The recent Seward Commons debate highlighted an important discussion about how the city uses Tax Increment Financing, or TIF. It’s one of the few financial tools cities have and control fully. But it’s not broadly understood. So what is TIF and how does it work? What has Minneapolis used it for in the past? What […]
As another marathon CLIC (Capital Long-Range Improvement Committee) session wraps up, I thought it’d be valuable to share some of the projects that came up through the process and were proposed for funding or not, and what that decision process looked like. I recommend reading this blog post to familiarize yourself with the CLIC process […]
The Counties Transit Improvement Board (CTIB) met on December 21 to discuss the probable voluntary dissolution of CTIB and future funding options for metro rail and bus transit systems. The 78 page PDF was distributed and was the working document used at the meeting. Pages 3-7 offer a summary of the dissolution proposal as well […]
We hear frequent calls for more funding for bicycling — for painted bike lanes, door zone bike lanes, sharrows, protected bikeways, bicycle parking, giant motor traffic intersections for Trader Joe’s, programs to encourage people to ride and any number of things. We don’t need all of that special funding. We may specifically not want that special […]
A reader recently wrote to our local paper suggesting that bicycle riders should pay for their share of the roads they use. I quite agree. I think all users should pay their fair share. I’m a strong believer in personal responsibility and that we should each pay for what we use. This makes for […]
The recent hubbub around operations on a decade old runway at Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport (MSP), operated by the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC), have unearthed a few interesting nuggets. I’m not really an airport or airplane operations buff. I mostly just appreciate that we have a fairly nice airport that I use relatively infrequently (though […]
A federal judge’s decision on a Wisconsin road project has shined a spotlight on the distorted ways people view “their” roads. On May 22, the U.S. Eastern District Court ruled that WisDOT didn’t adequately explain traffic projections or account for updated demographic data when deciding to expand Highway 23 to four lanes between Fond du […]
Minnesota Transportation Bill Basics The Republican-controlled House has passed a transportation bill that uses General Fund money to support billions in new road funding, cuts transit, and ignores walking and biking. The DFL-controlled Senate has passed a transportation bill that uses a gas tax increase to support billions in new road funding, a metro-area sales […]
Last Wednesday (February 4) I attended a public presentation by Ramsey County engineers for a proposed redesign of the Randolph and Lexington Avenue intersection. They are proposing to spend a million and a half dollars to purchase four properties on the northeast corner of the intersection and bulldoze them to make space for a dedicated […]