Today's Question Category Archive: Transportation
In your observation, how do cell phones affect driving?
Posted at 5:00 AM on December 14, 2011
by Eric Ringham
(53 Comments)
Filed under: Science/Technology, Transportation
A federal agency recommended Tuesday that all states ban the use of cell phones and other devices while driving. The proposed ban would cover both texting and voice communication, whether with handheld or hands-free devices, except in emergencies. Today's Question: In your observation, how do cell phones affect driving?
Should it be illegal in Minnesota to ride a bike while intoxicated?
Posted at 5:00 AM on September 7, 2011
by Eric Ringham
(54 Comments)
Filed under: Health, Transportation
Although Minnesota has a reputation for stiff penalties against drunken driving, state law addresses only the operation of a motor vehicle - not a bicycle. Today's Question: Should it be illegal in Minnesota to ride a bike while intoxicated?
When you're shopping for a car, what fuel efficiency standard do you look for?
Posted at 5:00 AM on July 29, 2011
by Eric Ringham
(25 Comments)
Filed under: Economy, Environment/Energy, Transportation
A new agreement between the Obama administration and auto manufacturers sets an average 54.5 miles per gallon as a fuel efficiency standard by the year 2025. Today's Question: When you're shopping for a car, what fuel efficiency standard do you look for?
Has the space shuttle program been a success?
Posted at 5:00 AM on July 7, 2011
by Eric Ringham
(22 Comments)
Filed under: Science/Technology, Transportation
After 30 years and 135 flights, America's space shuttle program is about to come to an end. The Atlantis launch scheduled for this weekend will be the last. Today's Question: Has the space shuttle program been a success?
What are the pros and cons of working from home?
Posted at 6:00 AM on June 21, 2011
by Eric Ringham
(31 Comments)
Filed under: Economy, Science/Technology, Transportation
A two-year project to promote telecommuting and other flexible work environments has found substantial benefits from such arrangements. Today's Question: What are the pros and cons of working from home?
Have you altered your travel plans because of the economy?
Posted at 5:00 AM on May 26, 2011
by Eric Ringham
(22 Comments)
Filed under: Economy, Transportation
Travel is going to seem expensive this year. Gas prices alone are more than a dollar per gallon higher than last Memorial Day weekend. Today's Question: Have you altered your travel plans because of the economy?
What do you think of linking school attendance and driving privileges?
Posted at 5:00 AM on April 20, 2011
by Eric Ringham
(40 Comments)
Filed under: Education, Transportation
Minnesota legislators have proposed a law to deny driver's licenses to high school dropouts. The sponsors say their goal is to give young people one more reason to stay in school. Today's Question: What do you think of linking school attendance and driving privileges?
How much confidence do you have that America's commercial air fleet is safe?
Posted at 5:00 AM on April 5, 2011
by Eric Ringham
(14 Comments)
Filed under: Security, Transportation
After a Southwest Airlines jet developed a hole in its roof and had to make an emergency landing, the FAA has ordered inspections of some older Boeing 737s. Today's Question: How much confidence do you have that America's commercial air fleet is safe?
What might you do differently in response to the rise in gas prices?
Posted at 5:00 AM on February 28, 2011
by Eric Ringham
(49 Comments)
Filed under: Economy, Environment/Energy, Transportation
Gas prices rose last week to an average $3.48 per gallon in the Twin Cities. Experts say the price could go significantly higher. Today's Question: What might you do differently in response to the rise in gas prices?
When a friend is about to drive drunk, what do you do about it?
Posted at 5:00 AM on December 23, 2010
by Eric Ringham
(9 Comments)
Filed under: Health, Transportation
Minnesota and surrounding states have among the highest rates of drunk driving in the nation, according to a recent survey. Today's Question: When a friend is about to drive drunk, what do you do about it?
What could your city do better in removing snow?
