I asked them if they lived there and how they felt about the parking lot. One of the men said he lived next door to where the parking lot would be if the plan goes ahead. He said he was given a flyer and he called the number on the flyer but he received no response. He was surprised when I told him the Planning Commission voted to demolish the houses. This man was was black. He seemed to be worried about what will happen on his block.. I think that man and his neighbors have a lot to worry about. The folks at Ace Nicollet have made their intentions clear: "In a country where Home Depot is heading the pack and saying, 'This is how you sell hardware'. we have to mimic them."-Julene Lind, Southwest Journal 2/18/02 The removal of 2 houses by bulldozer or truck will mean that there will be less opposition in the future to the removal of more houses for a lumber yard or a garden center or a bigger parking lot or any other Home Depot "Big Box" solution Ace-Nicollet decides to mimic in the future . The heart of this matter is that the people most affected by this zoning change were not given a chance to speak out about it on the neighborhood level. Since the Planning Commission's decision was based in large part on the lack of neighborhood opposition, it is clear to me that the decision should be voided . I want to stress that I want Nicollet-Ace to do well in that location. They should know that there are studies that show that parking lots in urban areas actually HURT businesses. The most successful Twin Cities neighborhood business districts (Linden Hills, Saint Anthony Park) are ones that maintain an unbroken streetscape and restrict parking to the rear of the stores. Parking lots are a boring blight. Studies show that drivers slow down in a business districts with intact storefronts and speed up in parking lot-blighted business districts (Picture Nicollet and Lake Street...plenty of parking, but not a nice place to stroll and browse.) A better solution to the parking problem is to reserve the space in front of the store for carry-out service like they do at supermarkets. I'm sure there are other solutions. Many of the people who support Nicollet-Ace are assuming that Nicollet Hardware knows what it's doing because they are business people. The business people at Enron, Global Crossing and K-mart said they knew what they were doing too. Rushing important desisions without a proper hearing is exactly how we end up with "biggy-sized" mistakes. Will those public officials who ran on a platform supporting livable cities, the environment, social justice and affordable housing have some faith in those ideals and stand up to this example of the Old Way of Thinking that has failed us time after time after time? Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Ace Hardware
Joe Barisonzi wrote: "The location that LNDC is considering for moving the houses at 3817 and 3821 Nicollet Avenue is a double lot at 3445 First Avenue." Avidor: I'll be interested in how much this costs and who will be picking up the tab. This could eventually cost the city lots of money if it happens again (and I bet it will). Maybe now that Niccolet Hardware is saving money by not having to demolish the houses they should offer to sponsor "The Kingfield Parade of Homes." Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Ace Hardware
>From Tim Connoly's post; "The committee struggled with the decision. It wasn't that they were not sensitive to the needs of the Ace Hardware owners. They just are leery of upgrading the zoning, in this case from R2 to C2. In the end Chairwoman Martin broke a tie and approved the new zoning. What weighed heavily in her mind was the absence of neighborhood opposition to the change. Indeed, all who spoke at the public hearing told of the importance of the business to the neighborhood and their quality of life." Avidor: I wonder how many people spoke against K-Mart being plopped down on Nicollet Avenue way back? A lot of bad ideas are very popular when they're dreamed up. A Planning Commision's role is to decide a matter on it's merits, not whether it's popular. I think this whole matter was mishandled from the beginning. It was framed as a pro-Nicollet Hardware, anti-Nicollet Hardware debate when I think it should have been a discussion about how to best resolve the problem of traffic at 38th and Nicollet Ave. in a comprehensive way. Also if the Planning Commision wants neighborhood input, maybe they should hold their meetings in the neighborhood in the evening or give us an e-mail address...do we have to go to every meeting in person? ..Monday was Parent Involvement Day at the schools. Also: The community garden at 36th and Grand Avenue is privately owned by the owner of the building next door who is very kind to let us use it. I would be willing to give up my garden plot for housing, but the cost of buying the lot and digging and pouring a foundation and moving a house to it seems a waste compared to leaving the housing where it is and investing in new housing. Ken Avidor Kingield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] High rise housing projects on the map
For Fredric Marcus: I checked with my wife, the mapmaker about the omission of Horn Terrace and she says it was left out for a mundane reason. It would have obscured the title of the Harriet Tubman Center. It was a part of the map that was very busy. A lot of things got left out. I did a pictorial map for the Saint Paul Bike Classic last year (www.spnec.org) and I had to leave a lot out especially big buildings and of course I heard about it. All we can say is sorry and next time. Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Award for Lisa McDonald Campaign Map
