Transportation
Transportation has become a key issue of our time. Congested roads slow down commerce, frustrate drivers, and cause our roadways to be less safe than they were designed to be.
Roads
Minnesota’s primary focus should be roads. They are the basis of large amounts of commerce in our state. Every slowdown on the highways can cost businesses time and money. This translates to lower wages and reduced productivity. Terry Pearson understands that road congestion reduces profits for small businesses.
Tackling road congestion will be a high concern for Terry. One of the most cost effective solutions would be to add more lanes to our existing freeways. For the cost of the Hiawatha Light Rail line (12 miles), we could have added an extra lane around the entire metro area (494 and 694). We need to look carefully where we are spending our money so that we actually do reduce congestion with our investments.
Public Transportation
While light rail may be “fun”, it is not the most efficient use of our tax dollars. It is a far from sustainable endeavor, of which we will never see a profit. For that matter, light rail transit will never break even. If we are to place money in public transit, we should be investing in bus routes, which are far more efficient and can be changed quickly as needs arise.