Posted at 5:00 AM on December 14, 2010
by Eric Ringham
(34 Comments)
Filed under: Transportation
Snowplows have been struggling to cope with the effects of the fifth worst winter storm on record in the Twin Cities. Today's Question: What could your city do better in removing snow?
Do heightened security measures affect your willingness to fly?
Posted at 5:00 AM on November 19, 2010
by Eric Ringham
(53 Comments)
Filed under: Security, Transportation
The use of body scanners and physical pat-downs has spawned a controversy over security at U.S. airports. Today's Question: Do heightened security measures affect your willingness to fly?
Is doing away with earmarks a good idea?
Posted at 5:00 AM on November 17, 2010
by Eric Ringham
(42 Comments)
Filed under: Politics/Government, Transportation
Republicans in Washington have stepped up their campaign against earmarks, the process that allows members of Congress to direct funds to particular projects. The use and abuse of earmarks has generated controversy for years, involving projects that range from the Bridge to Nowhere in Alaska to the Central Corridor light rail line in the Twin Cities. Today's Question: Is doing away with earmarks a good idea?
What will it take for commuter rail to catch on in Minnesota?
Posted at 5:00 AM on November 15, 2010
by Eric Ringham
(30 Comments)
Filed under: Transportation
The Northstar commuter rail line between Big Lake and Minneapolis turns a year old this week having failed to meet ridership projections. Today's Question: What will it take for commuter rail to catch on in Minnesota?
Should older drivers have to take extra tests or exams?
Posted at 5:00 AM on November 10, 2010
by Eric Ringham
(26 Comments)
Filed under: Health, Transportation
As members of the baby boom age, an increasing percentage of American drivers are turning 65 or older. Today's Question: Should older drivers have to take extra tests or exams?
Are security measures for air passengers too strict?
Posted at 5:00 AM on October 29, 2010
by Eric Ringham
(21 Comments)
Filed under: Security, Transportation
Air travel officials in Europe are challenging American security requirements as burdensome and unnecessary. Today's Question: Are security measures for air passengers too strict?
Would you be more willing these days to buy an American car?
Posted at 5:00 AM on October 22, 2010
by Eric Ringham
(24 Comments)
Filed under: Economy, Transportation
G.M. and Ford are profitable again, and sales of American cars are up 11 percent from last year. Today's Question: Would you be more willing these days to buy an American car?
What would it take to get you out of your car?
Posted at 5:00 AM on June 9, 2010
by Eric Ringham
(40 Comments)
Filed under: Environment/Energy, Health, Transportation
It's Bike Walk Week in Minneapolis and St. Paul, both of which draw high marks as cities that are considered bike-friendly. Today's Question: What would it take to get you out of your car?
What transit options would you like to have?
Posted at 5:00 AM on April 29, 2010
by Eric Ringham
(45 Comments)
Filed under: Transportation
Planners say the Twin Cities area can't solve its congestion problems simply by building more roads. Today's Question: What transit options would you like to have?
What can we do to prevent accidents like these?
Posted at 5:00 AM on April 27, 2010
by Eric Ringham
(26 Comments)
Filed under: Transportation
In the past week, 11 people have been killed in car crashes involving teenaged drivers. Today's Question: What can we do to prevent accidents like these?
Should the government stop airlines from charging for carry-on luggage?
Posted at 5:00 AM on April 16, 2010
by Eric Ringham
(56 Comments)
Filed under: Transportation
The U.S. Senate may act to discourage or ban airlines from charging passengers a fee for carry-on bags, as Spirit Airlines plans to do. Today's Question: Should the government stop airlines from charging for carry-on luggage?
What other signs in Minnesota need to be fixed?
Posted at 5:00 AM on April 6, 2010
by Eric Ringham
(31 Comments)
Filed under: Transportation
Signs that direct travelers to the respective terminals of the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport are being changed to make them less confusing. Today's Question: What other signs in Minnesota need to be fixed?
Does it make sense to reduce car lanes for the benefit of bikes?
