Secrets of the City

“He’s made sensible and sustainable transportation policy a hallmark of his tenure. His Access Minneapolis transportation plan calls for bringing streetcars back to the city, building a robust pedestrian network, increasing transit access and capacity and making city streets more bike-friendly.”

It’s a lot easier to write a plan than implement it.

Driving on Minneapolis streets these days is difficult. Streets are pockmarked and potholed. That’s Access? And Wired thinks he’d make a good transportation secretary?

“When the Minneapolis bridge collapsed, he insisted that its replacement have the capacity to support light rail.”

Does it have that? Don’t know. Sure don’t see any light rail in the future.

I’d say Oberstar deserves the job more than him.

A chicken in every pot, and a solar-powered electric vehicle in every garage!

Rybak nodded, impatiently. When Obama finished his explanation, there was more conversation.

Rybak: “It’s not often a single person with a single action can change the world. I think you can.”

Obama: “Your eyes are really intense.”

I’m still waiting for Honda to make their natural gas vehicles more widely available. Stupid California gets all the good toys.

California is so tiresome.

Deserves, Rat?

I think Cabinet members sould be chosen for their skills and abilities, not seniority.

Yes, the new bridge was built to carry light rail, if needed.

I didn’t even know there were natural gas vehicles until last year when we raised the tax on it. I was all like, buhwuhhhhhhh? They sound pretty cool.

I have driven one of those natural gas vehicles Honda makes, Rich. See my comments in Jason’s Good Question.

I think they should be chosen for their skills, abilities AND seniority.

And Rybak might have some big ideas. But big ideas are a dime a dozen. Ryabak shows me he can successfully fix Hennepin Avenue from the Walker to Franklin, he can think about being Transportation Secretary after that.

The biggest drawback, as you said, is the fill ups. But there’s a solution to that.

Why don’t you just grab a cow by the tail and connect it to your car, press the… button and relax!

There are no buttons on cows, moron.

Provided you live in CA or NY, Rich.

We have some solutions of our own here in the Midwest (and FL, GA)

Wrong, as usual, kwatt.

No buttons, but you could probably drive around the Limousin. I wonder if there is a stretch limosin.

Plus you would have to go really slow in order for the cow to keep up.

Here’s a stretch cow!

what has it got to do with this? Eh? EH? EH!?

sorry

Provided you live in CA or NY, Rich.

Not necessarily the case, Senor Bob. Fuelmaker has authorized installers all over the place, including several in WI. Obviously there may be licensing issues with the installer hopping the border and installing in MN, but the availability is much wider than CA and NY…

Pressing transportation needs aren’t just found on surface streets. The country’s air traffic control system is outdated. I don’t think there’s been a new airport built since Denver. The civil aviation grid needs all kinds of work, and that’s just not the forte of a guy who spends an inordinate amount of time thinking about bicycles and street cars.

But Oberstar has been intimately involved in aviation for a long time. He’s obviously the better choice.

One more hurdle: Honda only sells the CNG Civics for fleet use.

Not to be the Voice of Doom, they ARE nice vehicles and the emissions data is great — they run cleaner than E85 or biodiesel vehicles.

I enjoyed the two years lease we had on one. It was an award from the US Department of Energy for our success in getting E85 and biodiesel off the ground here in MN.

Kinda ironic, eh?

I think I’d like to be an air traffic controller.

I wanted to be an air traffic controller after watching Pushing Tin. Then again, I joined the Navy because of Top Gun. Don’t believe the hype – we didn’t get to ride motorcycles or play volleyball.

Thanks to Reagan, you can be, kwatt. No experience needed!

Actually, I have a couple of cousins who are air traffic controllers. One at Indianapolis International, the other for the Air Force.

I would actually try at it. I think it would be a fun challenge.

Pushing Tin was partially filmed in Minnesota. It rarely shows up on lists of local films, but there you go.

Was that the one where they went and stood under jets as they landed and then got swept up into the air?

One more hurdle: Honda only sells the CNG Civics for fleet use.

Yeah, I know. And it baffles me to no end. It’s the same issue with Ford for not bringing the European version of the Focus over here for sale. There’s a demand for these things, but for some reason the automakers don’t want to meet it. No wonder they’re begging for scraps in D.C. right now.

I hear you, Rich.

http://wcco.com/local/rybak.license.driving.2.719552.html

Wouldn’t that potentially disqualify him from being US Sec. of Transportation?

Yes Kevin, that was Pushing Tin.

@kevin: The country’s air traffic control system is outdated. I don’t think there’s been a new airport built since Denver.

The problem really isn’t about old or crowded terminals. The real reason why air travel can be a horrendous experience is the result of the large growth in the number of actual landings and departures, especially with the “regional jet” category. That’s what causes many delays.

That, and those stupid TSA security regulations.

P.S. The line after @kevin was his quote; not mine.

I never said that. I’m the one who wants to be an air traffic controller.

Air traffic controller what the Navy recruiter wanted to make me after he got out of college.

I also thought about joining the Merchant Marine, which led to one of the dumbest conversations I had in my entire life.

I really didn’t want to be a Merchant Marine. Wanted to be a writer, and I figured a seagoing experience would round me out and prepare me. Called the Merchant Marine from North Dakota!!

The Merchant Marine guy at the other end of the phone, asked me if I was licensed.

Licensed?! To do what? I Wanted to sing sea chanties, drink Scotch out of a cup. I don’t need no stinkin’ license.

They would have thrown me overboard on my first voyage, because they would have figured out I didn’t want to do any work.

I hope that RT gets the job, just so he could appoint sister-in-law Deb as spokesperson and she could tell White House press corps to “bite her.”

Oh, God, let it be true…