The Friends of Parks and Trails of Saint Paul and Ramsey Count has voted to support putting the proposed Purple Line Bus Rapid Transit on existing lanes of three major roadways on the East Side. Rather than replacing the existing Bruce Vento Trail with the two bus lanes and their required storm ponds, the Friends strongly supports routing the Purple Line along Phalen Boulevard, Maryland Avenue and White Bear Avenue. Trail green space along Phalen Blvd can be used for BRT stations and a safe pedestrian crossing.
Here are the reasons for our position:
MORE RIDERS, FAST PHALEN BLVD LANES – Analysis shows there are more riders along Maryland and White Bear than the Vento Trail route option. Traffic moves fast on Phalen Blvd with no stops and so would a bus – a bus could be added today on existing lanes.
SUPPORT TO KEEP THE TRAIL – We are told public input shows 70% support for keeping the Vento Trail/U.S. Bike Route 41, and moving the Purple Line BRT to Maryland and White Bear lanes. Maplewood City Council voted in 2023 to keep the Vento Bike Trailand look at alternate options.
MAINTAINING A SAFE BIKE TRAIL – The Vento Trail is a safe dedicated/green space bike trail both along Phalen Boulevard and north of Maryland. It is what the new Saint Paul bike trail plan calls for. It is used year-around by families, people of all abilities and bike riders. Neighbors can access the trail – there are many dirt paths to it. Fast BRT buses late at night will disturb Saint Paul residents who all have small yards, and will be unsafe for neighborhood children who get to the trail on dirt paths and with BRT two lanes to cross. Crossing signals at all local streets will add delays to cars and trail use.
FIX HEAT ISLANDS, HEALTH FROM GREEN SPACES – The Vento Trail is tree-lined. Adding the Purple Line bus lanes in the Vento Trail corridor removes thousands of trees where more not less shade is needed. The trail is in a low to moderate income BIPOC neighborhood with health disparities that could be improved with more trees and trail recreation.
PROMOTE URBAN TRANSIT PLUS HOUSING RECYCLING – Housing along the trail was built around WWII. To recycle older housing and compete with suburbs for residentsparks and trails PLUS transit are needed. In the suburbs the Vento Trail is kept and extended not replaced.
PLAN PREVENTS PHALEN CREEK BED USE AND RESTORATION PLAN – The 30% design plan along Phalen Blvd adds two more lanes and storm ponds. They replace a Big Urban Woods wood-chip trail, and are where the Wakan Tipi design plan has remnant creek bed restoration.
PLAN FOR URBAN WILDLIFE CORRIDORS – The Vento Trail is a wildlife corridor needed for wildlife genetic diversity. Designation for transit means work that has been done along other trails – buckthorn removal, maintenance of parks, outdoor programming – has been neglected here. Neglect is at the trail itself, East Side Heritage Park signs and plantings, the Big Urban Woods and Prairie at Frank, the grassland along Phalen Blvd that was planted as an oak savanna, the bottomland forest SE of Lake Phalen, and the tennis court berm.
SAVE ENDANGERED SPECIES – The endangered Rusty-patched Bumble Bee and declining Chimney Swifts, and frogs and many bird species, live near the trail. The Vento Trail can be restored as an urban wildlife corridor that supports the Endangered Species Act and is an even richer experience for users.
THERE ARE OTHER BRT OPTIONS – The present Purple Line plan degrades a bike trail/park wildlife corridor but doesn’t go to many local businesses or east side distributed high density housing or park programs. It was planned before the H Line BRT to Como and Minneapolis was recently added to Maryland starting in 2027. And the Maplewood City Council voted 09/09/24 against the Purple Line on White Bear due to business impacts. Other options to improve transit to trails and park programs, local shopping and more jobs for both individuals and families are: Improve the local 64 bus and stations, Add BRT to Phalen Boulevard existing lanes, Add BRT and the other proposed equitable transit options both ways on 35E EZPass lanes to the north and also to the south metro (as on 35W), Add the new micro bus option, which for disabled riders (unlike Metro Mobility) includes full family use. These options help with equitable transit, including to trails and park programs, without trail degradation, tree loss, and health and safety problems that are created when the Purple Line is added to the Bruce Vento Bike Trail corridor.
