Author Archive
Comparing Metro Transit to Des Moines DART
METRO TRANSIT By JOHN CHARLES WILSON Unfortunately, this is a slow month for local transit news. However, since a friend of mine just moved to Des Moines. Iowa, I thought this would be a good time to compare our Metro Transit with Des Moines DART. Des Moines is a fairly small city; their metro area is comparable to Saint Paul without Minneapolis and with a lot less suburbs. Like Saint Paul, it is the state capital and home to their state fair. Their downtown is slightly more lively than Saint Paul”™s. However, it is a conservative city in a conservative state, and that affects both funding for and public attitudes about transit. Their local transit system is called DART, short for Des Moines Area Regional Transit. They have only regular buses, no light rail or bus rapid transit. There just isn”™t enough traffic at this time to justify either. There are 19 local routes, all except four converging on the downtown Central Station. (Having an enclosed [...]
Pledge to Vote! Make Your Plan Today!
The sixth in a series of articles about the 2021 Municipal Elections brought to you by the League of Women Voters Minneapolis. Election Day is November 2, 2021. Do you have your plan to vote? You want to vote in the November Minneapolis local election! Your city is important to you. You care about racial justice, housing, police reform, education, the environment, public transportation, parks and who is elected Mayor! Did you know that you are more likely to actually cast a ballot if you make a concrete plan to vote? How do you make a plan? Follow these simple steps: Be sure you are registered at your current address. In Minnesota, you can register to vote online, by mail or in person at your polling site. Pre-registering online and by mail must be done by October 12. Or you can register in person at a local early voting center or Election Day polling place. If you are registered to vote at your current address, you do not need to bring an ID. If you need to [...]
