True North

While I was traveling to and from my Great-Grandfather's funeral last week I had time to read through William Buckley's "The Unmaking of a Mayor." Like all of Buckley's works, it is excellent, but I'd like to here focus on a specific proposal Buckley developed for New York City in 1965 to address some transportation issues.

He suggested a raised bicycle trail which would allow cyclists to stay above the traffic. His proposal involved specifics not important here but I have borrowed from his idea extensively so be forewarned, this can barely be considered a post of mine.

Instead of taking University Ave. and ripping it up to try to fit a lightrail line between the two downtowns, might we try a raised and covered bicycle trail instead? Putting in a lightrail line will be very expensive. On top of the expense of building the rail line there will be the cost of running and maintaining the line. The present lightrail line in Minneapolis requires perpetual subsidy and another line will double the cost.

Building the University ave line will also endanger some of the businesses located there. What is also forgotten is that University Ave. is already well served by a bus line which runs and stops regularly and is cost effective (at least as far as government transportation goes).

So, I say keep the bus line as it is and don't build the rail. To increase the transportation options, if you really need to spend money, build the raised bicycle line. A few benefits:

• Bicycles don't create greenhouse gasses.
• Pedicabs could provide jobs.
• Kiosks could be set up to charge cyclists a nominal fee to use the raised and covered bicycle trail on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis (with higher fees for the pedicabs).
• The line would be able to tap right in to existing bicycle trails in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
• The trail might even pay for itself, between the riding fees and pedicab taxes, over the course of its expected lifetime.
• University is already divided and construction could be incorporated in such a way as to not disrupt traffic as much as a rail line would.
• Increase healthy living potential.
• A raised trail would not disrupt traffic.
• Security could easily be provided by two or three bicycle police officers and cctv cameras. Maintenance would be much cheaper than a rail line, involving trash pickup and some snow removal (remember, I would have it covered though that wouldn't be necessary).
• Requiring people to pay to use the trail should make it easier to keep the riff raff out.
• Ramps could be used to deposit cyclists just off of University Ave to avoid traffic issues.
• The trail would not serve as a criminal transportation system (like the lightrail and busses are).

Yes, the trail would be less popular in the winter time but you need to balance that fact with the costs of operating a rail line. Not everyone would use the trail and it would probably be a God awful eyesore but it seems to me a more rational proposition than the lightrail. Bicycles would actually be able to serve some of the neighborhoods of the area the lightrail line fails to do so.

Cross-posted at Martin Andrade Blogs. Comments welcome.