November 10, 2016 at 3:50 p.m.
Process for selecting transit preferred option goes past deadline, but end is near
Process for selecting transit preferred option goes past deadline, but end is near
Begun in 2014 this was supposed to take two years.
The new deadline for a decision on what public transportation will look like between here and St Paul is now spring 2017.
One task force member, Chisago County Commissioner Ben Montzka, said he supports the process even if it’s taking extra time.
Ramsey County Commissioner and Rush Line Task Force Chair Victoria Reinhardt has been “...more than fair to the other counties” Montzka said. “She has been working hard, as the (full) Task Force tries to be cost-efficient.”
Rush Line Task Force members pay varying amounts based on population, to support this study and planning process.
Chisago County paid $10,200 in 2016 and budgeted $10,500 for 2017.
Montzka added that the fact that Chisago County lacks the population base to run mass transit into the county, the fact that transit services will be nearby is a benefit.
At this time, a potential dedicated busway out of St Paul, would stop in White Bear Lake. From there northward the transit bus will use existing right-of-way. There’s also discussion for a circulating (every 30 minutes) system offering riders the best service possible for the many needs identified by riders. The buses could rotate through Forest Lake on a route, which has not been chosen.
Nobody can say the task force and its subcommittees haven’t looked at every angle. There have been many meetings and open houses held in the Forest Lake-White Bear Lake region and presentations to city councils. The staff for the rail authority even did bus stop surveys.
Commissioner Montzka said between now and January the final phase of open houses will be scheduled to assist local authorities choosing the preferred local alternative or PLA.
There is still time to have input on the multiple routes the system could take entering St Paul/Maplewood etc. If there’s a school, medical facility or other stop you would use the future Rush Line bus to ride to, log onto rushline.org and chime in.
The existing commuter routes on 35 (#275 and 285) remain untouched in plans so far.
From modifications made at the Rush Line policy advisory committee meeting in late October it appears the recommendation that impacts Chisago County commuters the most-- will involve buses on existing roads from Forest Lake to White Bear Lake.
Ramsey Rail Authority staff associate Andy Gitzlaff said the Policy Advisory Committee felt the “most logical” way to proceed and realistically create a competitive project for later funding, was to go with the bus.
Any days presenting reduced-ridership, the RushLine organization could review usage data and scale back to maybe a bus every hour, Gitzlaff explained.
Other local Rush Line Task Force members include Stacy Mayor Mark Utecht, Kathy Blomquist, North Branch Council, Linda Nanko-Yeager for Wyoming County, and Harris Mayor Diane Miller.
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