Author: Joseph Totten

Joseph Totten

About Joseph Totten

Joe is a graduate of Civil Engineering-Transportation and Urban Studies at the University of Minnesota, and has a masters degree from Portland State University. Born and raised in Saint Paul, Joe has worked with nonprofits and public agencies in MSP and Portland.

“New” Enforcement for Proof of Payment on Light Rail Lines

On the METRO System fares are supposed to use a proof of payment system, where you are required to have your ticket or pass with you while riding. Recently, a report detailed how fare evasion had been measured on both rail lines, and a strange tidbit many people overlooked when discussing “those” people who had […]

Map of The Day: Truckee Railyard

This is a zoning map from Truckee, California on the redevelopment of a rail yard. Near where the Donner Party resorted to eating each other in 22 feet of snow. The railway and a freeway restrain the city to a linear layout, as do the surrounding hills and mountains. This photo was taken in the town’s railway […]

CHS Field, a Perfect Cap for Lowertown

Lowertown, Saint Paul, the heart of the old city. Warehouses and factories, built long before my arrival on the scene, being lived in by artists and the “creative class“. The most hipster zip code in America. And home to the new Saint Paul Saints‘ new stadium, CHS Field. This side of downtown has desperately tried to […]

Chart of the Day: Edina Bike/Walk Count Results, Daily Use Profile

Disclaimer, I work for the City of Edina, and made these charts for a presentation to the Edina Transportation Commission. This chart shows all counts taken this year and summed all the times in 15 minute intervals throughout the city. (Four of the 15 minute segments were summed together to make the chart cleaner and easier […]

Chart of the Day: Edina Bike/Walk Count Results, Usage by Mode

Disclaimer, I work for the City of Edina, and made these charts for a presentation to the Edina Transportation Commission. This chart is a sum of all the locations’ daily averages for bicyclists and pedestrians during the 2014 Edina bicycling and walking counts. Something fun to note is that the first chart Year-to-Year Comparisons did […]

Chart of the Day: Edina Bike/Walk Count Results, Daily Use by Location

Disclaimer, I work for the City of Edina, and made these charts for a presentation to the Edina Transportation Commission. Here we can see how different facilities were used for biking and walking in Edina in 2014. These counts were over a full 24 hours (some places were up to 48 hours, but their data […]

Chart of the Day: Edina Bike/Walk Count Results, Year-to-Year

Disclaimer, I work for the City of Edina, and made these charts for a presentation to the Edina Transportation Commission. The following chart shows data from 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2014, from 4-6 PM. The counts were in the northern half of Edina. It’s interesting to note how both walking and biking have their dips, […]

Making West 7th Street Less Auto-Centric Involves MORE Roads

This post is an abridged version of a paper for a class at the University of Minnesota. West Seventh is one of the most important corridors for the City of Saint Paul. Originally called Fort Road, West Seventh is the straightest route from Downtown Saint Paul to the airport and Mall of America. The road […]

Recognition of Privilege on the Bus

I recently rode a bus with my girlfriend from my house to the Science Museum of Minnesota. When we boarded, she went first using a transit pass, while I opted to go last since I paid in cash and would not hold up the bus since it could start moving while I paid. When I had […]