When it comes to transit, the Twin Cities has lagged behind other areas across the country.
Last Friday, 10 metro-area mayors and commissioners who gathered at the
state Capitol agreed that the region needs to catch up. In a press
conference, they
voiced support for Governor Mark Dayton's transit initiative.
The plan addresses the need for several different modes of transit; it
provides for additional bus service, funding for the Southwest Light
Rail Transit line and new bus rapid transit or streetcar lines over the
next 20 years, according to a prepared statement about the event.
To make it happen, the Governor's budget lays out that $250 million a year will come from a regional one-fourth-cent sales tax.
That allocation will help grow the transit system by 1 percent annually, according to event materials.
St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, a speaker at the press conference, said
it's about creating a "first-class region when it comes to
transportation," where people "choose to live in communities that have
great networks of transportation options."
A number of cities across the country have already prioritized transit.
"In so many different measures, they are beating us on the things that
matter," he said.
That includes job creation, growth and in-migration of talented workers, as just a few examples, he added.
But he's hopeful that as the region expands its transit system, the Twin
Cities "will be second to none, in terms of the quality of life, in
terms of the ability to attract talent and the ability to attract jobs."
Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak seconded that, adding that the plan "will
allow us to make dramatic and incredible improvements in transit
infrastructure that grows jobs."
Residents need to be able to move easily throughout the region, from
home and work. "You can't grow a region if you're stuck in gridlock."
Transportation needs to be addressed as a system, not in a piecemeal
fashion. "It's critically important and it says a lot about our future,"
he said.
Source: Press conference
Writer: Anna Pratt