Minneapolis Observer
Vol. 3, No. 25 - January 26, 2004

This Week in The Observer

TRANSIT WARS?
Two council members have floated new transit proposals designed to reduce local traffic congestion--or at least increase local debate on the topic.

At the January 16 City Council meeting, Council Member Dean Zimmerman (6th Ward) called for staff to begin a feasibility study of a citywide Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) line. Not to be outdone, Council Member Gary Schiff (9th Ward) called for a feasibility study of a streetcar line on the Midtown Greenway.

The proposals have stirred up a bit of a battle within the local alternative transit community. Schiff said his proposal has the support of the Midtown Greenway Coalition, which does not support PRT. "A study by Hennepin County and the Met Council has shown a streetcar line in the Greenway to be possible, and I think city staff needs to start working with the county and the Met Council to make the Greenway Coalition's vision a reality," he said.

Zimmerman said he favors PRT, or Skyweb Express, over streetcars because the line would be faster, more convenient, and more cost-effective. The controversial brainchild of former University of Minnesota Mechanical Engineering professor J. Edward Anderson, Skyweb Express is a type of monorail system that is computer-controlled and will transport individual cars to their desired destinations. The Fridley-based Taxi 2000 Corporation has been seeking a major municipal commitment for more than 20 years. Last week, a Big Lake legislator introduced a bonding bill that would fund a PRT test track in Duluth.

Midtown Greenway representatives will visit Taxi 2000 and ride a prototype of Skyweb Express on Monday, Zimmerman said.

And while the debate promises to be a lively one in some quarters, it's getting little attention in City Hall. Both the Transportation and Public Works Committee and the Community Development Committee postponed discussion of the proposals last week.