Transportation Choices 2020

Talking Points

For a PDF version of Transportation Choices 2020 Talking Points, click here.

The Need
Public transit can make our communities more vibrant and successful, connecting our region and shaping communities that we are proud to call home. Unfortunately, what we want from a transportation system and what state policies deliver is increasingly disconnected. It’s time for our state legislature to have the courage to invest in a transportation system that will help our region prosper—both today and tomorrow.

The Vision
Transportation Choices 2020 is the key to creating a transportation system of which Minnesota can be proud.

The Transportation Choices 2020 (TC2020) initiative will dramatically expand the availability of transit, bicycling, and walking facilities in Minnesota. It uses a half-cent sales tax in the seven county metropolitan area to implement the Metropolitan Council’s transit plan by 2020 rather than 2030, and five percent of Transportation Amendment revenues to substantially expand transit in Greater Minnesota.

Why Should We Invest In Transportation Choices 2020?

• Our state deserves a healthy transportation system—and it deserves the comprehensive funding needed to make it happen.
  A transportation system is a region’s circulatory system—and transitways are the arteries. Each transit line, whether it’s the Rush Line or the 21 bus line, creates a healthier transportation system, making it easier for all Minnesotans to reach their destinations.
  
  Currently, our transit funding is haphazard. Rather than fully fundinga healthy transportation system, our legislature funds one transit line at a time. If even one of the planned transit lines isn’t funded, it can compromise the transportation health of the entire region.
  We wouldn’t dream of funding education grade by grade. We shouldn’t fund transit corridor by corridor. 

• Our state deserves vibrant, connected communities. Minnesota has wonderful communities, filled with people who care about the future of those communities.
  
  Transit is an investment in our region’s future. It connects our communities, creating places where people can gather to eat, shop, and talk with their neighbors. By fully funding a regional transit system, our legislature wouldn’t just create another bus or rail line—it would create new jobs, new places to live, and new opportunities to shape a growing, vibrant region.
• Our state deserves opportunities for everyone to get around.
  Minnesota has a long tradition of caring for all of its residents, but half of our state’s residents can’t drive a car. Even more residents want a choice in how they get around.
  
  By fully funding a regional transit system, our legislature creates a lasting legacy: a state where every Minnesotan has the ability to reach their destinations, regardless of their desire or ability to drive.

Key Facts

• Living near transit lines is increasingly attractive to Twin Cities residents. Before construction, planners predicted the areas surrounding the Hiawatha light rail transit line would draw 7,000 new housing units by 2020. By the end of 2005, more than 5,400 units were completed or in construction…75 percent completed over 15 years ahead of schedule.
• Transit ridership in the Twin Cities is growing. 2006 was a record-breaking year for transit in the Twin Cities, with Metro Transit ridership exceeding 73.8 million rides—the highest ridership in nearly 25 years. By October 2005, ridership on the Hiawatha light rail transit line had surpassed ridership projections for 2020—and 40 percent of Hiawatha riders are new to transit.
• Most Twin Cities families spend more on driving than on health care, education, or food. An average household spends 20 percent of their household expenditures on transportation. The majority of transportation spending in Minnesota – 98 percent – is for the purchase, operation, and maintenance of cars. It’s not that people want to spend this much on transportation—without a regional transit system, they simply don’t have the choice.
• Transit spurs commercial and retail development. Many developments were (and are being) built to attract light rail transit riders. Commercial and retail developments sprouted at both ends of the Hiawatha light rail transit corridor between 2000 and 2005. Small retailers, restaurants and coffee shops opened in neighborhoods along the line. The Hiawatha line delivers expanded access to local entertainment venues – including Block E, the Metrodome and the Mill Ruins Museum – as well as to several new corporate headquarters that opened in downtown Minneapolis between 2000 and 2005.
• Many existing businesses have reported more customers and increased revenues as riders patronize local venues near transit stations. Downtown Minneapolis restaurants, for example, have seen dramatic impacts from the Hiawatha light rail transit line. “The Hiawatha is a wonderful, wonderful thing for downtown,” reports Jim Burroughs, general manager of Old Chicago. According to Burroughs, patrons appreciate the convenience of the light rail. “They don’t have to fight traffic, they don’t have to pay $25 or $30 to park, and they don’t have to worry about driving home,” he said.
• The market for transit-oriented development in the Twin Cities will likely mirror national demand, which is likely to double by 2025. Transit-oriented development generally appeals to people in the new housing market, especially aging baby boomers, immigrants, and young adults who prefer urban environments with convenient access to goods and services.