Posted at 5:00 AM on March 9, 2010
by Eric Ringham
(80 Comments)
Filed under: Environment/Energy, Health, Transportation
Officials are getting ready to expand walking and biking routes in the Twin Cities. In some places that will mean closing off space to cars. Today's Question: Does it make sense to reduce car lanes for the benefit of bikes?
Have recent events changed the way you think about cars?
Posted at 5:00 AM on March 8, 2010
by Eric Ringham
(10 Comments)
Filed under: Culture, Transportation
The Twin Cities Auto Show opened last weekend after a year that rocked the car industry with government takeovers, safety recalls and volatile gas prices. Today's Question: Have recent events changed the way you think about cars?
Do the potholes seem worse than usual this year?
Posted at 5:00 AM on February 23, 2010
by Eric Ringham
(18 Comments)
Filed under: Transportation
Severe cold cracks pavements. Moisture seeps in and expands when it freezes. The ice displaces pavement, more moisture seeps in, the cycle repeats and a pothole is born. Do the potholes seem worse than usual this year?
We'd like to know about the worst potholes you encounter. Check out our new pothole map.
How has the recall affected your opinion of Toyota's cars?
Posted at 5:00 AM on February 5, 2010
by Eric Ringham
(28 Comments)
Filed under: Economy, Transportation
Toyota is the world's No. 1 automaker. One of its key strengths has been a reputation for quality and dependability. Now, that reputation is threatened by a massive safety recall. How has the recall affected your opinion of Toyota's cars?
How far should authorities go to protect air travelers from terrorists?
Posted at 6:00 AM on December 29, 2009
by Eric Ringham
(23 Comments)
Filed under: Security, Transportation
The attempted attack on a Northwest flight to Detroit seems likely to prompt changes in security procedures. Getting on a plane may require more body scans and pat-downs. How far should authorities go to protect air travelers from terrorists?
Comments texted to MPR:
I think they should be more extreme in air travel from this scare. -Bob, Fargo, ND
I feel they should respect privacy but take security measures such as putting armed guards on the planes. -anonymous
What's your most memorable holiday travel experience?
Posted at 6:00 AM on December 22, 2009
by Eric Ringham
(14 Comments)
Filed under: Transportation
Weather reports are suggesting a major storm may hit our area just in time to interfere with holiday travel plans. What's your most memorable holiday travel experience?
Would you ride commuter rail if it were available to you?
Posted at 6:00 AM on November 13, 2009
by Eric Ringham
(51 Comments)
Filed under: Transportation
Monday will see the start of service on the Northstar line, the train that will carry commuters between the Twin Cities and Big Lake, Minn. Would you ride commuter rail if it were available to you?
Do you feel safe as a pedestrian in the Twin Cities?
Posted at 6:00 AM on November 10, 2009
by Eric Ringham
(58 Comments)
Filed under: Transportation
A new study has ranked Minneapolis-St. Paul as first in the nation in pedestrian safety.
Do you feel safe as a pedestrian in the Twin Cities?
Comments texted to MPR:
Skyways help boost pedestrian safety stats but roads are a bit dicey. Maybe innovations on 1st and Hennepin will help. -Suzie, Minneapolis
No. Minneapolis is the only city where I have been hit as a pedestrian. I lived my first 25 years walking in Philadelphia. -anonymous
A little fear (respect) for traffic can be a healthy thing. Feeling too safe could lead people to get too relaxed and possibly get hurt. -anonymous
Yes I do but there is the occasional incident. -Jasper Morgan, St. Paul
Yes I feel safe. Not only is Minneapolis pedestrian-friendly but the drivers are overly cautious as well. -Trevor, Minneapolis
Yes, I feel safe. -Elise, Plymouth
Have recent incidents involving air travel made you reluctant to fly?
