the taxi2000/skywebexpress project was seen through to fruition. it is now called the toyota yaris and is free from all those pesty restraints of tracks and having to ride around with other people.

Semi-related: We are working on a Duluth carsharing program. Email duluthcar(at)gmail.com to get on the contact list.

People here don't want public transportation, or they'd be riding the DTA more.

Why would I want to take, no doubt, 3 or 4 times as long to get where I'm going, having to make all those stops on indirect routes? You'd have to make at least one transfer to get anywhere. Plus, most people can't not have a car, since we go places out of town, or need to haul things from point A to point B (or maybe it would be cool to haul a drum kit on the bus?).
Why would I want to make car payments and insurance payments, only to have my car sitting in my garage?

I love to drive. It's fun to drive (if you can avoid having a bunch of moronic slow fuckers in your way). I like to be able to change my mind and stop somewhere off my planned route. I like driving in the springtime with the windows open and good tunes on player.

I hope the weather is nice up there with your head in the clouds.

I'm sorry but the DTA sucks. It is too bad that busses are considered public transportation. I really hate busses, but I bet there are at least a few hundred people in duluth that wouldn't be able to get to work otherwise.

hey lady, I'm not trying to take away your freedom.

Cars are expensive:
car payment:$250
car maintainance(monthly)$100
insurance $60
car gas(monthly) $90

freedom to some young lady to just 'go': $500/month $16.70/day

btw. did I mention I really dislike the DTA? (wait for 90 minutes, ride 90 minutes, do something for 5 minutes, wait 90 minutes, ride 90 minutes.) Not really worth it in my mind. Now a subway that comes every 3 minutes and goes across town in a couple minutes I could deal with.

Yes. The DTA sucks, but you think Duluth could ever support a subway? Anyway, with a subway, you'd still have transfers to get anywhere. Anyway, why are you waiting that initial 90 minutes for the bus? Depending on where you're getting on, it should be at least within an hour (if not on the quarter), and there's such a thing as a bus schedule, which I always found fairly accurate.

My current car is 14 years old and we spend $200/6 months on mainainence, so you've overestimated that (I would hope a younger car would be even less, but I suppose if you're talking US-made...), and at 34 mpg, I don't think we're approaching $90/mo. on gas either. Haven't had a car payment in at least 6 years... I think that puts us somewhere around $200/month for freedom for this young lady, her young man, and their young dog to do as they damn well please in the wide world.

Now, what really costs me is owning a damn house. But I'm not going into public housing to deal with that. And you know--I don't really see that as apples and oranges.

(pardon any typos - no time to preview)

one can bike anywhere in duluth to any-other-where in duluth in 30 minutes or less. except, of course, in the winter when nobody leaves the house anyway. plus everyone is drunk all winter and shouldn't be biking

This is a stupid pipe dream.

The City of Duluth is seriously on the verge of bankruptcy, and here we are talking about a subway -- a subway that will cost upwards of $500 million to construct and will service an economically depressed population of 80,000 people. Why don't we build a rocket while we're at it? Yeah! A ROCKET! That would be COOL!

Stop playing at life. If the 21-40 year old population of Duluth doesn't stop acting and thinking like teenagers, we are in far more trouble than we realize, individually as well as collectively.

Of course, for some of us, there's always mommy and daddy to fall back on.

The DTA is horrible. It's not user friendly at all. And if you live in Superior? Forget it. I only took a few times when I lived there and hated it every time. When I got to Madison, I learned to love the bus and took it as often as I could. Why? Because the routes made sense and the longest it ever went between stops at any location was about 30 minutes. On average though, I could catch a bus every 10 minutes.

My current job in Minneapolis is right next to the light rail and I take it frequently to lunch in downtown. Otherwise, it's not that convenient for the rest of the city. It's mostly used by commuters who park and then train it to downtown (which is a great idea) and for people that fly in and need to get to downtown. A train connecting Mpls and StPaul is next and I think that is a great idea.

I agree with Barrett. If Duluth was doing well economically, the train would be great, but otherwise, who the hell is going to take it? My guess is high school students and senior citizens. It's not that much faster than driving. If they are going to build the thing they should at least build a high speed train.

I often wonder if Duluth bought a book called "101 Stupid Things to Bankrupt Your City" and follow it like the bible. It's a weird place. So many people hate change and the city trys the most radical change there is. There's no middle ground and no one speaks to each other. Ok, that may be over stating it, but I always felt there was a communication problem there. I just can't put my finger on what it is or who is responsible.

