To: Members of the House Capital Investment Division
Re: Support for HF 1606 Bus Rapid Transit
March 19, 2019
Dear Representative,
In communities across Minnesota, transportation has a major impact on our everyday lives and on the future we’re creating together. It is at the heart of our ability to access jobs and education, to get our families to the doctor’s office and the grocery store, to build prosperity in our small towns and communities of color, and to protect our land, water, and climate for generations to come.
Minnesota needs to not only protect the system we have but also to pass investments to create the system Minnesotans really need.
Recent statewide polling from the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce shows clear public support:
- Three in four Minnesotans support the State of Minnesota making additional investments to expand and improve public transit, including buses, trains, and light rail. (October 2018, poll conducted by Public Opinion Strategies)
Bus Rapid Transit gives riders a better bus experience with limited stops allowing for faster rides over longer distances. The A Line, the region’s first Bus Rapid Transit line extending from southwest Minneapolis through St. Paul to Rosedale Mall, has seen an over 30% increase in ridership.
Investing in better transit experiences by growing the Bus Rapid Transit will substantially expand ridership, contributing to the connection and quality of life of Minnesotans throughout the metro – both for those who drive, and those who depend on or need other options.
We urge you to support HF 1606 and investment in Minnesota’s transportation future with Bus Rapid Transit.
Thank you for your consideration,
Steve Morse
Executive Director
Minnesota Environmental Partnership
Alliance for Sustainability
A.C.E.S. (Austin Coalition for Environmental Sustainability)
Clean Water Action – Minnesota
CURE (Clean Up Our River Environment)
Environment Minnesota
Land Stewardship Project
Renewing the Countryside
Friends of the Cloquet Valley State Forest
Save Our Sky Blue Waters
Friends of the Minnesota Scientific and Natural Areas
Friends of the Mississippi River
Friends of the Parks and Trails of St. Paul and Ramsey County
Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy
Minnesota Native Plant Society
Minnesota Ornithologists Union
MN350 Action
Move Minnesota
Sierra Club – North Star Chapter
St. Croix River Association
Wilderness in the City