Posted at 6:00 AM on October 26, 2009
by Eric Ringham
(11 Comments)
Filed under: Transportation
A passenger on the flight from San Diego last week that overshot the Twin Cities was quoted as saying that "planes are scary enough as it is," and that her latest experience "really freaks me out." Have recent incidents involving air travel made you reluctant to fly?
What change would be most effective in helping cars and bikes share the road?
Posted at 6:00 AM on October 20, 2009
by Eric Ringham
(85 Comments)
Filed under: Transportation
Recent changes to traffic flow on Hennepin and First Avenues in downtown Minneapolis have also moved bike lanes close to the curb. Planners hope a parking lane that separates bicycles from traffic will offer bikers some protection. What change would be most effective in helping cars and bikes share the road?
Comments texted to MPR:
Buffers are good because some drivers like to drive as close to bikers and bike lanes as they can simply because they do not want to share the road. -Suzie, Minneapolis, MN
The most effective change to help bikes and cars cohabitate would be to get the bikes of the roads. After all the cars taxes pay for the road. -Ryan
Motorists may pay road taxes, but they DON'T pay for the pollution they cause and its effects. -anonymous
It would go smoother if cyclists using the car lanes would actually follow traffic laws. Can't believe how often I see them roll right through intersections. -Ryan, St. Paul, MN
Bikes need to obey traffic laws! If they did a symbiotic relationship would come much faster. -anonymous
How to better traffic between bikes and autos? Three words: more mass transit! -anonymous
Why not move bikeways onto parallel lower traffic roads? I'd feel a lot safer. -Cat, Blaine, MN
Ban the use of cell phones while driving. -Maria, Minnetonka, MN
Bikes are vehicles with full rights. If car drivers don't want them sharing the roads, the solution is more bike lanes. -Ceri, Minneapolis, MN
Better BIKE LANES! -Sally, Eden Prairie, MN
More bike lanes and more motorist education on the rights of cyclists on the road. -Brian, St. Paul, MNShare your reply in the comments: What change would be most effective in helping cars and bikes share the road?
How worried are you about another terrorist attack?
Posted at 6:00 AM on September 11, 2009
by Eric Ringham
(33 Comments)
Filed under: Security, Transportation
Today's the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Back then, Americans feared that another such event might happen any day. Eight years later, do you worry about another terrorist attack?
Could a gory video make you a better driver?
Posted at 6:00 AM on September 3, 2009
by Eric Ringham
(22 Comments)
Filed under: Culture, Science/Technology, Transportation
A British public-service video offers a graphic depiction of a car accident involving teen-agers who text while driving. The video has spread quickly around the Web, but it's unclear whether the gruesome images will actually change anyone's behavior. Could a gory video make you a better driver?
Based on your experience, what basic rights do airline passengers deserve?
Posted at 6:00 AM on August 25, 2009
by Eric Ringham
(18 Comments)
Filed under: Transportation
Recent incidents of people being stranded for hours in a grounded airplane have added momentum to efforts to pass a passenger's bill of rights. And one airline - Sun Country - has changed its policy to require that passengers be returned to the terminal if a wait exceeds four hours. Based on your experience, what basic rights do airline passengers deserve?
Soft drinks, access to food (more than pretzels), restrooms and freedom after 90 mins. -Kathleen, St. Louis Park, MN
We deserve to be treated like people, not luggage. There should be limits on how long you can be forced to stay on a plane because they won't unload you. -Susan, Big Lake, MN
Share your reply in the comments: Based on your experience, what basic rights do airline passengers deserve?
What did you learn from the 35W bridge disaster?
Posted at 6:00 AM on July 31, 2009
by Eric Ringham
(17 Comments)
Filed under: Security, Transportation
Two years ago this weekend, the Interstate 35W bridge collapsed into the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis. The incident cost 13 lives and injured scores of people, and it prompted accelerated bridge inspections in Minnesota and around the country. On this anniversary, do you feel any safer? What did you learn from the 35W bridge disaster?
