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According to the StarTribune, "Plan for rail service to Duluth gains steam".

What I’d really like to see is faster rail service to Chicago! I wonder if there are any plans in the works for that? Maybe I’ll email Jim Oberstar…

Tags: amtrak, trains, rail

Of all the parts of my car that I feel comfortable installing, windshield wipers give me the most joy.

Actually I would say I have a love/hate relationship with my windshield wipers. They’re never as good as the first day you get them. A slow, downward trajectory, like riding a slip’n’slide that isn’t wet enough.

However, I have great hope for my recent wiper purchase. Instead of going for the seemingly generic brand they sell at Checker Auto Parts, I spent an extra $10 each for the Bosch Icon wipers. I am in wiper heaven.

They could  be described as a slightly al dente spaghetti noodle. That, in and of itself is cool, because there is none of the typical metal bracket features. Just a sleek rubber and plastic noodle.

Minnesota winters are tough though, so I’m withholding final judgment until the snow flies. But so far, my new windshield noodle friends are living up to their billing.

From today’s Startribune, two potential light rail lines are being considered from the Southwest, option B travels through Uptown as well!

The second route would follow the same path in Eden Prairie but would go through Minneapolis between Lake Calhoun and Lake of the Isles through Uptown to a final stop on Nicollet Mall. The study estimated that in 2030, it would attract about 28,000 riders, 6,800 of them new to transit, at an estimated capital cost of $1.4 billion in 2015, with operating costs of more than $20 million.

They say that this one is not the "preferred" line however, but do not say why. I’m guessing it’s because the estimated cost is $200 million more. It’s the better route though!

Anyway, good news!

I have been on the hunt for a fueling station in Minneapolis that sold B100 (100% BioDiesel) at the pump. I knew of a couple that sold B20, and one that would sell me B100 into seperate tanks. (This led to a minor disaster once) Until yesterday, I hadn’t found that elusive station though.

Yeti the dog, the smelly, smelly dog, needed a bath. I drove down lyndale ave. heading towards 66th street. On my right, something caught my eye… BioDiesel… must be just B5 or B20, I thought to myself. Well, let’s pop over and have a look, shall we?

As I made a slow loop around the pump, I noticed a sign, something, 100% BioDiesel? Can’t be…

I stopped exited the vehicle and inspected. Now I’m getting excited! I went inside and asked the gentleman behind the desk… “So, you guys have BioDiesel?”

“Yep, 100%”

“Awesome”

They also had stickers, so I grabbed one of those, and wasted no time in sticking it to the hatch.

I recently filled up, so it will be awhile until my first tank of B100 goodness, but I’m waiting…

The station is a Pump and Munch just south of 62 on Lyndale Ave. Traveling either east or west on 62, exit lyndale and head south. If you are going north or south on 35W, enter the mixer with 62, and exit lyndale.

I also found out that this station receives its fuel from BioDiesel Blue, a local group distributing BioDiesel.

[tags]biodiesel, minneapolis, mpls[/tags]

Now that the Crosstown Commons / 35W project has run in to some bumper-to-bumper traffic, might it be possible to come back to the drawing board and create a true solution for the future?

Including, most importantly, dedicated light rail right down the middle.

No one can deny the great success of the Hiawatha line. Think of the potential for the 35W corridor! Look at what Denver did with a steady source of dedicated transit funding. Many miles of new rail transit, including a line tracking the I-25 corridor, their North to South interstate.

More Info: http://www.trexproject.com/

We need a solution that encourages responsible development and encourages people to leave their cars at home. Light rail is a solution that scales to meet the needs of the future, and isn’t something that will run out of capacity the day it opens.

I’m willing to pay for thoughtful transit solutions.

[tags]minneapolis, lrt, light rail, light rail transit, transit[/tags]

Today marks 33 days since I last filled my car with fuel. In other words, it has been more than a month since I last visited the gas station.

Also, I have over 400 miles on my bicycle since I purchased it.

If I could figure out where to get some B100, my next fill up will be with Minnesota grown, or at least, USA grown and processed BioDiesel.

Good times.

I love riding my bike in the rain. Something about cruising down the street, water hitting your face, feet getting wet, nose cold and damp, it really makes you feel alive. While in Sweden, I learned that those crazy people just don’t care and ride in any sort of conditions. So, in an attempt to channel my inner Swede, tonight I rode about 7 miles to pick up some dinner in the wet. The decision to go riding in the rain came after a trip today to REI, from which I escaped with only minimal damage, including some new fenders for my bike.

But why did I suddenly decide to upgrade the wet weather capabilities of my bike? During spring break, I purchased a new bicycle. This was a big event for me, as this is my first new bike in about 10 years. (If you don’t count Pinkie or Mrs. Creakers) The main objective for this new bicycle is to get me to work. This has been a plan all along, but it took 3/4ths of the school year for me to get going on this.

Anyway, during the ride, I was thinking about the cost of transportation. I think that generally it’s assumed that travelling around this country in an automobile costs about .40 cents a mile. But with the recent increases in fuel cost, maybe that has risen. For the purposes of my arguments (in my head), I assumed .40 cents.

The inner truth that I came upon was that for anything that is within a 5 mile radius (10 mile round trip) of my house, if I bike there instead of driving, I can save a nice chunk of change. Four dollars to be exact.

Okay, I know that isn’t much, but repeat that over a year. How often would I drive to the hardware store, grocery store, bookstore, video game store, music store, coffee shops, various restaurants, etc in a year. All places that I can generally pack whatever I buy in a backpack, and all places that are within about 5 miles of my house.

Lots of times.

Of the 350 Miles I have on my bike now, approximately 250 have been either commuting or running errands.

250 Miles * .40 cents / mile = $100

Which I just spent at REI on gear for biking. 🙂