In downtown Saint Paul, there is a station on the Green Line light rail (LRT) called “Central“. This station is very useful! There’s a skyway connection, and it allows core office workers and casual activity users access to the Metro system. Parked diagonally across a city block, there was always going to be some awkwardness. […]
As a continuation of my series on traffic signals, it’s time now to take a look at controllers. Traffic signal controllers can either be electro-mechanical (E/M), electronic, or a combination of both. Electro-mechanical Controllers. Electro-mechanical controllers date from the beginning of traffic signals up to new installations in New York City into the 2000s. I’ve […]
Green Line signal timing and Green Line safety – especially for human-powered and potentially impatient users – are old news on streets.mn. Today, I point out an as-yet unmentioned crossing design that is begging for trouble. I regularly observe the Green Line crossing of the Hiawatha bike trail as part of my daily commute. When I end up […]
Another installment in my occasional series on traffic signals: here is random stuff I’ve discovered around the area. Is it a Ball or an Arrow? This intersection of County 81 and Elm Creek Boulevard doesn’t seem to be particularly interesting, but look closer when the light turns green. Then move closer. The green ball magically […]
When I first heard about the fatal Green Line crash at Snelling Avenue Station last Thursday morning, I was shocked and dismayed. And as additional reports gave the name of the victim–Lynne Thomas–and focused on how highly she was valued for the role she played as receptionist at the Minnesota Senate research department, I became even more upset and saddened. Finally, I […]
Saturday, September 27, 2014 Frogtown, Como, Highland Park The stunning September weather continued for another weekend, bringing enough sun and warmth to almost blot out thoughts of putting my bike away for the season. The points of interest started in Frogtown with the Church of Saint Columba, the iconic Catholic church on Lafond Street. I […]
Next* summer, Hennepin County will be reconstructing Washington Avenue S from Hennepin Avenue to 5th Avenue in Downtown Minneapolis. And to the glee of Twin Cities urbanists, it will have a cycle track, with bike paths on each side of the street raised above the roadway. Since this cycle track is a bit of a first for […]
The following was passed on to streets.mn, which is the response from officials about improving signal timings for Pedestrians on the Washington Avenue Transit Mall. “Balance” is the word used, not “Priority”. I assume pedestrians will continue to violate at will. Twelve seconds of useless wait is a long time in January.
Driving 28th Avenue from 38th Street to Minnehaha Parkway in south Minneapolis is a pleasure, a little too much so. Traffic is relatively light compared to so many busy streets in the city, the speed limit is 30 MPH, the road surface was repaved last year and is nice and smooth. The only likely place […]
This is part 4 of an ongoing series on traffic signals. Part one looked at vehicle signals in general, Part two and part three looked at left turns. In this part we get into more detail on pedestrian signals. Early Days. Since almost the beginning it was recognized that additional accommodations needed to be made […]