The American Congress on Surveying and Mapping's 2001 Map Design Competition has awarded a "Professional, Best of Category" award to Roberta Avidor for Lisa McDonald's Vision for Minneapolis map. http://www.acsm.net/mapwinners.html Ken Avidor (proud husband) Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Meanwhile in the Neighborhood...cars
I want to thank David Brauer for showing exactly how the car creates havoc on the community level. The Kingfield board had to wrestle with a problem that faces many neighborhoods that try to balance the needs of people, many of whom like the disabled, the elderly and children cannot share the "freedom" of cars with people who drive cars. Most drivers love their cars , but they hate the car in front of them or the car that cuts them off or the car that parks in front of their house and they hate the ugly businesses that gas them up and fix them...that's why poor neighborhoods have a lot of gas stations, car washes and auto body shops and upscale neighborhoods don't. If you look at car ads, they usually show only one car. Love is blind and like Chrysler says, "Drive=Love". The reason I oppose the removal of housing for parking at 38th and Nicollet is that it begins the process of transforming the urban, pedestrian friendly nature of that business node into a suburban style strip mall. Other businesses in Kingfield will surely petition to have nearby houses knocked down to build parking lots. Wings 'n Ribs , I've heard has plans to replace a nearby house with a parking lot. And if our neighborhood business node starts stealing automobile business from other nearby business nodes, the cry will go up all across the city to knock down houses for more and more parking spaces. Another problem is safety for pedestrians, especially kids who may walk that block to the nearby King Park. If this parking lot is built, they will have to walk a block long gauntlet that already includes a big church parking lot and a car wash. Inviting more people to drive in what is already a congested area is also a safety and air quality problem. I agree with David that the owners of the Nicollet Hardware Store are wonderful neighbors. Kingfield has many wonderful businesses. The question should be: Where do we draw the line? What will we say if this business or other businesses come back to the board in the future and asks for more parking spaces? We just had an election where the majority of voters said the environment and affordable housing were their major concerns. I think elected officials should heed that mandate even if it makes them lifelong enemies among the business interests that are affected. That's politics. Like Truman said, "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen." I think a tough zoning decision like this should be made at the City Council level with neighborhood input. Perhaps a recommendation like this is too hot and nasty a job to expect from part-time, unpaid volunteers. Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] A Chain of Stadiums
I used to be opposed to the stadium, but I'm rethinking my position. I've been criticized as being too "ideologically pure" for insisting that public officials stand up for the all the things we hold in common against the onslaught of private interests. Everywhere, it seemed to me the common interest was being sacrificedpublic schools, the environment, mass transit, affordable, housing, , parks... (Fort Snelling!), a livable city..while public officials proposed spending billions on infrastructure for private cars and stadiums for billionairesbut, after reading Joe Soucherey's column I realized I was wrongvery wrong. It wasn't the "Tragedy of the Commons", the "unrelenting working of things" that I imagined it to be .but the much heralded "Progress" that the proponents of "privatization" and the folks who build roads,parking ramps and stadiums rightly claim it to be Then, I started thinking If one or two stadiums are good for the city's economy, why not a BUNCH of stadiums? There are a lot of popular sports besides baseball and football...there's indoor soccer, curling, boxing, tennis, bull-fighting, cricket, jai alai and badminton. But then there's the problem of where to site all those stadiums. Why don't we "de-water" the Chain of Lakes? The dry lake beds would provide ample room for stadiums and lots of parking spaces. The Lakes are an outdated 19th Century idea of recreation. People swim in them, fish in them, sail on them, walk around themactivities that generate little or no economic value that can be taxed or profited fromand lakes cost a lot to maintainthink of all those lifeguards What do you think visitors to Minneapolis would prefer to see...an exciting selection of sports venues with lots of convenient parking or a bunch of wet lakes with slimy fish in them? Of course, the "Chain of Stadiums" will come with a hefty price tag...I suggest we finance the building of the stadiums with the proceeds of city-run casinos that we'll build in every neighborhood park. Now, a lot of sentimental types will start crying about aesthetics and the environment and nature and community.Hey! you can't balance the books with that stuff...and it's not like Minnesota has a shortage of lakes... So let's roll up our sleeves, pump dry those lakes and make Minneapolis "The City of Stadiums"...or is it Stadii? I'll save my plan for solving traffic congestion by paving over the Mississippi for another post. Ken "Knicker-twister" Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Library Selection-Now-Access for Suburbanites.
