NRP – Traffic/Safety Focus Group – Feb. 7, 2005

Attending:

Clarence Shallbetter

Roger Clark

Lisa Pogoff

Beth Rice

Facilitator and Note taker: Vida Y. Ditter

Strengths of the Neighborhood

· Great location, it’s central to everything. There is community, activism that energizes people. People like to improve where they live. Like the fact that we have a downtown and a little corner market.

· With bus lines so few and slow, get to meet your neighbors at bus stops. Are on the path of SW rail corridor which is on Cedar lake Trail. SW rail ill provide a place to get on and off, provide more convenient times to get to downtown. Downside of the is that its too far. Developer building high rises by Fruen Mill – need to get buses from high density living to LRT. Elderly have left and gone to high rises that have buses that transports them to places they want to go. As MTCO cuts back service, neighborhoods relying more on automobile. Spend monies on promoting light rail and using larger blocks of land for higher density living that would support more public transportation. Saw Denver’s monorail system which provides more public transportation – does not pose problem to with other surface transportation, is built on highway rights of way.

· All the bike trails are a strength as well as proximity to downtown. Also seen as a strength are the jogging paths and other recreational facilities. Likes activism and people’s interest in the neighborhood – friendly people. Neighbors keep up their properties.

· Extraordinarily accessible to both downtown and to all other parts of the metro region. Typical household, one of 2 members of the household does not work in the City downtown, works instead in suburbs and other areas of the city. Close to cultural activities in the downtown. Buses probably serve most of the neighborhood, as folk have cars and will keep on using them. For Bryn Mawr folk, bus and auto have comparable time and trip lengths. Bikes are still basically still recreational, though a few folk ride to work, so not yet an alternative mode of transportation for Bryn Mawr folk. Proximity to job markets make Bryn Mawr a prime neighborhood. Contributes to inflated value of housing. Housing stock is attractive to many people – mixture of housing styles, housing age, etc.. but getting very expensive which is impetus to keeping the houses well maintained (not going to let a large investment go to seed). Neighborhood is surrounded by parks, which make it contained all around its edges, give it a small village feel but with access to service in downtown BM. Future will continue to be overwhelmingly what it is today, based on auto. Auto gives more flexibility in movement, will not change until whole country moves from petroleum based economy. Only subsidized public transportation will compete with cars, neither bus nor LRT offers as complete a service as auto and only those who cannot afford an auto will have no choice but to use public transportation. LRT (SW corridor) needs to have easier access than is currently scheduled – right now have to cross the railroad track and the Cedar Lake Trail to get to the LRT – it will not be used very much. It would therefore need a high subsidy, which in times of economic straits, is vulnerable to cut-backs. As to Fruen Mill and higher density housing, can only handle such numbers on one side or the other of the highway. Fruen Mill has had bus service cut off along Glenwood, so less attractive. Running more buses does not end up with more passengers. Too many buses running with only a very small number of passengers.

· Cyclists do use the trails for getting to work

· Higher density housing being built around LRT stations – per person, Twin Cities is one of the most expensive places to live, as community ages, will need more mass transit, residens won’t be able to drive themselves

· Need higher densities to support expansion of the transit system.

Weaknesses

· Lack of bus routes and infrequency of buses and lack of other transportation modes and long time it takes to go from one location to another.

· Second that. Takes too long from one location to another directly. Lack of connections. LRT might be connected to shopping centers so might be able to get to shopping areas. Connected LRT to the airport – that is good, as more folk get more of these new transit systems, might find them easier to use and prefer them over the auto.

· Relative to other places in the metro area, we have above average access by car to other places in the Twin Cities. By car, will have difficulty getting to the south. Van White will help. So will LRT

· This very accessible neighborhood uses a small # of streets out of proportion to provide the accessibility that residents enjoy. Building of Van Whte should have no effect on traffic or speed on Penn Avenue. Van White may be a reliever for Penn in high traffic. Weakness is that Penn takes a disproportionate hit from traffic in the neighborhood as they try to access the highways north and south.

· Housing market’s increase in value and upward shift in property taxes will put more burden/pressure on Bryn Mawr residents. Less receptivity from neighbors to spending money for public services transportation/buses, instead they will be more willing to support school/safety/health and welfare as they make demands on tax dollars. But public transportation has user fees (as opposed to schools, health, safety which have none), which their tax support will be cut back and their fares will be increased. If target population needs transportation, government will provide subsidized transportation to that group.

· Because of the volume of vehicular use on the freeways, it makes it harder for Bryn Mawr to uses the highway system – now taking the back roads to highway 100 to get to the south highways, or go to work earlier to avoid greater congestion on the freeways.

· People would go from downtown to Bryn Mawr (using Glenwood) to get to 394 at Penn to avoid traffic jam in getting out of the city at the end of the work day.

· Easier to get on 394 at Penn than at any point in the downtown. Lots of people from southern neighborhoods using south frontage road to get to 394 at a later point.

· Using back roads unclogs the highways, but clogs up the neighborhoods.

· Jobs scattered all over the region, so need to get to all parts of the city for jobs. Most jobs are at various malls scattered around the Twin Cities. Central City no longer the largest job market in the metro area.

Important Issues Facing Bryn Mawr in the Future:

· Where the location of the LRT station will be

· How to get people to use the LRT – if greater density housing at Quest and south frontage and Prudential, would be an incentive to use LRT or to have station in the neighborhood – would volunteer to promote higher density housing in the neighborhood, because getting improved mass transportation so important to the environment, etc.

· Traffic issues are the most important issue facing the neighborhood – getting a single lane to the Lowry tunnel most affects Bryn Mawr because of the bottleneck, backups affecting Bryn Mawr with exhaust fumes, noise, etc. this segment of 394/94 grossly undersized for the traffic it handles.

· How to provide convenient parking for Bryn Mawr in the downtown – severely limits business opportunities for the downtown area – how to provide parking . Another issue is how to access downtown Bryn Mawr – this is also a city wide concern.

Service BMNA could provide and is currently not providing

· Would love a restaurant in downtown Bryn Mawr. Like “Birchwood” – small restaurant in a neighborhood.

· Would like a gift shop or book shop in downtown Bryn Mawr

Housing Issues

· Need more affordable housing in the neighborhood

· Need to make homes more energy efficient

· Make homes more safe for the elderly – adjust their homes so they can live longer in them

· First address code violations listed with the city

· Extend the repayment program to 7 to 10 years from 5 years – promote longer living in the neighborhood for program recipients

· If rental property tied to income, renter’s need or owner’s need – don’t want to subsidize well-to-do owners, just to get a rent freeze for renters. Rental owners should also face a needs based test.

· Help Bryn Mawr transition into home ownership

· Help make adjustments to homes so home owners with disabilities can continue to live safely in own home