As Minneapolis rolls

Municipal authorities seek to reduce car trips in the city by increasing the use of public transit, biking, walking and rolling. By 2030, they want 60 percent of all such trips to avoid use of cars. They have vowed to achieve a modal shift. It’s an ambitious goal.

Me, I’m going with the rolling option. Roll me another one, just like the other one. Hey, it’s all good and legal, thanks to the DFL brainiacs in the state legislature. There’s no law against rolling under the influence. Those of us in the demo concerned about breaking a hip in our dotage can ease the pain both in advance and in the event.

The city has adopted a Transportation Action Plan stating the 2030 goal and now the authorities are getting serious about it. The Star Tribune links to the Transportation Action Plan and reports the thing straight, without an ironic thought anywhere in sight:

The effort to achieve that ambitious goal, which is laid out in the city’s Transportation Action Plan, began this month as the city partnered with marketing agency Vision Flourish to kick off the mode-shift campaign called “As You Go Minneapolis.”

Or not, as the case may be. “As You Go Minneapolis” notwithstanding, the city has made great progress since the plan was developed. The authorities have in effect persuaded many Minnesotans not to “Go Minneapolis” and to avoid Minneapolis altogether. They have done so by increasing the hazards incident to trips and visits (including the hazards incident to travel on mass transportation).

For some reason, the authorities don’t credit their success on that front. They really ought to claim an offset against the 2030 plan and take credit where credit is due.