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Levy Rail Map Proposal

Map Monday: Fantasy Eastern US Rail Network

By on February 11, 2019 in Infrastructure, Maps, Railroads

Here’s a map from erstwhile rail and transit blogger, Alon Levy, with a proposed “high-speed” / low-speed rail network that would connect to Minnesota. First, the map itself: For Levy’s proposal, the Chicago-to-Minneapolis travel time would be 2 hours and 30 minutes. There would also be connection north to Duluth. Here’s what Levy writes about […]

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A Desire Path Turns into a Sidewalk!

By on January 23, 2019 in Infrastructure, Sidewalks, Walking

On the eastern edge of Saint Paul, there’s a dangerous intersection: a four lane stroad, with on-ramps/off-ramps to I-94, and (until recently) almost no pedestrian infrastructure. It is, however, a critical link for the neighborhood, so people had to make the best of it. To get to the grocery store from the south, you had to […]

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Let’s Ban Slip Lanes in Saint Paul

By on January 16, 2019 in Infrastructure, Streets

Today I took the A Line rapid-transit bus south on Snelling, meaning to get off at University and catch the Green Line train. But I wasn’t paying attention and missed the stop at University. That meant I had to ride the bus all the way down to Marshall Avenue (which is about twice as far […]

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Improved Yielding to Cyclists in St. Paul

By on January 14, 2019 in Bicycling, Infrastructure, Streets, Urban Design

Most days I commute to work using the Margaret Street Bicycle Boulevard. This east/west street has been a designated bikeway for a while. St. Paul recently received federal funds for some major improvements: The intersection with Johnson Parkway was closed to cars. The intersection with White Bear Avenue got a flashing HAWK light. The intersection […]

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An Easy Way to Make Suburbs More Walkable: Sidewalk Shortcuts

By on January 11, 2019 in Infrastructure, Safety, Sidewalks

Making the suburbs, especially outer ring suburbs, walkable will require a significant shift in how we treat pedestrians in terms of infrastructure investment and in terms of interacting with them while driving. However, there is an easy way to make the suburbs more walkable without requiring significant investment: simply adding a sidewalk connecting streets and […]

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Sonnet, or Love Song

By on December 18, 2018 in Hooray Hooray, Infrastructure, Safety, Walking

Pedestrian leading interval, YAY! Hark! Proclaim your wondrous utility, Yet, simple with so much humility, Very easy to cross the street today, Protected in all my fragility, From car and truck driver hostility, So cheerful even when the skies are grey. Gratitude be to Saint Paul Public Works, For installing them all over the place, […]

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One Month Later: A RRFB Crossing Failed

By on December 11, 2018 in Bicycling, Infrastructure, Roads, Safety, Signals, Suburbia, Walking

Just over a month after I wrote a post criticizing county traffic engineers for a half-baked attempt at protecting pedestrians and cyclists crossing busy streets, I unfortunately was proven right by a crossing in Anoka County. On November 20 two girls crossing Highway 47 at Pederson Drive in St. Francis were struck at the crosswalk […]

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Twin Cities Transit Expansion Timeline

By on November 30, 2018 in Infrastructure, Transit

The Twin Cities region has been slow to establish transitways compared to peer cities. While there have been a few new transitways since our first major transit project was completed, the region has a long way to go and will likely need major funding changes for more routes to be completed and in a reasonable […]

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To the Gulf of Minneapolis

By on November 16, 2018 in Architecture, Bicycling, Infrastructure, Neighborhoods, Railroads, Rivers, Roads, Shipping, Streets

July 10, 2016 Downtown, West Side 18.3 Miles I frequently look at maps of Saint Paul. Call it a “blogupational” hazard. Sometimes I’ll plan a ride with the help of Google maps. Occasionally I’ll use an official City of Saint Paul paper map. Street maps from the mid and late- 1800s to the 2010s are […]

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Downtown Minneapolis

Hidden Priorities, in Plain Sight

By on November 1, 2018 in 2040 Minneapolis Comprehensive Plan, Development, Downtown, Infrastructure, Neighborhoods

A friend compiled this series of Google Earth images. I scanned them, and intended to get on with my work, but I just couldn’t. I went through them again. And then again. I found myself rethinking the city I live in. Most people think Minneapolis looks like this: Or this: But, when you step back, […]

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