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The Policy Advisory Committee will meet on February 28 at 2:30 p.m. at the Maplewood Fire Station (1955 Clarence Street). At this meeting, the committee will elect a Chair, hear updates on recent project activities, consider recommended project refinements from a peer review process and confirm the location of the downtown White Bear Lake station for study in the Environmental Assessment (pending guidance from the White Bear Lake City Council).
As with all Policy Advisory Committee meetings, the meeting is open to the public and there will be an opportunity for public comment.
Hundreds share input through White Bear Lake station survey
Planning for the Rush Line’s northernmost station in downtown White Bear Lake continues with additional community input. Project staff have facilitated a variety of public engagement efforts to obtain feedback on site-specific station location options. More than 120 people attended a public meeting on January 10 at White Bear Lake City Hall to review the options and provide feedback. An accompanying online survey received 365 responses throughout January – most respondents reported that they live and/or work in downtown White Bear Lake.
Recent public engagement efforts asked for input on these station location options in downtown White Bear Lake.
In-person and online survey results showed a variety of opinions about the location of the station and about BRT in general. A majority of respondents expressed that compatibility with the downtown's existing character was the most important consideration for the station location. Access to activities and employment and safety were other top choices. Access to a reliable, frequent transportation option was cited as the most widely anticipated benefit to having BRT in White Bear Lake. Although many respondents expressed ideas for a location other than those presented, the station located at 7th Street & Washington Avenue (“Option A”) was the most popular proposed site among survey respondents. While the survey received a robust response, the results are reflective of a self-selected group rather than a statistically valid random sample.
Using the input gathered through the survey and other recent public engagement activities, the White Bear Lake City Council is expected this month to recommend to the Policy Advisory Committee a station location to be studied in the Environmental Assessment.
Metro Transit unveils first of many electric buses
Yesterday, Metro Transit celebrated the arrival of its first electric bus, which will operate on the C Line in Minneapolis and Brooklyn Center. The vehicle was manufactured in St. Cloud, Minnesota.
Electric buses provide a cleaner, quieter ride than conventional diesel models, and Metro Transit plans to gradually transition to a fully electric bus fleet in the years ahead. The Rush Line BRT will be part of the Metro Transit system and efforts are underway to evaluate a fully electric Rush Line fleet.
Eight electric buses will operate on the C Line when it opens this June (Source: Metro Transit).
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