Go For the Gold

Metro Transit’s Gold Line Bus Rapid Transit construction has begun! The Gold Line is going to be a Bus Rapid Transit line from downtown Saint Paul to Woodbury.

While I do have some minor criticisms of the Gold Line, I do think it will be good for people from Saint Paul to access retail in Woodbury, as well as for suburban Park and Ride users to access downtown Saint Paul. The main benefit of this line is that it will run frequently and it will run all day, rather than just at rush hour as the current express buses to Woodbury do now.

Woodbury has needed all-day transit since at least the 1980s. I remember when I was 16 years old walking from the end of the 3F on Century Ave. near Upper Afton Rd. to the Northwestern Book Store in Woodbury to buy a book about cults. A snowstorm happened while I was there, making the return walk horrible. There is no way such a major shopping area should be so far from an all-day bus line!

That said, I believe there is one thing Metro Transit can do better with these BRT projects. Before implementing them, they could run “precursor” service along the same route. (Or as similar a route as possible, since in this case the Gold Line will have special roadways built for part of its route.) The same limited stops (as far as possible) could be used. The area would then benefit at least partially from the new bus route, even if all the bells and whistles of BRT haven’t been implanted yet. Like I said, Woodbury really needed an all-day bus route 40 years ago. I believe a precursor route for the Gold Line would prove a popular proof of concept, though it would probably “steal the thunder” of Metro Transit officials seeking the glory of a Grand Opening.