HomeMy WebLinkAbout1974 11-13 Maplewood takes 'back seat' on MTC bus route proposal REVIEW Maplewood takes
back seat
onMTC bu
s route proposal
by Scott Carlson dicated it couldn't approve a bus route
Maplewood should get a Metropolitan along Larpenteur ave. between the
Transit wood su (MTC) bus roopulei to Rosedale Shopping center and Edgerton
the Maplewood Mall shopping st.unless the route were extended east of
beforehitp (MTC) approves pp g center Edgerton st. to Highway 61, north to
Rosedale shopping center, councilman County northRdto theest on MaplewoodoMall.B and
Burton Murdock suggested last Thursday then mah
night. But an MTC spokesman, while ad-
Murdock's comments came duringmilting it was a good suggestion, urged
liscussion on whether to reconsider the routeou councilefoto reconsider the original
ITC's request for the Rosedale route. before the cold weather sets in.
The council, at its Oct. 3 meeting, in- The MTC should wait for a Mall route
while the Northeast Task Force conducts
its roadway studies and awaits the
reports from its consultant, Willard
Little, head of the MTC Operating
division, said.
Little said the Rosedale bus route would
be one of 14 additional routes to be added
to MTC service under the Route Ridership
Improvement Study.
But Murdock had no desire to take a
'back seat' to Roseville. "We've been a
little sister to Roseville too long," Mur-
dock declared. "I think.it's another trend
to develop Roseville's operations."
Murdock complained, "We can't get
anything done out here."
And the vocal councilman later added,
"It's just generating business for
Roseville. I'm not for it. If they (the
MTC) want to pitter patter and include it
in the study,fine, otherwise I say to heck
with it."
Councilman John Greavu also added his
two cents worth of complaints against the
MTC. "Why does it take us so long to get
buses?"Greavu asked."We study,study,
study.Why not get the damn bus out here
and see if it works."
Greavu added, "I know a lot of people
would want to take a bus but it would take
a day and forever to get one."
Little again reiterated that the matter
would be more closely examined in the
Task Force. And he added that the MTC
does want to make use of the Mall, a
potentially heavy generator for bus
service.
But Little, in response to criticisms,
said the MTC is improving its service. In
the last three years the MTC has added 90
new bus routes in 30 different com-
munities "which never had bus service
before" and additional service to another
25 communities,Little said.That increase
is reflected in the bus fleet.
Today the MTC has 750 buses, three
years ago it had 521, Little said.
Councilman Donald Wiegert, while
agreeing that the Task Force should have
recommendations, said at least a tem-
porary extension to Highway 61 would be
desirable so people could make transfers
onto the 15 A bus.
The council first voted 3-2 to reconsider
its decision. Under council rules,
however,a four-fifths majority is needed
for any reconsideration.
A second vote unanimously called for
reconsideration and a request to the MTC
to extend the nrnnnced Rnaada In chnra-sl,n