- Responding to Barbara L. Nelson, The auto companies spend a over a billion a year on advertising and public relations. Part of that propaganda is the promise of better things to come in the way of alternative cars. I've investigated the claims I don't believe any of it. You can leave your future in the hands of the corporations (like the nice folks at Enron) or you can investigate their claims for yourself. Even if cars magically didn't pollute, they are horribly brutal...in 1998 , 41,200 Americans killed and 2,200,000 seriously injured ..the leading killer of children and young adults aged 1-24...If you have not personally seen the victims of a car crash, ask an emergency room doctor or nurse what it's like to see people...children...ripped apart by steel and glass..I know a guy with a kid who lies in a permanent coma after being struck by a minivan...now, some people may think that her sacrifice was necessary for the "economy"... but I don't believe in human sacrifice. As for the argument that our car dependent culture is too ingrained into our society to change...I remind you that people said the same about Slavery and Jim Crow Laws...something to remember on on this special day. If you care to see the other side of the automobile story, I suggest reading Divorce Your Car! by Katie Alvord (2000, New Society) or go to Jane Holtz Kay's website at www.asphaltnation.com. I voted for the Library referendum because it provided funding for a MINNEAPOLIS library. I heard later that the City had the option of getting funding from and combining with the Hennipen County Library System. If suburbanites were paying in part for this library I would say their concerns should be taken into consideration. But since the City chose to make this a Minneapolis project paid for by Minneapolitans and not a REGIONAL library, I think we and only we should decide what our needs are...and we don't need a parking ramp at Hennepin and Nicollet, the very heart of our bus system. If I had known that a heated parking ramp was part of the project, I would not have voted for the referendum. Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Library Selection-Access
Carol Becker's argument that a parking garage is necessary for the Library because it provides access for the disabled would make more sense if all the spaces were assigned to the disabled. But that is not the case. This argument about access is often used to open up wilderness areas to roads and motorized vehicles. It's not disabled groups making these arguments but construction companies and construction unions and the government officials who represent those interests who plead for more roads, more cars and more parking facilities. When I ask people in government if they will support snow removal for sidewalks as well as streets... for people in wheelchairs and blind people, they tell me it costs too muchit appears that the concern for disabled people who cannot drive is not as great as the concern for disabled people who drive and own cars . I also disagree with Carol's argument that the city must provide equally for all forms of transit. The City should favor walking, biking, and mass transit over the private automobile because those forms of transit are beneficial to the environment, to urban communities, the streetscape, public safety and public health. Cars in every possible way are toxic to the environment, dangerous to pedestrians and bicyclists. noisy, ugly ,dirty, smelly and a drain on the public purse. When loggers clear-cut a forest, they leave a strip of trees along the highway to screen the devastation, they call it the "beauty strip". For pedestrians, Nicollet Mall has become a beauty strip. along many of the side streets off of the Mall, where new building have parking garages there are long stretches of windowless walls punctuated by gaping entrances and exits where pedestrians must either run for their lives or wait while a disembodied voice repeats, "Car approaching...Car approaching". If pedestrians stay on the Mall and avoid the dismal side streets, the small businesses on the other avenues and streets that depend on casual foot traffic will go out of business (this has already happened )...creating a car-oriented, suburban-style city...a city of glitzy big-box destinations with convenient parking and none of the surprise and delight of a pedestrian -friendly city like Venice ( take the delightful and instructive tour of Venice on the www.carfree.com web site.) I think too much emphasis is placed on comfort and convenience in urban planning. Must aesthetic, safety and health considerations be sacrificed to laziness? Perhaps a little walking and carrying would do us good. Many people who still walk and use mass transit have figured out how to carry heavy loads. Neighborhood hardware stores sell folding , two wheeled baskets. The downtown library will also send books to your neighborhood library. When my kids and I go to the downtown library we take the bus and share the load of books. They may have gotten sore arms from the effort but I don't think that amounts to child abuse. There is enough parking for cars downtown already. The current Library is surrounded by ramps and lots. Why not purchase and reserve space for patrons at those lots and ramps? The officials involved in this decision have an opportunity to show us thay care more for people than cars. Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Library Site Selection
The downtown library has a lot of books on the environment and urban design. I don't recall any of those books saying that cars were good for the natural or human environment...So why encourage people to drive their cars downtown by building a heated parking garage into the library? Why is it that our elected officials always ask us to not take our cars downtown on "B-Bop Day", or whatever it's called ...then turn around and lavish millions on infrastructure to making it easier for people to drive downtown? Maybe our elected officials should spend a little time reading some books on the subject of cars in the urban environment. I suggest Jane Holtz Kay's "Asphalt Nation" and James Howard Kunstler's "The Geography of Nowhere"both available at the downtown library. Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] PRT-A Lousy Idea.