Feel "safer" on the roads? My safety on the roads has nothing to do with how well they're maintained and everything to do with other drivers to compare the two dangers. Let's not loose focus. -anonymous text message
I am a civil engineer and while my industry has known for a long time that our infrastructure is desperately underfunded I think the bridge collapse illustrated this to the public. -anonymous text message
I learned that a highly incentivized private company and a government out of the way can work quickly, safely and under budget. -anonymous text message
I learned -- or was reminded that people are good. -anonymous text message
Share your reply in the comments: What did you learn from the 35W bridge disaster?
What do you do while driving that you shouldn't?
Posted at 6:00 AM on July 22, 2009
by Eric Ringham
(12 Comments)
Filed under: Culture, Transportation
We've all seen it: Drivers sending text messages, drivers putting on makeup, drivers eating breakfast or talking on the phone. Federal officials are concerned about the role such distractions play in traffic accidents. If you're driving right now, please wait until you get where you're going, but then we'd like to hear your confession. What do you do while driving that you shouldn't?
Twitter! Ha! -@AaronWillard
I put on my make up -anonymous text message
Play scratch off's -anonymous text message
I can change clothes as i drive down the highway in a 30ft dock truck -anonymous text message
Um text. Like right now. Sorry :( -anonymous text message
I surf the web & watch youtube on my phone while driving. right now i am texting while driving -anonymous text message
If you could travel through time, where would you go?
Posted at 6:00 AM on July 9, 2009
by Eric Ringham
(66 Comments)
Filed under: Science/Technology, Transportation
Time travel might seem like a fantasy, but some scientists think it could become a reality. One of them, the physicist Ronald Mallett, has developed a theory of how to build a time machine. He says his idea works by using "light in the form of circulating lasers to warp or loop time," and he's getting attention from news media and filmmaker Spike Lee. If you could travel through time, where would you go?
I would like to go to the future to see how we're doing with things like: global warming, technology, a cure for some of our diseases (like diabetes and cancer) and world relations. -Mike Lang
I would go back and spend more time and get to know my grandparents better. -Kristine, Minneapolis
I would go back to the mid 70s, and do a better job with my post high school years. -Karen Anderson, Superior, WI
I would time travel into the early years of America and try to free slaves and break down color, race, gender, and sexuality barriers. -Jake, Northfield, MN
18 September 1970, just before MTC took over Twin City Lines, to collect bus schedules and bus-related documents and bring them back to the present day. -John Charles Wilson, Minneapolis, MN
I would go fishing with Hemingway and drinks some good Spanish wine. -Joel
I would return to Dallas Texas on November 22, 1963 and stop the Kennedy assassination. I believe that if he was to remain president the civil rights movement would have been less painful of a process for our country and a Kennedy presidency would have averted our involvement in the Vietnam war. Of course, as any science fiction fan knows, altering time always has unintended consequences so who knows what might actually happen. -Brian Roth, Eagan, MN
If I can make only one choice, then Jerusalem 31C.E., of course. Being a Christian, I would suppose most others would choose the same. If I could choose more, then Philadelphia June 1776. London 1615. Washington DC April 1865. Venice 1492. Singapore 1936. New York City 1945. I could easily go on. -Jared Hoke, Marine on St. Croix, MN
I don't know. The questions that I have often wondered when considering this question are. Can you go back and forward or only backward? If you can only go backward in time because the future has not happened yet, when you get to the past can you come back because from that point the future has not happened yet? If we could time travel I suppose I would go back to frontier times to learn more about the environment around us that we take for granted. -Jeremy Gray, Minneapolis, MN
I would like to go to July 2,1776 - signing of the declaration. -James Redfield, Rush City, MN
Late 1700's - Beethoven, Mozart, etc. -Sue, Brooklyn Park, MN
Love to see my dad and grandfather again. -@cbs3890
Share your reply in the comments: If you could travel through time, where would you go?
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