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,Little Canada will lose <br />:a metro bus service line <br />:,by Sara Steffens . <br />�}Staff Writer <br />J , The Metropolitan Counci <br />,;Transit Organization (MCTO <br />formerly MTC) is in the proces <br />It, of cutting and changing its pub <br />•:1 lic bus routes — including som <br />it in the north suburbs — in orde <br />xl to save money. <br />; 4y,;Officials from MCTO held <br />fp.. series of public hearings in De <br />c ncember to gage rider reaction t <br />t proposed changes and stream <br />;line their plans. Next month <br />'.''the plans will submitted to the <br />1.Metropolitan Council for forma <br />:lx approval, and route changes <br />i -twill go into effect April 10. <br />•slim Johnston, who plans <br />otiftarO. routes 'in tlie_St,""Pahl <br />Q ai•eat says' the White Bear.are'a <br />swill be most significantly 'm- <br />?'.pacted by changes to Route' 35, <br />,t* which runs between Whit ear <br />'yl Lake and downtown St. aul. <br />j MCTO's original propos was <br />q7, to eliminate Route 35 al gether <br />:;and instead cover the a ea with <br />"? Route 15 from Mahtomedi. • <br />tr'...After residents objected to the <br />• "' proposal, said Johnston, MCTO <br />is now recommending keeping <br />•• two trips, routes 35 A and B, <br />,with one as a through -route to <br />owntown and the other as a <br />.shuttle to route 35 C at Maple <br />:;wood Mall. <br />In Vadnais Heights and Little <br />^. t . <br />Canada,., route 35G will be <br />eliminated. To cover the area, <br />1 Route 35C will travel farther <br />, west, to cover the Greenhaven <br />s loop and northern Vadnais <br />- Heights; and local Route 11 will <br />e cover the south end. . <br />✓ ;:There are no changes pro- <br />posed for bus routes within the <br />a city of Shoreview. , • <br />- -1n the Quad .Communities, <br />o Route 38 will reduce one trip in <br />- the morning and one in the <br />, evening, according to Steve Ma- <br />howald, MCTO Minneapolis <br />I route planner. <br />:Also, MCTO wants to <br />eliminate a loop on routes 38A <br />and B which jogs off Lexington <br />Avenue to . icover West .. Road; ? <br />West Golden Lake Road, Fire <br />1 barn Road, and Woodland Road • <br />in e Circle -Lex area. Howev- <br />er, a to popular demand, a <br />sectio of the routes which cov- <br />ers Lxington' trailer courts <br />near estwood and Naples <br />roads will be preserved. <br />Johnston says people who at- <br />tended public hearings or who <br />, wrote or :called MCTO about <br />proposed changes will receive a <br />letter including the specific rec- <br />ommendation for their routes: <br />Other riders can look for `Rider <br />Alerts" on buses between now <br />and April. <br />-16- <br />