Okay , what's wrong with PRT ? (Personal Rapid Transit) If you've read the literature like I have, it quickly becomes obvious why PRT is not the solution to car-choked streets. I can think of dozens of reasons, but here's a few to start with and maybe you can come up with some of your own. PRT runs on the outside of buildings and punches large holes into their second floors. I don't think this idea will meet the approval of groups devoted to the aesthetic appreciation of and historic preservation of landmark buildings. PRT allows anyone to climb aboard, drunks, prostitutes, teenagers, drug dealers and do what they want in the privacy of the PRT vehicle...leaving behind vomit, used needles, condoms, grafitti, odorshard to police thousands of vehicles whizzing around on monorails. A terrorist could plant a bomb in a PRT vehicle and send it like guided missile to its destination...PRT is supposed to go right into buildings. All those ugly pylons covered with graffiti, dirt, dropping chunks of dirty ice on pedestrians below. Is there supposed to be an elevator for the disabled at every stop. That could get expensive AND ugly. We would be the first to try out a VERY complex technology. What I find interesting is that PRT literature and supporters frequently bash light rail as too expensive and ineficientit's hard to defend a rail system with a record against an unproved system with no record...just a lot of promises PRT supporters sometimes say "Americans don't like to ride with strange people" which is totally untrue ...Americans rave about trains and trolleys when they vacation in Europe or Disney World. The PRT people are careful not to mention trolleys which are an inexpensive, popular, reliable way to move people. People LOVE trolleys! Look at San Francisco, New Orleans and Europe, Disney WorldLake Harriet Forget PRT...bring trolleys back to Minneapolis! Speaking of rail. The Bush administration is planning to break up Amtrak and sell off its assets (that's prime real estate like train stations) Are we in danger of losing the Empire Builder. If we lose our rail link how much more dependent will we be on Northwest? What if we have an oil embargo and the airports are shut down again? Ken Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Stadium Site ("I got it...I don't got it")
I read in today's Strib that our new council president wants to build the Twins Stadium behind the Target Center , downwind from the Garbage Burner...I'm not sure this is such a great site. I imagine there's going to be some pungent smells wafting from the Garbage Burner on warm , humid , summer days...and the flies..not fly balls...the swarming insect kind of flies might be a problem. And speaking of fly balls , on those chilly days in April and October , there's that enormous plume of steam that hangs over that part of the city...will ballplayers lose the fly balls in the roiling cloud of steam? If the sun is going in and out of the plume , I imagine that would drive outfielders nuts. I think it's time we consider a "faith-based" solution to the stadium problem . A few thousand pot-lucks and pancake breakfasts and we'll scrape together enough money to have a good , old-fashioned barn-raising ...maybe if we're successful , we can start a faith-based , volunteer organization to build stadiums for New York and other cities that desperately need them. We could call the organization , "Habitat for Millionaires". Ken Avidor In Sunny Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Help for Seniors
Charity for pedestrians is nice , but parity is better...if the city plows the streets for motorists , they should also plow the sidewalks for people who cannot or choose not to drive... Ken Avidor Slippery Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Walking Around the City.
