07-12-2018 Planning Commission Packet

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58 Transit Systems Little Canada has 10 fixed-route buses that travel through the city, and over 90 bus stops total. These routes are a mix of local and express lines. providing a number of different shared transportation options for residents. Transit serves an important role in Little Canada, providing mobility for those who don’t have a personal vehicle or who wish to limit their trips for cost/environmental reasons. Transit can be a major tool for increasing the accessibility of employment centers, commercial areas, as well as local and regional areas of interest. Table 18: Little Canada – Transit Routes Route Type High Frequency Route 62 Local No Route 71 Local No Route 223 Local No Route 262 Limited Stop No Route 263 Express No Route 265 Express No Route 270 Express No Route 272 Express No Route 275 Express No Route 860 Express No Source: Metrotransit Further improving the viability of Little Canada’s transit service are 2 park and ride facilities in the city, one being at Highway 36 and Rice St and the other at Little Canada Rd & McMenemy St. Currently the lot at Little Canada and McMenemy can hold 20 vehicles, while the one at Rice and Highway 36 has a much larger capacity of 280. This capacity is expected to expand to 300 by 2030. The smaller lot is located along Route 71, a local bus that takes commuters to downtown Saint Paul and Inver Grove Heights. The park and ride along Highway 36 is a hub for a number of bus routes. Routes 263 and 270 are expresses to downtown Minneapolis, while Route 62 is a local bus which travels to downtown Saint Paul. However, while Little Canada has a number of lines and transit facilities, it is still a suburban community with some challenges. Little Canada’s overall density and layout make it less appealing to provide High frequency transit service too, meaning the even local routes in the city only come every 15 minutes at the busiest hours. Certain routes are even more infrequent, such as Route 223, which comes every 90 minutes and only during the week. In addition, the majority of transit routes are either express or limited stop routes, making them useless for shorter local trips. Accounting for how a person travels to these routes is necessary in order to plan effectively around them.