Category Measures

• Bikeways
• Downtown Transportation Alternatives
• Lake Water Quality
• Recycling
• Tree Canopy

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Why This Is Important

Getting around using transportation other than driving is good for our hearts, lungs and pocketbooks. Alternative transportation is also good for our neighborhoods and our environment. This measure will help us keep our finger on the pulse of how people are getting around downtown to know if actions are obtaining the intended changes.

What's Being Done

The City plays an important role in making transit affordable and convenient and promoting its use, and creating dynamic urban corridors that are safe and convenient for pedestrians and bicyclists. Currently, there is a project under way to reconstruct Marquette and Second Avenues to have dual bus lanes. The City is also involved in a portion of the North Star Commuter Rail Line, the downtown station near the new Twins Ballpark and the continuation of the Cedar Lake Bike Trail. Also, the proposed Central Corridor Light Rail Transit (LRT) line project will be constructed as well as future development of the Southwest Corridor LRT line.

About This Measure

Downtown transportation results come from the last comprehensive count of downtown transportation. The last cordon count was completed in 2003, but more recent indicators are showing increases in public transit use and bicycling downtown. A 2007 count of bicycles at selected locations in downtown showed a 51 percent increase over 2003 levels. In 2008, light-rail transit (LRT) ridership grew 12 percent (in part due to the reopening of the Humphrey Terminal LRT station), and systemwide bus ridership grew 5 percent, resulting in Metro Transit's highest annual ridership since 1982.