HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015 10-01 RushLine open house message; provide input now CHISAGO COUNTY PRESS Thursday, October 1, 2015 _
RushLine open house message; provide input now ChisagoCountyPress�RushLineopenhousemessage;provideinputnow
by DENISE MARTIN
Thursday, October 1,2015
The plan to provide mass transit to this region, from around Forest Lake, down to St Paul, is in outline form but the finished
product is still a ways-off.
The Rush Line Task Force Policy Advisory Committee held an open house in the Headwaters Library complex in Forest Lake, Sept 22,
where people were advised transit officials mostly want to start hearing from the public before finalizing a project for local
governments to sign-off on.
If you are not someone who attends meetings in person-- go to Facebook.com/rushline or, tweet@rushlinetransit, or see the
RushLine.org website and add your thoughts.
Mike Rogers told the open house attendees, '�We don't want to just hear that you support transit or you oppose it-- we want to know
why,,,
The RushLine people also want to hear where you think stops should be located.
And, do you want a station type experience or is a park &ride sufficient, where there's no shelter or structure provided.
The alternatives being looked at are classified as°all day"scheduling and not just morning and evening, Rogers added.
There is no final in-city route selected yet, so if you do expect to take the transit into work, where do you need stops in downtown St
Paul?
The goal is to achieve°...the biggest bang for the buck," Rogers said. Planners want to situate the facilities and incorporate the
mode of actual transport (bus, light rail, train, etc) most favored by those who will use the service.
The transit analysis eliminated routes and modes of travel that would cost $1 billion or more, and that created 75 minutes or more in
travel time.
The analysis leading to this point has unearthed some interesting stats. Rogers said there are now 55 percent more people (over 10
years) living in poverty within the region that this route could serve.
While actual ridership numbers haven't been estimated yet, the cultural trend is that people embrace less single-vehicle, one person
travel.
A woman at the open house, who said she is a North Branch resident, asked Rogers suggested Lafeyette Park in St Paul, where she
is employed, as an end point. She would use mass transit as long it makes sense. She added that she won't drive to White Bear
Lake, for example, to get on a bus, but she would pick-up a route that starts in Forest Lake.
Another area resident said post-secondary educational institutions have to be included in the planning. Century and Metro State
University are in the conversations, Rogers said. The early idea is for a Maplewood Mall stop, with an express bus from there to
Century.
Here again, the planners want your feedback.
Maplewood Mayor Nora Slawik also noted St. John's is being identified as a site where staff and people who are going for medical
appointments, would support a transit connection.
Lent Township Planning Commission member Mark Koran also attended to see how Lent can get representation on the RushLine Task
Force. (A freeway gas station, convenience store and park &ride at #17 and 35 are in the township) He said nobody represented
Lent on the planning group. The "rush line"was identified from St Paul Union Depot to Hinckley. Lent is ideally situated to be
impacted eventually, Koran explained.
The township will be receiving materials on the joint powers and how to become part of this process. (Stacy, Wyoming, North Branch
and Rush City are members.)
The study underway now is 80 percent federally funded and 20 percent metro county-supported. At a future point the service would
be 50 percent federal, 10 percent state, 10 percent local ridership and 30 percent is generated from a metro region five-county sales
tax, already in effect. _. . — --- -- -
http://www.chisagocounrypress.com/pri nt.asp?Secti onID=1&Subsecti onID=1&ArticlelD=21089