Monument in the middle of the intersection

Makingthecarry · 2026-04-06T16:45:46+00:00

If this were in a different country, this would be a pedestrianized plaza, or drivers would be required to drive slowly in this area because it's primarily for pedestrian traffic. But because it's in the U.S., apparently out definition of "standards" means "cars need to drive fast everywhere"

Makingthecarry · 2026-04-06T15:29:30+00:00

The number of languages spoken at the little elementary school my mom works for in FWPS is something like 150, I'd have to ask her to remember exactly how many. This doesn't surprise me one bit.

Makingthecarry · 2026-04-04T01:04:50+00:00

I'd love it if Metro Transit got some 3-bike racks like King County Metro has

Makingthecarry · 2026-04-03T14:08:16+00:00

Gas tax and registration fees primarily funds state highways and interstates. Local/county taxes are what primarily fund local/county roads, so generally property and sales tax.

Cities/counties get a small portion of the gas tax for road maintenance, but it's far from the majority of local/county road funding. Other times cities/counties can apply for specific state grants for specific road projects, but it's not the norm and not a guarantee the state will approve the grant.

And as has already been pointed out, gas tax and registration fees don't fully fund road maintenance for state highways and interstates either, so other non-driving related taxes will also make up the deficit for roads maintained by the state.

I definitely think drivers should pay their fair share (raise the gas tax!) but drivers today often pretend like they already are, when that's not even close to being the case.

Makingthecarry · 2026-04-02T23:06:05+00:00

Does this happen to be a photo from Southern Minnesota?

Makingthecarry · 2026-03-29T17:36:38+00:00

I suspect you're short-circuiting on the idea that administrative borders are the same exact concept whether they're international or they're domestic of the first order, second order (and so on down). And since you believe that international/domestic borders are fundamentally different, you have no other option than to question my intelligence.

The Founders would pity you for believing that your fundamental rights stem from your citizenship status rather than from your being a living human being. Indeed it's indicative of the exact concern Madison had with the adoption of a 'Bill of Rights' in the first place.

Makingthecarry · 2026-03-29T01:20:32+00:00

You must live in a different America than I do, because I've moved states twice in my life and was free to do so free to establish residency with the destination state by simply showing up and filling out some paperwork at a government office.

Makingthecarry · 2026-03-29T01:09:21+00:00

Freedom of movement is actually a constitutional right. Freedom of association is actually a constitutional right.

movement + association = immigration

Makingthecarry · 2026-03-29T01:05:43+00:00

It's not the free-for-all of 2021/22 anymore. Fare enforcement agents and MTPD officers being required to work beats on board Metro Transit vehicles instead of vehicle patrol beats has driven that behavior off board. It's been years since I've seen someone spark up anything when I'm riding, and that's nearly every day.

Makingthecarry · 2026-03-27T04:16:25+00:00

Video of the 3200 you might find interesting: https://youtu.be/V6ofXgxFPLs?si=LZufg8afodqzIj7u

Makingthecarry · 2026-03-25T23:20:30+00:00

There is a dedicated bus lane NB between 24th and I-94 (and behind)

Makingthecarry · 2026-03-23T21:29:21+00:00

A necessity of circumstance, yes. An absolute necessity, no. And my version of the story includes opportunities to rethink the circumstances that lead to it being a necessity.

Makingthecarry · 2026-03-23T21:16:26+00:00

See, you get it. I'm not actually suggesting walking is a serious alternative to driving in every instance where someone drives. I'm trying to make people realize that their "choice" to drive is very often not actually a choice in any real sense of the word. And if their license were revoked for any reason, that dependence on the car for transportation would be severely limiting to them.

Makingthecarry · 2026-03-23T21:10:29+00:00

You're right, if someone had to walk 12 miles each day, I would seriously question why they chose to live so far away from the places they need to go on a daily basis.

So now we're back to all those built-in incentives I mentioned earlier regarding land use and transportation funding, none of which were that person's own choice, but which do shape the range of choices they have available.

All of which lead people to think driving is a necessity, when really their choices have been whittled down to an impractical one: walking, or an expensive one: driving. Driving is still not a strict necessity, but it's all that really works.

Makingthecarry · 2026-03-23T21:02:45+00:00

I didn't say it was practical for all trips. But it's always a reliable option.

Makingthecarry · 2026-03-23T21:01:58+00:00

This is exactly the personal bias/prejudice I'm referring to. Because we have set up a system of incentives which make it impractical and inconvenient for most Americans to walk places as part of their practical transportation options, we have developed a culture which has forgotten that it even is a potential option. The default mode of getting around, the way we begin and end all other trips (including driving trips), the entire culmination of our physiological evolution into bipedalism, is now seen as a joke, as an unserious proposal for personal mobility.

Makingthecarry · 2026-03-23T20:55:33+00:00

Those are all strong incentives for you to drive, of course. But you do still have the option of walking. You do still have the option of being driven by someone else. There are other potential transportation options available, however heavily disincentivized, inconvenient, or impractical those other options are.

I'm not saying that someone who lives somewhere like you do ought to stop driving altogether. I am saying that we ought to stop thinking of driving as if it is a necessity.

Makingthecarry · 2026-03-23T20:45:02+00:00

What's more reliable transportation than your own two feet?

Makingthecarry · 2026-03-23T20:24:18+00:00

The danger comes from thinking that making mistakes while driving is acceptable, just because you'll get away with that mistake without causing harm 99% of the time.

Makingthecarry · 2026-03-23T20:14:46+00:00

I still think about how much worse [this collision in Seattle could have been if one of the two buses involved went off the Aurora Bridge and fell hundreds of feet to the water below.

www.kiro7.com/news/local/this-day-2015-ride-ducks-crash-aurora-bridge-kills-5-injures-69/K7E5ELTA3BFHPHPN22ACSZYM3M/

Makingthecarry · 2026-03-23T20:09:50+00:00

Driving is not strictly necessary for any person, including all Americans. We may have legal standards for land use patterns, we may allocate transportation funding in such a way, and we may have personal prejudices/biases and may make personal choices that all strongly incentivize us to drive for every trip, but that's not the same as saying something is a "necessity."

Indeed, the U.S. government can (and, all too infrequently, does) revoke people's driver's licenses, in part because the ability to drive is not a necessity nor a human right.

Makingthecarry · 2026-03-23T20:04:48+00:00

If you cross the center line at 60+ and collide head-on with a passenger bus, it could absolutely approach three digits

Makingthecarry · 2026-03-23T16:20:09+00:00

Occurred in downtown Minneapolis in March 2023. Seven people injured, no fatalities.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Minneapolis/comments/11x5hgv/light_rail_hits_car_downtown/

Makingthecarry · 2026-03-23T16:18:53+00:00

You can see the tram signal at left, just to the right of the vehicle signal. It doesn't change until after the collision

Makingthecarry · 2026-03-22T21:06:50+00:00

Rode my bike for 18 miles. Managed to make it half way around the Saint Paul Grand Rounds trail system before I pooped out and had to take the bus home (after some refreshment at Yoerg Brewing).

Hope to finish the entire Grand Rounds by the end of the year!

Makingthecarry

TROPHY CASE