However, the park(ing) thing is great. For the most part, Duluth is pretty good with green space downtown. Could be better but many cities are far worse than Duluth. Where this needs to be done is in Superior on Tower Ave. That road is insanely wide with more lanes of traffic necessary. And anything to beautify the place. Plus it would make a nice soft cushion for the people that stumble out of the bars and fall down.

part of the problem that the light rail dealio is having is due mostly to the lack of federal money coming in for those types of projects. this is yet another legacy gift from "The Great Communicator" Ronald Reagan. His anti-transportation antics (slashing government money for Amtrak and public transportation and rollback of hundreds of federal highway safety standards enacted by Carter) set this country back...well...it's going on thirty years now. It's still going on, too. The repubs are still trying to kill Amtrak. That's because Everyone Should Drive A Car.

Fortunately, I live in an area where everything I need is pretty much within walking distance.

I love how people just get worked up about someone proposing something lofty. btw mayday I concur about being able to bike anywhere. I don't use my car 95% of the time in the summer months. I also think I could probably walk anywhere in the city in less than an hour(and probably the same amount of time the bus would take).

What I hate is that our tax money is going towards bombing other countries, creating more war toys, and training more assasins.

Why can't we take over something worth taking.

Given the situation in Duluth, it was more of a silly idea than a lofty idea.

everyone should drive super loud harleys. and in the winter, what mayday said.

I vote for horses. And astral projection.

Barretttt...chill! Let mevdev dream...isn't this blog ALL ABOUT proposing outrageus ideas?? If it aint, I'm out. Are his dreams hurting you?? Agreed that Duluth needs to focus on other things...but what's wrong with something like what the DTA did last year and run a single traincar from Lakeside to Gary and back with stops along the way....ANYONE HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THAT???

Thanks baci.

A streetcar did exist on grand avenue, and also through downtown.

I could handle that.

The thing is Mevdev doesn't think it is an outrageous idea. The single traincar now that is a little different.

I thought the Lakeside to Gary train was a sweeet idea. I'd venture to guess that it cost more to run than it made, though.

Can you buy a season pass for the Rocket, or is a one-at-a-time kind of a deal.

How about a Tower Ave. to D-town catapult?

as someone who has worked very hard to cut down my car use (we have one vehicle in our family, and are insanely eco-minded), i think the combination of walking, biking, and riding the bus works pretty well.

while i have long hated the bus system and used to walk rather than use it, i have recently revised my hatred because i only use it for specific, planned routines and getting my bike up the hill. the bus schedule is your friend.

i'm now down to using the car just 2 times a week, or so. but i mostly telecommute.

i don't think the population here could support a city-wide train system of any sort. and Sheldon Aubut, who knows a thing or two, says the Cities-Duluth light rail will likely fail financially. (altho i also think that train systems should be largely publicly funded, rather than about any sort of profit. but that's me.) there are a number of factors, but it mostly has to do with American independence/selfishness/stupidity. earth be damned, we like our individual breezes, radios and trash accumulating in the back seat.

I'll more than happily chill.

However, this post and these comments are filled with lousy information, and that's what irks me.

For example, there is absolutely, positively no way than anyone could "walk anywhere in the city in less than an hour" or even "bike anywhere in duluth to any-other-where in duluth in 30 minutes or less." Duluth is almost 30 miles long, which is one of many reasons why the bus system here is less than adequate.

Maybe what people mean to say is that they are not interested in any of the places outside their general area. I don't know.

I used to live in West Duluth and I either walked, biked, or took the bus everywhere I went. It always irked me when I wanted to go to Superior, because even though there is a bridge that connects Superior to West Duluth, the DTA does not use it. Therefore, a person has to ride downtown, transfer, and then cross over the Blatnik Bridge to Superior. It takes way too long to bother.

Baci: Yes, this site is about posting ridiculous things. Well, that and arguing.

Adam: The rocket is a one-time ride. It launches at a 30-degree angle out over Lake Superior, goes for about 100 miles, then boomerangs back and smashes into the Point-of-Rocks right by the M&H store. Survivors can take advantage of 2-for-1 hot dogs and $4 packs of Marlboro Reds.

The problem is that I love both Mevdev AND barrett...and the tolley..Actuallt to solve the superior bike issue I propose a PDD ferry under the high bridge. I'll take friday night shift...you will pay the ferry man!

Magnetic levitation.
That's a good idea.

matter/antimatter transporter units.

beam me up, scotty...

My hour walk would be woodland->downtown, lincoln park->coop, downtown->palucci building(when bridged), zoo->lincoln park.

I think the inner 4 mile radius is the best for walking, and I enjoy all comments and mean no malice.

I can walk from my house to work in about 10 minutes. It takes me about 20 to get from said domicile to the Brewhouse, and Luce is another 10 minutes beyond that...IF I take my time. Then again, I have these long skinny legs and I can move at a pretty good clip when I get wound up.

Speaking of walks...any ideas or inspiration on/for a Nonchalant Jaunt? I've missed out on the last ocuple of them and would like to participate this year. I'd be down with a Hawk Ridge>Seven Bridges>Lester>Lakeside>East End>Downtown kinda dealio...kay, so that's not totally cross town, but it IS a fairly significant stroll...who's up for it?