Community Voices: Misconceptions and Two out of four ain’t bad…
By Joe Landsberger
Dear editor,
Two out of four: On Wednesday, July 10 I was again not allowed into the Riverview Corridor’s “open” house at the Jewish Community Center. The first exclusion was at my local community center at Palace Recreation Center. My crime: I had an easel and poster that elaborated on bus rapid transit (BRT) option that the Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) instructed them to present along with two streetcar options. The second crime is that I had a handout spreadsheet that their River Corridor staff developed that compared the options, plus the Purple/Gold BRT extension.
In the “open” house you will not find that spreadsheet since it is embarrassing: BRT is a quicker, cheaper, more accessible option than streetcars, and also does not eliminate parking (and trees) and small businesses. My poster was developed for $80. Their room full of displays probably cost several hundred-thousands of dollars when you add in all the staff time—but their displays minimizes BRT. Somehow my $80 poster and spreadsheet printout is too threatening. I add that at two open houses, one for Ward 2 at the Wellstone Center, and one at the Landmark Center for the Capitol River Council, I was welcomed without either incident or “controversy”. I even helped set up their streetcar promotion at the latter!
Now the misconception: While 3,000 of our residents and small businesses signed a petition opposing rails on Seventh in 2016, a few think it is a NIMBY (not in my back yard) gesture. Not so. From the get-go, the issue has not been to oppose a dedicated rail line connecting downtown with the western suburbs, Mall of America and Airport. Only that Fort Road/West Seventh Street is not the best option, and that better options ARE NOT BEING EVALUATED. When West End neighborhoods were removed and Fountain Cave destroyed for the four-lane highway of Shepard Road back in the fifties, one element of design was a dedicated rail line! With the elimination of the Ford Spur, we now have unused rails that connect Highland Bridge. That’s a possibility and a wonderful set of customers for West End businesses and events—whether or not it be rail, or bike or foot. But it is only an unstudied option. There are more, and honestly, we need to consider them.
Join us at a Ralley
On Monday, August 12 Citizen Advocates for Regional Transit (CART) is organizing a rally at Bad Weather Brewing: 6:30 social, 7:00 presentation, 7:30 Q&A. Please join us!
Joe Landsberger – life-long (80-year) resident of “West” neighborhoods, Co-chair of the Station Area Planning Task Force, Member of CART.