> I'm glad to hear the new Mayor encourage people to walk around the > city. I like to walk around the city because it is a different reality > than what I experience in a car ..sort of like the scene in the movie > "The Matrix". where the main character gets unplugged...it 's not always > nice > Yesterday, I walked with my daughter to Uptown . On 31st Street , > we saw an old woman walking in the street with a walker. She was > risking her life in traffic because the street was plowed , but the > sidewalk wasn't. Why can't the city plow the sidewalks for the people > who can't drive? What sort of city contemplates building stadiums while > children , the blind and the elderly are forced to walk in the street? > The coughing began long before we reached Lake and Hennepin. Both > of us were hacking and wheezing from the exhaust fumes from thousands of > cars, trucks and busses. The air pollution in Uptown is more horrendous > than ever. It's probably because of the increase in SUV's and > trucks...and the city wants to encourage more traffic on Lake Street by > building an off-ramp from 35W and a parking ramp for Allina at the Sears > sitedo the city officials who want to create more infrastructure for > cars care about the health effects of air pollution? Perhaps if they > got out of their cars and walked down Lake Street , air quality would be > more than a number on a piece of paper. > Walking back from Uptown we saw some workmen from the Parks > Department setting up a hockey rink . While they worked , their > enormous pick-up truck idled , the entire street was filled with exhaust > fumes...we began hacking and wheezing again. The engine was running > because they wanted a nice, warm truck to get into after their little > chore > Yesterday, I walked down 36th Street to the Hosmer > Library...walking anywhere near a highway like 35W is the ultimate > reality trip...a brutal , mechanized hell...there are always car crashes > near the freeway...motorists have trouble adjusting to the slower pace > of city traffic , they get impatient and blow through red lights. > Yesterday , I saw the aftermath of a five car pile-up at 35th > Street...You've probably caught a fleeting glimpse of car crashes from > your car...but the cop waved you on. Pedestrians have time to notice > the details of the crash , it's like a war-zone. Everywhere I walk , I > encounter piles of "road confetti" , the shattered windshields and > tail-lights of cars. It occurs to me that there must be lots of car > crashes in this city ...sometimes I see little shrines with crosses and > flowers and pictures. You don't hear about it much in the local news > media (they have a lot of car advertising). > When I walk , I see a lot of reckless driving , a lot of speeding. > I don't see the police ticketing speeders. A bunch of automated speed > traps and cameras on traffic lights would make a lot of money for the > city... On 50th Street , west of > Nicollet , the posted speed limit is 15 mph , but nearly every car is > speeding at 30 mph or higher even though there are two schools on that > street...it's only a matter of time before a kid gets run over...maybe > Ramsey and Wasburn could have a student operated speed trap for a school > fundraiser instead of a car wash > I agree with the Mayor , people should get out and walk (and not > just around a lake) , but I also want to know from the Mayor and other > city officials on this list...what exactly are you proposing to create a > city where people would rather walk instead of drive? > > Ken Avidor > Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] The Elephant in the Living Room.
There's a book called "The Elephant in the Living Room" that suggests that American's addiction to automobiles is like a dead , rotting elephant in the living room that is nearly impossible to ignore, but nobody has the courage to talk about...I would just like to bring up as a topic , a big piece of that taboo subject - Global Warming. As the January temperatures here in Minneapolis climb back into the '30's and 40's , and the thin crust of ice on our Chain of Lakes melts away , we can no longer be in denial about Climate Change and our part in creating the problem. We are burning more and more fossil fuels , creating more and more CO2 and other greenhouse gasses. Burning a gallon of gasoline creates 19.6 lbs. of CO2 , using this computer for an hour creates .64 lb of CO2. I've heard people say that warmer than usual temperatures in January is a good change...but will they welcome above average temperatures in July? For some people who prize comfort and convenience above all , not having to shovel snow is wonderful ...but the lack of precipitation , if it continues may turn their lawns and gardens brown in the Spring. Global Warming is unlikely to cause any serious problems here in Minneapolis in the near future. Like the proverbial frog in the frying pan we will adjust to the slowly changing climate until it's too late...but in other parts of the world , the heat is being turned up very quickly...In the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu , the rise in sea level has intensified storms and caused salt water intrusion into their drinking water , killing crops and coconut treeslast year , the entire nation of Tuvalu , ten thousand people asked New Zealand and Australia to accept them as environmental refugees (www.tuvalu.f2s.com). And what is the Minneapolis response to Global Warming? We are financing the building of parking ramps and widening roads...encouraging the use of more fossil fuel burning cars. From the perspective of Tuvalans (and future generations of Minnesotans) it doesn't look too good...to put it mildly. I would like to see the City of Minneapolis become a leader in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions...I would like to see a moratorium on the building of infrastructure for cars and the money saved invested in making the city more pedestrian friendly (plowing sidewalks for instance) housing and mass transit. -Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Strib's "Motoring Section"
One subject that comes up at neighborhood meetings and in this forum frequently is transportation. Bus hubs, freeway ramps, light rail and what to do with all those cars. Yet there is no section in our daily newspaper called "Transportation". Instead the Star Tribune has a section called "Motoring". I don't mean to pick on the the hometown paper since nearly every daily newspaper in the country has a section devoted to cars in addition to special advertising sections full of articles about how great cars are and car ads. What's odd about these Motoring Sections is that they are treated by the editors as a blind spot where the high journalistic standards of the rest of the paper don't apply. I saw an ad on television this morning for an auto glass company featuring Paul Brand , billed as an "Automotive Journalist". What kind of journalist does TV ads ? The Strib has had great editorials on global warming and sprawl. Wouldn't it be great if the Strib changed the name of the Motoring Section to the Transportation Section and gave equal coverage to bicyclists, pedestrians, bus riders, airplane passengers, Amtrac passengers, PRT advocates, rail advocates etc.? -Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Re:[Mpls]Buses and Subsidies.
