Mid-day, on the last Coborn's trip, I drove home along the tracks, heading east, and since the bus service downtown had started, there was occupation on the ground floor of the parking ramp.
In the recent extreme cold, I expect commuters huddle in the ramp stairwell and head to the bus as and when it arrives. Standing in the windy open kiosk seems a stupid alternative, and I give people more credit than that.
How much ramp use per dollar spent, that's a separate question. It is like the question of how many will ride NorthStar vs. what it will cost. And is putting money short-term into Highway 10 upgrades a better answer for more people than NorthStar now?
But the ramp is getting some use. I expect upper floors are not used and a count, vehicles per day vs. total spaces might be interesting, averaged over a five-day work week. At nine bucks a round trip, it's a pop for the express bus. And if you do not work downtown, need to drive during the day, or have a job where you might stay beyond rush hour - then what's it worth to you? Zilch.
Having a 21st century transit system is a goal that probably involves one-piece-at-a-time thinking, but then showing the overall plan and cost upfront is only fair. NorthStar --- the waste by those running it is a worry; how funds magically are "Pawlentyied" out at critical times, etc., cause one to pay attention to the Anoka County Watchdog. Yet the ultimate answer seems to be to move into the modern era - and install a metro-wide transit grid. Short of that you feed the nation's auto-mania, which when you look at it is silly. And environmentally unfriendly.
But until there's an efficient grid involving suburb-to-suburb links, it is a piecemeal answer for a few, paid for by the many, and perhaps movement is too slow rather than too fast.
The Watchdog and I differ on the ultimate view. On public transit as well as a host of other views. You can starkly see the difference between me believing Paul Wellstone was too middle of the road for my liking, and the Watchdog's links of interest and his Jan. 31, 2007 homepage items. But we are 100% together on the waste and inefficiency and smoke and mirrors being unimpressive and counterproductive - whatever ultimate view you hold. The Watchdog has done an impressive job trying to ferret out truth and hold feet to the fire on fiscal waste.
Yo - Yantos, are you there? Do you hear? Will you mop up? Please? And, Yantos, your panel of henchmen, will they be fiscally protective or wasteful as past criticism suggests?
Next time I will try to remember to bring the digital camera, to post a contrasting ramp photo to the vacant ones from this autumn, at the top of this post. It is good to see some use made of the thing, but cost effectiveness clearly is to be demonstrated.
Was the ramp a waste, as and when it was built? The question probably is moot. It is built, it is getting some use, and the bigger threat is seeing more money dumped into trying to push on a string - trying to make the flagging Town Center site move by feeding it massive amounts of taxed cash. That would be a mistake. Sunk cost of the ramp is history, so I wish it well. But be prudent and cognizant of downside risk and possibilities of failure. If there's a "Plan B" for that entire thing, I have not seen it. A down-sized image, an exit-strategy for a "Plan A" failure, as currently seems the case. What's "Plan B" is a most valid question, with the 2008 Comprehensive Plan on the serving platter.
If the only Plan B is "Throw more public subsidy into it," we are in for a long, cold winter.
So, how's Ben doing there across Sunwood from the city palace, with the sub-zero cold? Still smiling for now, I bet.