A longtime friend of the blog writes:
This from MPR – a loving puff piece about the wonderfulness that Ms Bender plans for Mpls (and coming soon to a neighborhood near you)
check out her credentials (mid article) she is committed to solving 21st century problems with 19th century city planning.
When looking at politics in Minneapolis (and, soon, Saint Paul), remember – Betsy Hodges is no longer mayor because she wasn’t far enough to the left for the city’s dominant strain of the DFL.
City planners operate from the assumption that freely made choices lead to bad results.
The population of Minneapolis is smaller than it was in the 1980s.
At least bender acknowledges that making the city more suitable for bicycles will make it less suitable for automobile users.
Preferring bicycles over autos is de facto discrimination. Bicycle riders are a young adult to middle aged demographic. Bicycles are not fit transport if you have to carry more than a bag lunch or a briefcase. Bender does not want to make Minneapolis more suitable to young couples with families.
There is something weird about a city that is proud of both its skyways and its bike path system. Skyways are built to protect people from the environment, bike paths intentionally expose people to the elements.
expect the Cedar Sq West “New Town In Town” model to be replicated every 20 blocks along the LRT routes.
If you live 7 blocks either side of the LRT routes look for a systematic devaluing of single family homes over the next 5 years so that DFL-connected developers can start buying up property on the cheap. What she’s suggesting is the cash-for-clunkers equivalent for the housing market.
Single family homes (the majority of the housing stock in MPLS) are a losing proposition from a tax revenue point of view, i.e. too much land producing too few tax revenue dollars
The New York subway and San Francisco trolleys are centuries old and commonly used. They’re a well-established part of the transportation network. Converting Minneapolis will require a transition period. Perhaps they could try a pilot project?
Within this 20-block zone, all vehicles are prohibited. In fact, we tore up the streets. Nothing here but bike lanes. Everybody carries their groceries in, the coffee shop employees push hand trucks of daily supplies, the fire truck has extra-long hoses to reach into the zone, cops patrol on foot and ambulance gurneys are equipped with over-sized tires and electric motors (and pull-up hoods to keep the rain off the patient’s face).
Try it out for a while, see how it goes, then convert the rest of the city.
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These dimwits will tear everything up, and in 20 years, when all the snowflakes have hung their bicycles up, they’ll have to pony up cash money to replace it all, just like you did to replace the trolley tracks for the dindu choo-choo.
I rode a motorcycle, exclusively, between the ages of 19 and 25. Rain or shine, 90 degrees or 40.
By the time I was 30 years old, although I still ended up riding in the rain plenty, the thought of hopping on my bike and heading off in the rain to the store was laughable.
These ejits think they’re gonna hop on the old Schwinn at 40 years of age when it’s -20? LMAO
Its amazing the gall of these bikers I see here in minneapolis. They’ll cut off anyone and run any light, even the ones who know the laws dont seem to get it. Sure you might have the right of way but the laws of physics dont give a damn about you holier than thou attitude and SJW beliefs. you vs. any vehicle, the vehicle ALWAYS wins. Being technically right and ‘superior’ morally doesnt make you any less dead.
I say bless your little heart Lisa. Force your ideas done ASAP! Crowd all your folks together and leave them without cars to travel. I figure that’ll keep your brain addled ilk imprisoned so they cannot venture out to the rural area where I live.
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