Responding to Mel Gregerson: PRT (Personal Rapid Transit) is a lousy solution to our car-dependant transportation system. There are no large-scale PRT systems in existence so all the claims about cost and efficiency are speculative. When you get past the Gee-Whiz-Buck Rogers fantasy of PRT, there are some real, down-to-earth problems that would plague a large-scale PRT system. Any person who wanted to , could use a PRT vehicle as a mobile drug-shooting gallery , crack-house, hooker-motel room or for any other illegal activity that requires a cheap , short-term, private room . PRT would be a huge securtity problem. A terrorist could put a bomb on the seat of a vehicle, set the destination on the console and step out of the vehicle, turning the PRT into a guided missle aimed at the interior of buildings where the devastation would be greater than what happened at Oklahoma City. Then there is vandalism, litter and grafitti, that need regular fixing and cleaning. Scheduling all those little cars for cleaning would be a nightmare. During an event such as a fireworks show, PRT woud have the same problems private automobiles have in getting a lot of people to a single destination , only worse because it would be a single track up in the air. Imagine all those ugly pylons everywhere ( all with grafitti) When a bus or a trolley breaks down , people don't need cherry-pickers to extract them. I could go on and on...exccept to ask PRT supporters: what is so bad about riding with"strangers"? I LIKE riding with people I don't know!!! I like people-watching on subways and buses! I like over-hearing their conversations. I like crowds and the audiences at plays, movies and concerts and ballgames, and parks and museums and the State Fair . Crowds of strange people are a unique feature of urban life that I ENJOY jeez , why else would I live in a city!!! -Avidor Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re:[Mpls] Green Party Endorsing Convention
Responding to Robert Yorga:
I was at the Green Party endorsing convention and I distinctly remember Lisa
McDonald responding to the question about
reparations positively and mentioning Randall Robinson's book. She said although
reparations was a Federal matter, she would
instruct the city's lobbyist in Washington to seek help.
I distinctly remember R.T. Rybak saying he was against reparations because they
"would cost too much". I don't remember
him mentioning Randall Robinson's book.
Perhaps the people on the Greens screening committee who are on this list can set
the record straight.
Responding to David Brauer:
Germany has paid reparations for many years and is still the economic powerhouse
of Europe. The U.S. recently paid
reparations to the Japanese-Americans for their internment during WWII and we're still
going strong. There is no evidence
that the Federal Government , which spends billions on all kinds of stupid and harmful
stuff like Star Wars and drug wars in
Colombia , will suffer for doing the right thing. Both major political parties have
no problem giving money directly to
people and corporations in the form of tax-breaks, I guess tax-breaks could be called
reparations for rich people.
Since reparations will likely come in the form of increased federal funding for
housing and education for low-income
African-Americans , it would be very "fiscally conservative" and just plain smart for
a mayor of a big city like ours to
endorse reparations.
I read a news story that Johnny Cochrane is preparing to sue the Federal
Government for reparations. My personal point of
view is the U.S. Government should do the right thing , say they're sorry and help the
people who are still suffering from our
nation's legacy of injustice and neglect.
