Transportation
Uber poised to enter Duluth market
The question might not be why Duluth doesn’t have Uber service, but when it will.
“By the end of the year,” said Duluth City Councilor Noah Hobbs. “From my personal end I don’t see anything holding us back from having Uber operating in Duluth.”
Hobbs held the first formal meeting on Tuesday in regard to the ride-hailing web application operating in the city. He met with City Attorney Nate LaCoursiere as a starting point for crafting an ordinance to regulate Uber and other transportation network companies.
Unlike taxicabs, Uber utilizes an online platform to connect drivers in their personal vehicles with riders paying for fares through the touch of a button, no cash. This type of techy transportation is taking place in 476 cities worldwide and counting. Uber started out seven years ago in cities like San Francisco and Chicago, and has recently expanded into smaller communities like Moorhead and Iowa City. (more…)
How to see Duluth and Superior on electric cars
The date on this bad boy is 1909. The cover image seems to suggest there was a floating railway perpendicular to the shipping canal where people could watch flaming ships torch the city. (more…)
Thank you, DTA
To the driver of the #6/7 running past 20th Avenue East Jefferson Street at 8:45 this morning, who saw me looking dejected as he rolled past the intersection (I was running late trudging through the snow) … and pulled over and waited for me … thank you!
You can read minds.
Northlanders: DLH wants you!
Commentary in the Duluth News Tribune:
Local View: Airport must think outside the box to reduce market leakage
Why do you choose to bus, bike or walk?
In preparation for the fourth annual Bus Bike Walk month in May, Healthy Duluth is now collecting stories from community members who regularly bus, bike or walk as transportation.
Research shows that there are many personal and societal benefits to active transportation including physical fitness and overall well being, an improved economy and fewer vehicle emissions than driving. Many people in the Duluth community utilize these forms of transportation, and by showcasing their stories, the community will be inspired to give people-powered transportation a try.
Click here to share your story and inspire others to Bus Bike Walk.
Electric buses, statewide bike plans and other transportation tidbits
The Duluth Transit Authority has been awarded a $6.3-million grant to purchase six electric buses and a fast-charge station. Duluth was considered an excellent test location for the development of electric vehicle technology because of its challenging cold weather and steep terrain.
The grant comes from the Federal Transit Administration‘s Low or No Emission Vehicle Deployment Program; the buses and charging station will come from Proterra, a South Carolina company that designs and manufactures zero-emission electric transit vehicles and systems.
The DTA was one of 10 grant applicants that will receive funding. A $1.1-million local share will bring the total project cost to $7.5 million.
The buses and charging station are expected to be available in 2016 and will be integrated into the DTA’s new Multimodal Transportation Center, which is under construction at Michigan Street and Third Avenue West and scheduled to open before the end of 2015.
In other transit news … (more…)
Duluth-Superior Transit Company Token
I recently acquired a Duluth-Superior Transit Company token from a friend and thought I’d post it in case anyone can pinpoint the year of its creation or share any interesting details. (more…)
35,000 miles of scenic highway routes
Slate ran an article today from “The Vault,” its associated history blog. Titled “A beautiful Depression-era route map makes transcontinental bus travel look glamorous,” it details the history of Pacific Greyhound Lines, the company that eventually became Greyhound. The map above is from 1935.
I was struck by the amount of routes covering Minnesota — all the way up to Thunder Bay makes sense, but no state other than Ohio seems to have the saturation that Minnesota does. What gives? (more…)
The End of Streetcars in Duluth
Streetcars ran in Duluth for the last time on July 9, 1939. Streetcar service had been gradually phased out by trolley buses for nearly 20 years before meeting its total demise.
Survey: Bike Parking in Duluth’s Multimodal Transit Center
Building on the popularity of its on-bus bike carriers, the DTA wants to gauge local demand for both secure (key fob-access) bike-parking areas and regular bike racks as part of its design for the new multi-modal transit center in downtown Duluth.
Please take a moment to fill out this short survey if you would be interested in using this type of bike storage.
Pruning Time in Duluth
Since this old comic was available for a quarter at the Wallace Hankins Estate Sale, I thought I’d scan and post it, in case anyone finds it interesting or knows specifically what it’s about.
I would guess it’s from the 1930s, when buses began replacing streetcars, which may have resulted in cutting trees to widen roads, or maybe the tree is simply a metaphor for how the streetcar business would be hacked to death by buses.
The headline leads me to believe this was a newspaper editorial comic that the Park Point Community Club had printed on card stock and distributed around town to raise a fuss. The signature on the comic is John Harrison.
Segway tours on the Lakewalk?
Is this a new thing, or have I just not noticed it before? I just saw on Craigslist they were hiring tour guides. I do already try to avoid the Canal Park/Downtown portion of the Lakewalk in the summer because it’s so crowded, and those doublewide pedal-mobile things are impossible to get around when I’m on a bike, but if I’m going to have to be dodging Segways now, too, well, one more reason to stay off the Lakewalk.
(I wish the business owners the best of luck and yay for tourism dollars and all that. I’m just selfishly grumping about crowds and am wanting my own private Lakewalk.)
Bike Share
Wouldn’t it be great if we had a bike share like the Cities?
Or like Nashville?
And/or car share like Chicago?
It seems like programs that a community association would be great at administering.
Wish List for New Downtown Bike Station?
The Duluth Transit Authority is on a fast track for construction of its new Multimodal Transportation Center in downtown Duluth.
