|
i ransit <
<br />Continued from Page 1
<br />tnnsitvehices,too,sh Ivopat
<br />the fringe.
<br />mimt
<br />Until recently am (fairly casual)
<br />respotue has been,"We'll put it
<br />underground"Cresudrudivets
<br />will no longer do. It is now a real
<br />question —partly of cost, fro the
<br />con neling or c ut-and-cover to
<br />build the underground lines and
<br />stations, and to install the c:cala-
<br />tors, and partly of spreadira down-
<br />town onto yet another le%,...
<br />At the moment thejudgment
<br />seems to be not to go underground
<br />So the question moms, even more
<br />organdy: Should the mmk-line
<br />vehicle cane into Nt -,> c at all?
<br />It need not Clear -,transit vehi-
<br />cles — like autos and over-thc-
<br />madhaws —could be boughijust
<br />to the hinge of the downtown, then
<br />tamed around and tent back out
<br />oranotherlead
<br />This would require some system
<br />for moving people to where they
<br />warn togownhm the central area
<br />— some kind of"circulator."
<br />Which, as it happen" another
<br />idea with a tong continuity in Twin
<br />Cities area anporution
<br />planning.
<br />The ring of I nlersmm heewayr
<br />around central Mioimapolis was
<br />Zgv r inaEy to to ae tfan a hypass
<br />IraB, with no degmation in
<br />downtown. These roam w e m (o
<br />function m a circumferential on
<br />which it would be possible to drive
<br />award downtowq from one side
<br />w the Over.
<br />In the summer of 1971, however,
<br />computer analysis by the Highway
<br />Department made it clear the In-
<br />tersute ring could not handle the
<br />short tnips this cimulater tune lion
<br />would invoke. The state told Mi n-
<br />oeapolis atfickls it would redesign
<br />the nnn to me:ove the access
<br />rapt Tnc radial freeways would
<br />nrnrmare the ring and drop their
<br />4
<br />a... Rrmemba r chute over the IDS or you'd avnd-uy
<br />in Cornhndge . ,
<br />traffic onto local smacks, Ths .sa)
<br />would have to find a way for dw
<br />vehicles to circulate within
<br />downtown.
<br />The city's response was to build a
<br />kind ofarculator for autos simply
<br />out of ore -way streets, and to keep
<br />shifting auto parking out to the
<br />fringe. The key was,ofcourw, to
<br />expand the skyways, through
<br />which people would walk:nto the
<br />core in second -level comfort while
<br />vehicles moved on the streets
<br />below than.
<br />The idea of a nehrfe-system to
<br />grade- separate downtown circula-
<br />tion goes back at least to the lam AI
<br />Godward'spmposal in ilm 1920s
<br />for a subway—pnecisely to move
<br />people from one sue of downtown
<br />to the other —running berneath
<br />Hennepin Avenue, only took
<br />about Franklin w East Henmp,...
<br />Inthe1970stfedearcis amdi.i
<br />the small -vehicle study done tot
<br />the Legislature by Dick Wolsfeld
<br />of BR W. This proposed two half -
<br />loops running together in an east -
<br />west subway under& s•h Sr.r..
<br />surrounded by a lull loop outside
<br />the skyway system, abov. ground
<br />(but through blocks m ther than
<br />over streets).
<br />That am:cipated the call -west
<br />one elation that downtown growth
<br />soon began to d isplay. The pro-
<br />purl for " short les" by the Down-
<br />town Development Task Force,
<br />a^4 the I. dppoossaals to link down.
<br />town with thermwdeve' i menton
<br />the east side of the M iss..sippi, rc-
<br />Bect this interest in a separate sys.
<br />tem to ciwulam people withi•
<br />downtown.
<br />park (and will they really do that)'
<br />Or will a remit vehicle sake them
<br />home?
<br />This becomes a gqtmstion of the
<br />vehiclethatistobe putinthe
<br />wank -lima 'or.Railvehicles
<br />cannotleavetheUrightofway.
<br />Non -tucked vehicles coo.
<br />Some ofthe consultant's presenta
<br />dons about LRT am mak mg the
<br />point, quite subdy,thar Las
<br />camniialiy a vehicle. The slide
<br />shsswswhat is clearly an LRT car.
<br />Nutdris'1orLR ;'Ihevmce
<br />Ays"Thiscarhnotine nerved
<br />(;gktofway."
<br />If transit is es•endally reserved
<br />rightofw, 'wriallkindsofpos.
<br />sibilitiaopenup.
<br />,wages dmr..musk bem-
<br />.nvedrightsotwayleading tothe
<br />central area: separate,"clear"
<br />cLannels in these diagonal tnns-
<br />poltution coridom in which Iran -
<br />sit sehiclescan run free ofthe auto
<br />A.
<br />As people begin to think creatively
<br />velopment to spread cam and north
<br />about what to do at the downtown
<br />arount4941694,theneanss-area
<br />and they mayb^gin to think cwa.
<br />movements will increase and the
<br />Iivcly also Wwt what to du at the
<br />fieewayson which downtown do
<br />suburbunend. Will commuters
<br />pends will become increasingly
<br />have to drive to the station., and
<br />eong�eted.)
<br />MINNESOTAJOl1ANAL
<br />W hat'sm issue is whclhcrto use
<br />mickederr tam-Imckcd vchicicvin
<br />those msemd righls n(wu y.
<br />LRT wracked. Soil is -al uvc to
<br />its guideway. Its rider, must them-
<br />faretransfer at the 6blhm la ml0e
<br />other vehicle that will take them
<br />home (unless enough high -density
<br />housingg can be developed along its
<br />right ofway.)
<br />I he alternalivejusl beginning In
<br />be discussed, is the dual-m,dc has
<br />— powered bah by ovc nccvn d
<br />electric xims(like LR'itand by an
<br />on -board diesel engine. Il would
<br />run on electric power in in re
<br />served right of way and into down
<br />town (even underground). 11 would
<br />switch to diesel power when it left
<br />the corridor at the suburban coil,
<br />_. I take mmmumishnmc uv lbc
<br />i.:: Cbases lwwdo.
<br />hd'
<br />quI25 at inkpgmmd mm•ihnmi
<br />wire realeelop ethntwchlnph
<br />densitydevelopment efinal Ia:
<br />permiVnl atdcouldM fin:nn+''L
<br />We am now beginning In debate
<br />all thesequestiom. In anydelnne
<br />the pwpottentsofa Purticula, vim
<br />don always prefer to naon, w dm
<br />issues. If the issue is botwenn,haing
<br />something and doing moth lty-"e
<br />community, can frequenllY la:l'e'r-
<br />Per -
<br />'fheuco make th. u•safanland
<br />service mNa+h..nafdcbam
<br />irepentivahis).. aness to yuy fur
<br />aM to build Immil facililics ookm
<br />they arrac l ridersor crcaa d-veto
<br />opmcm. That can non mea n seat.
<br />ingrldersfromthehus Orta',ual
<br />assurances that it 4an°nt
<br />will fanow later,
<br />ie ter Two. ( 11.0
<br />how to install systems in wn,'
<br />peopleridetogethcrftran 00 xe
<br />must be quite hard. head, d.,la,ai
<br />what actionswill and will r.•a le'
<br />wonhwhatthcycl -nian "-6
<br />riders.andaboutwnete v'' ,,,getamt can rcafslicdly a rla'
<br />devclopmenitooccer. •. r9HB
<br />Fcbroaay
<br />
|