-Ken Avidor
Kingfield
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Re:[Mpls] The Rich Go To Jail
What and who the heck is Magic 8-Ball? I'm always amazed at who gets access to government . If a group wants to use the sidewalk to protest something serious like genetic engineering , the government sends out the riot squad. If a group wants to have a decadent party in a new jail , they get a unanimous vote from the Hennepin Boardwhat's the lesson here ?... Also in the Marie Antoinette tradition is the "Luxury Lifestyle Home Show"...besides the bad-taste of having this in the middle of an affordable housing crisis whose definition of "luxury" is it to live way-out in the corn-fields (temporary corn-fields) far from ethic restaurants , theaters, museums, concert halls and other good urban stuff? Ken Avidor Luxurious Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] re:Private Schools, Public Issues
In Response to R.T. Rybak: Actually , we didn't get our first choice , either. Ramsey, at that time had a small enrollment for kindergarteners. We knew we would have to wait. Our daughter had to go to kindergarten at another school and one month into the next school year , she got into Ramsey. Ken Avidor Kingfield [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Re:Private schools, Public Issue
Responding to David Wilson:
Public Schools unlike religion or food are supported by the public purse and any
institution that receives public funding is and should be subject to public
discussion. Whether a person chooses to send their kids to a non-religious, elite,
private school is a personal decision , when that person decides to ask the tax-paying
citizens of Minneapolis to give him a job that requires him to be a booster for the
public schools , that private matter becomes public.
I also want to point out that for most of us who can't afford a $14000 tuition,
there's no such thing as "choice".
I thought the Strib article was very good at stating all sides of the debate
except it only had opinions from the two major parties. Saturday, June 2 , R.T. Rybak
will be seeking the endorsement of the Green Party for Mayor. The Green Party has a
very strong social justice platform.
Among the recommended Green Party platform proposals is a residency requirement
for police. I doubt too many police officers can afford to send their kids to any
kind of private school. Residency in Minneapolis for most of these public employees
would require them to send their kids to public schools in the city. What would cops
say if the most prominant city employee chooses, in effect, to be exempt from this
requirement?
Ken Avidor
Kingfield
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[Mpls] Put Your Kids Where Your Mouth IS
Responding to David Brauer:
For me the question of whether the next Mayor of Minneapolis sends
his or her kids to public or private school is a practical matter . I
expect the Mayor to be a booster of the Public Schools . Here are a few
situations where I think it would matter a great deal whether the Mayor
had his or her kids in Private Schools:
If a company that was thinking of moving to Minneapolis asked the
Mayor's opinion of the Public Schools. (Businesses often consider the
quality of the public schools when they choose to invest or relocate.)
In the event of a tragedy at a Public School.
If there was a teacher's strike.
Court-ordered desegregation.
I think it would be very unfair to a candidate and his or her
family to pretend we don't care what school he or she's chosen for their
kids and allow the matter to surface later on in the campaign when it's
obvious many people have very strong opinions about the subject.
Ken
Avidor
Kingfield
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[Mpls] Put your kids where your mouth is...
There's been a discussion in the forum about giving money to liberal candidates and I agree that "putting your money where your mouth is" is a good measure of a person's commitment to what they believe. I also believe that a parent who calls him or herself a liberal or a social progressive must also "put their kids where their mouth is". If you say you are for social justice , racial equality and community how can you send your kids to an elite, non-religious , predominantly white private school? My kids go to Ramsey , it's a great school. This year my youngest daughter's orchestra played their violins with the SPCO at the Ordway and my oldest daughter played violin with other MPLS students at Orchestra Hall...I am very grateful to the teachers and administrators of the Minneapolis Public Schools for giving my kids a great public school education. But, I'm very worried about the future of our public schools and what that would mean for our city's future. What worries me the most about the future of the Minneapolis public schools is white, middle-class parents yanking their kids out of the schools and putting them into non-religious private schools. It's not just a vote of no confidence in public schools , it's a vote of no confidence in the progressive agenda that says all of us have a stake in the common good . If you believe that a kid has a right to a better chance in life if they are simply lucky to be born into the right family with enough money and privilege to go to Blake or Breck or Lake Country instead of a public school then how can you argue against the privatization agenda of the Far Right? At the dinner table last night my daughters told us about the awful food served at their school . They told us that the poor kids who eat the school lunches are always throwing up. They also say that some poor kids are too ashamed to eat the greasy free lunch and instead beg food from the kids who bring a bag lunch. They also complain about the kids who disrupt class and make it difficult for the kids who are trying to learn. My kids know about the problems of the poor first-hand, that's perhaps the best lesson that white-middle class kids (and their parents) can learn in this increasingly diverse City and that lesson is not available in private schools. I believe leaders should lead by example. I cannot support a candidate for Mayor or any other office who "talks the talk but won't walk the walk". P.S. If Private School Liberals put their kids back in the public schools , They could send some of that saved tuition money to liberal candidates! Ken Avidor Kingfield [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