When it opens, the center will be a hub for multiple modes of transportation, including the main transit station for DTA buses and other inter-city bus lines, public and private parking, a reconstructed walkway between the downtown to the DECC and the first of its kind in Duluth, a bike station.
What this bike station looks like is where your help is needed.
(more…)
Sidewalks: Who Gets to Decide?
Did you see this front-page article in today’s paper? Should neighborhood residents be the ones to decide whether or not sidewalks are included as their street is reconstructed? Is it about building a transportation network that serves current and future residents, those who drive and those who don’t?
Walk? Bike? Bus? Don’t own a car at all? We want to hear from you!
I’m making a short video about alternative transportation in the Twin Ports, and I’m looking for people who would be interested in being interviewed. The goal of this project is to show different reasons why people don’t drive, and why it’s important to support alternative transportation (buses, sidewalks, bike routes, etc). I am looking to interview people from all walks of life, including, but not limited to…
– People who walk, bike, or bus by choice
– People who walk, bike, or bus out of necessity
– The youth
– The elderly
– The physically disabled
– People who don’t drive much and have kids
– People who live walking distance to everything they need
– The guy who clears the sidewalks for the City
– Anyone else who might be interesting for this project
If you have something to say and think you would be a good interviewee, or know someone who might fit the bill, please email me at lesem002 @ umn.edu. Interviews will be held between February and May.
Northern Lights Express Passenger Rail: Stimulus or Boondoggle?
There have been a number of posts on PDD in the past regarding the Northern Lights Express passenger rail project, which would create a 155-mile train corridor connecting Duluth to Minneapolis. With Congressman Jim Oberstar’s loss to Chip Cravaack in Tuesday’s election, and Cravaack’s stated lack of support for the project, the subject of the NLX seems worth revisiting.
However, I’d like to provide some special guidelines for commenting on this post, because we’ve seen in the past that there are some pretty passionate supporters and opponents of this project, and its pros and cons tend to get lost in personal attacks and partisan silliness.
So, let’s try a little experiment. What I’d like to see is three different types of comments.
1) Simple links to news and information related to this subject, without any commentary whatsoever.
2) Comments labeled “Pro” at the beginning, which list one good thing about the project.
3) Comments labeled “Con” at the beginning, which list one negative thing about the project.
Keep it brief, resist the urge to respond to other people’s comments, resist the urge to make multiple pro or con comments, resist the urge to bash Cravaack or Oberstar, resist the urge to comment about these guidelines.
Ready. Set. Go.
Duluth Party Bus Recommendations
I am hoping all you wonderful Perfect Duluth Day readers can help me plan the best bachelorette party for my friend! I am in need of suggestions for party bus rentals. The party will be in early June, so I need to get one booked soon. Have you had any wonderful experiences with any local party bus drivers/services?
Isn’t it time for better transit?
All this talk about sustainability in Duluth, and how the DTA was named Best Transit Provider in Minnesota, and it wins all the Sustainability Points it can get (biofuels, paper reduction, hybrid busses, new technology, etc) – but..
Why can’t a car-free-sustainable-person like me take a bus downtown or to a movie on a Saturday night?
Seriously… is anyone else feeling the pinch of poor transit options for the car-less or car-free of us in Duluth? Some of us make the choice to be sustainable and car-free, and then what? We get to sit at home every Saturday and Sunday evening, because our busses stop operating around 7pm! How does that make a “sustainable city” or attract sustainability-minded folks? Now service is cut on the 24th during the week (no service after 7:15pm), yet not New Year’s eve. Huh?
Have there been any attempts at better transit in the past? Advocacy groups? Sustainability groups that take action rather than pat politicos on the back or host “seminars”? Any ideas on organizing a Bus Rider’s Union or getting a Car-sharing program going in Duluth?
Or, as I asked the mayor in an email, as well as the DTA – “Should a guy like me just buy a car and ‘shut up’ in Duluth?”
Ideas are welcome, as are interested organizers! Send email to walkoutduluth@riseup.net.
Bike racks anyone?
I sent an e-mail to the Duluth Transit Authority last year questioning why it takes bike racks off before winter — seeing how in cities with somewhat similar weather (e.g. Minneapolis, Portland) leave them on year ’round and are rated some of the best cycler-friendly cities nationwide.
This morning I did the same, but with results:
I have forwarded this on for a response.
I do believe we have decided this year not to remove them.
I will supply a response when I get it.
Thank you for your inquiry.Aleda M. Johnson
Director of Information Technology
Duluth Transit Authority
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Good news for cyclists, hope to see you all on the roads/trails this winter!
End of Stagecoaches in Duluth
On August 1, 1870, the St. Paul and Lake Superior Stagecoaches ceremoniously quit service with the opening of the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad. On this day, the first train arrived in Duluth from St. Paul, a roughly 150-mile trip that took 16 hours.
–Susan Marks, Historic Photos of Minnesota
Turner Publishing Company, 2009
Train knowledge
For those who want to be in the know, I’d highly recommend the meeting at the Depot from 4-7 Wednesday. From 4-5, the plans for a transportation mecca downtown will be discussed. From 5-7, the talk is the Northern Lights Express passenger train. A lot is happening right now and I’d like to see many more people informed on the project and end this “it’s just another Amtrak” talk or “not my money” plaint. We subsidize roads and other travel options and never expect a return. While the rail gets up and going with significant public investment, it is being planned as a self-sustaining operation. Anyway, come to the meeting, get informed. The NLX has a Web site: www.northernlightsexpress.com