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TP-2 REGIONAL TRANSIT SYSTEM <br />Metro Cities supports flexibility in cost participation policies, especially for those cities <br />with a disproportionate number of state or county highways in and around their local <br />boundaries. The state and counties should have responsibility for the installation, <br />replacement, and ongoing maintenance for infrastructure within their right-of-way <br />including Complete Streets facilities such as trails and sidewalks. <br />Metro Cities supports state funding for state highway projects, including congestion, <br />bottleneck and safety improvements. Metro Cities supports requiring the Minnesota <br />Advisory Council on Infrastructure (MACI) to include in its annual reporting all road and <br />bridge funding provided by MnDOT and counties. This information should include the <br />jurisdiction(s) projects are located in, the source of funding, and any local match <br />required for each investment. Metro Cities also supports state financial assistance, as <br />well as innovations in design and construction, to offset the impacts of regional <br />transportation construction projects on businesses. <br />Metro Cities opposes statutory changes restricting the use of local funds for <br />transportation projects. Metro Cities opposes restrictions on aesthetic related <br />components of transportation projects, as these components often provide important <br />safety and other benefits to projects. <br />Metro Cities supports further research into the policy implications for electric and <br />automated vehicles on roadways, transit, and other components of transportation <br />systems. Metro Cities encourages the state to study the impact of electric and <br />automated vehicles on transportation related funding and policies. <br />The Twin Cities Metropolitan Area needs a multi-modal regional transit system as part <br />of a comprehensive transportation strategy that serves all users, including commuters <br />and the transit dependent. The transit system should be composed of a mix of high <br />occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes, a network of bike <br />and pedestrian trails, bus rapid transit, express and regular route bus service, <br />exclusive transitways, light rail transit, streetcars, and commuter rail corridors <br />designed to connect residential, employment, retail, and entertainment centers. The <br />system should be regularly monitored and adjusted to ensure that routes of service <br />correspond to current and forecasted changes in the region’s transit service needs <br />and priorities. Metro Cities supports strategic expansion of the regional transit system. <br />Current congestion levels and forecasted population growth require a stable, reliable, <br />and growing source of revenue for transit construction and operations so that our <br />metropolitan region can meet its transportation needs to remain economically <br />competitive. Metro Cities supports an effective, efficient, and comprehensive regional <br />transit system as an invaluable component in meeting the multimodal transportation <br />needs of the metropolitan region and to the region’s economic vibrancy and quality of <br />life. Metro Cities recognizes that transit service connects residents to jobs, schools, <br />health care, and activity centers. <br />30