Traffic Congestion
Moving around Saint Paul should be safe above all. The City of Saint Paul’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan at 72 discusses “… a safe, equitable and well-maintained multi-modal transportation system that supports the needs of all users…” Beyond that, management of the City’s roadways and sidewalks must balance often competing interests: sustainability, convenience, and economic development. In selecting its maintenance and construction projects, the City says it “will prioritize the safety of people walking and biking, equity, and improved access to economic opportunity” and “… with the needs of pedestrians and bicyclists placed at the top.”
UST’s arena proposal does not meet the City’s goals with regard to traffic. From the north end of the campus (Selby Ave.) to the south end (Goodrich Ave.), current traffic flow garners the State’s best ratings (“A” at Selby, River Blvd., Summit, and Goodrich, “B” at Grand). With the arena, the Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) forecasts a dramatic slide in ratings (A/E at Selby, A/B at River Blvd., D at Summit, E at Grand, F/F at Goodrich). The EAW discounts these effects, noting that those who will be unable to access Cretin Avenue will be residents. Not only does this dismiss the needs of the residents, it is wrong — UST’s parking plan is to have spectators park on residential streets.
The traffic burden that the University of St. Thomas seeks to shift onto the residents is not solely on Cretin Avenue. The average UST spectator seeking close, free parking will drive down the nearest streets first: Goodrich, Lincoln, and Summit Avenues. Not finding any spaces, they will travel down the next closest street, driving in ever-widening rings around campus until a parking space is available. UST’s parking plan would require 1,797 vehicles to park on the street, repeating this same route game after game, night after night.
While heavy traffic from the arena would certainly be an annoyance, it is also a safety issue. Pedestrians and cyclists cross Cleveland Avenue, Cretin Avenue, and the Mississippi River Boulevard to walk or bike along the Mississippi River. It is an amenity that thousands of St. Paulites enjoy every day. Those who attempt that crossing near game time will be placed in danger, as most of the crossings have no traffic light. On a nightly basis, people will be forced to choose between turning back or sprinting (with or without stroller or dog) across the stream of traffic driving toward or away from the arena.
On the residential streets, the problem will be different: on any given street, dozens of vehicles driving in opposite directions will be unable to pass and will clog the street, unable to move. The snow will have limited travel to one single lane in the middle with cars parked on both sides, creating a traffic jam of idling cars on every street around campus.
This arena does not belong on campus. The campus is not near enough to a major thoroughfare (such as Interstate 94), meaning that thousands of cars will drive along Cretin Avenue (or parallel streets to avoid the new congestion on Cretin), endangering those who cross it and the residents on the smaller residential streets where spectators will hope to find parking. The presence of an arena is inconsistent with the City’s goals and should not be permitted in a residential neighborhood.