Can I reasonably get around on bus? (Minneapolis, St. Paul: 2014, apartments)

[HometoGeorgia]

Hello. I am considering a move to Minneapolis, but without a car, which I will eventually acquire, but not immediately. I am a bus rider in Seattle which is no problem, buses run frequent, 7 days a week, from 5 am to at least midnight (later in club districts) on weekdays. However, I know that even the best of the best have limitations, the key is finding out what they are and working around them. Based on what I do for a living (trades) and the likely chance I will be working in a suburb based on my preliminary job research, how are reverse commutes? Or is the system designed more for suburb to downtown 9 to 5ers? What about routes serving club districts? What about late night and early morning service, I often work other shifts? In many cities, Sunday service barely exists, is this true here?

I have made similar inqueries in places like Kansas City and as near as I can tell, the bus system is dreadful. It doesn't mean I will completely abandon the idea of moving there, as I stated you can sometimes work around transportation limitations, I did it in Atlanta for years.

Thanks.

By the way, I have been to Minneapolis and I really liked the quality of life. I also grew up near Chicago and I'm no stranger to cold weather. When you work in hot grimy machine shops, hot weather is the real enemy.

[northsub]

For details, check out:
Home - Metro Transit

Good luck getting to most suburban locations. The system is set to funnel people to downtown Minneapolis, and to a lesser degree to downtown St. Paul. Many of the express buses don't seem to do any kind of reverse commute, and you're pretty much out of luck if you aren't doing something approximating 8-5.

I would guess your best bet is to try and find a job near one of the downtowns. Or, maybe live near a suburban job and bus into the city when you want to go to clubs and what not.

[uptown_urbanist]

Depends on the suburban locations. For the most part, you're going to run into problems. Are there any specific locations that seem to have the bulk of the jobs?

[Laggard]

Yeah, depends on what suburb and what time of day. For example, I work in Brooklyn Center and live in Mpls. Even though I work two blocks from a Metro Transit garage there is no direct bus service to the building I work in. It would be an hour ride requiring two transfers. And it's 2.25 each way. It's a 20 minute drive by car.

[Ben Around]

The transit system is great if you live and work in the city (either one, Mpls or StP). Most of the suburban routes are lousy, but there are city routes (including LRT) with frequent service 7 days a week. Some bus routes even run 24/7. But if you expect you will be needing to use the system to commute out to the burbs, it probably wouldn't be very practical.

[HometoGeorgia]

Actually, I'm a machinist and many of the advertised jobs are in Minnetonka or Eagan, places like that. I don't mind tuff commutes or having to wait somewhere for a couple hours until a particular route runs again. But is it common to see people in the suburbs on foot? Or would somebody really stand out?

I guess if Minneapolis or St. Paul proper had manufacturing and/or light industrial districts I'd be able to find something in town too.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by HometoGeorgia

Actually, I'm a machinist and many of the advertised jobs are in Minnetonka or Eagan, places like that. I don't mind tuff commutes or having to wait somewhere for a couple hours until a particular route runs again. But is it common to see people in the suburbs on foot? Or would somebody really stand out?

I guess if Minneapolis or St. Paul proper had manufacturing and/or light industrial districts I'd be able to find something in town too.

It is very easy to walk around most of the suburbs, contrary to what the city dwellers will tell you. Eagan especially has sidewalks/bike paths all over the city and seeing people walking is not uncommon. There is a very large transit station in Eagan as well. Eagan also surprisingly to the city dwellers even has bars and restaurants for a pretty active nightlife and I can tell you from person experience, many of those spots are frequented by people younger then 35. It might not be the hip 19 year old crowd though. There are also local transit shuttles around Eagan to take you to and from the transit station from many of the larger office parks/businesses in the area. You could also find apartments very near the transit station and the larger business park in Eagan.

[uptown_urbanist]

Pay no attention to Golfgal. Given her history of comments on this topic, I'm not sure if she has EVER been on a bus in the Twin Cities. Yes, people do walk in the suburbs around here, but if you think you're going to be enjoying decent public transportation at off hours in Eagan or Minnetonka, think again. It works great if you're commuting downtown during the work hours.

Also for what it's worth, it is NOT safe to walk along many major roads in some of the suburbs here. Do google street view for any intersections that you are considering. I think there's also a difference in how one defines "walking" -- there's walking TO somewhere as transportation, and walking as recreation. Even in some of the more walkable suburbs people walking can still be somewhat unusual. It's even worse in the winter. And cars out there just aren't looking for pedestrians in the same way as they are in neighborhoods with more walkers; the streets tend to have a lot of lanes of traffic, so drivers are (understandably) looking for other cars. If you're serious about trying to live without a car (at least temporarily) I'd concentrate on jobs in the city or in the inner suburbs. Or get an apartment right next to your work in Eagan and forget clubs.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist

Pay no attention to Golfgal. Given her history of comments on this topic, I'm not sure if she has EVER been on a bus in the Twin Cities. Yes, people do walk in the suburbs around here, but if you think you're going to be enjoying decent public transportation at off hours in Eagan or Minnetonka, think again. It works great if you're commuting downtown during the work hours.

Also for what it's worth, it is NOT safe to walk along many major roads in some of the suburbs here. Do google street view for any intersections that you are considering. I think there's also a difference in how one defines "walking" -- there's walking TO somewhere as transportation, and walking as recreation. Even in some of the more walkable suburbs people walking can still be somewhat unusual. It's even worse in the winter. And cars out there just aren't looking for pedestrians in the same way as they are in neighborhoods with more walkers; the streets tend to have a lot of lanes of traffic, so drivers are (understandably) looking for other cars. If you're serious about trying to live without a car (at least temporarily) I'd concentrate on jobs in the city or in the inner suburbs. Or get an apartment right next to your work in Eagan and forget clubs.

But he said the jobs were in Eagan...he can't just make up a job in the city


HometoGeorgia--the roads are perfectly safe to walk along in the suburbs. They have very wide sidewalks along them and they even have these new fangled things called stoplights with crosswalks and everything, amazing. It's beyond me how it is different to walk for recreation and to walk to somthing, I guess it is a different kind of walking other then putting one foot in front of another that they don't teach us in the suburbs . I know of no "scary" intersections in Eagan, except maybe for the 35/494 exchange but it's illegal to walk on the freeways so that isn't really a concern.

Uptown--I have been on a bus in Minneapolis, and St. Paul for that matter. I have walked in downtown Minneapolis even, it is no more or less safe in Minneapolis then it is in Eagan.

[iNviNciBL3]

You will be just fine, there are many people who live in the Twin Cities without a car.
Minneapolis according to Walk Score is the 9th most walkable city in the country

Most Walkable Cities in the United States on Walk Score - New York, San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, Seattle, Washington D.C.

the city does very well to salt the sidewalks and roads during the winter

Saint Paul is also pretty walkable and has good public transportation, we have the new Light Rail coming in 2014 on University Avenue. Downtown and Grand Avenue are very nice areas to look into

I wouldnt look into the suburbs unless if were talking about Hopkins, Edina or Richfield.
The farther out Suburbs like Eden Prairie, Eagan, Woodbury and Blaine do have the nice walking paths and city parks but its pretty stressful (for me anyways) walking beside roads when cars are flying by at 40 - 50 mph. Plus the only public transportation are just a couple Park and Ride lots