Here’s my column from the Sunday paper. If you’ve already read it elsewhere, please skip on down to the comments below. Thanks.

DEFINE ‘AUTHORIZED’

When alert reader Glen is driving on the freeway, he keeps an eye on the bus-only shoulders, and he wonders:

What vehicles are allowed to use those special “authorized vehicle” lanes, namely shoulders? It started with [Metro Transit] buses and the like, then I saw Metro Mobility mini-buses, and I’ve seen commercial coaches and school buses do it as well.

Roadguy first went to the state statutes for this one (169.306, to be exact). The law says that transit and Metro Mobility buses may use authorized shoulders, and that such shoulders also can allow buses with a seating capacity of 40 or more “operated by a motor carrier of passengers” in Minnesota. Sorry, Glen: this means that you can’t just run out, buy a bus and give the shoulders a try.

Everyday school buses aren’t allowed, according to the folks at the Minnesota Department of Transportation, so any yellow buses that Glen saw were probably operating as charters.

THE DIRT ON ROAD SURFACES

Alert reader Bill has been checking out the varying shades of gray on Hwy. 12 in the western suburbs, and he has a question:

I noticed there are some parts that are blacktop, some concrete. What determines which type of surface is used?

Kent Barnard, a MnDOT spokesman, said the main factor is the condition of the soil underneath the roadbed. Asphalt is more flexible, so it’s better for areas where soils are less stable.

Concrete is the overall preferred paving material because it’s generally longer-lasting, Barnard said, though when it ages, it often gets smoothed out with a layer of asphalt on top.

RESOLUTIONS REVISITED

Now that it’s 2009, Roadguy took a look back at his transportation resolutions from a year ago, and he didn’t do too badly:

• I have more or less eliminated talking on the cell phone while driving unless I’m on a rural interstate. I don’t even keep a headset in the car anymore. My work and personal life appear to have survived.

• My respect for yellow lights has grown considerably, and I now hit the brake pedal more than the gas pedal.

• I managed to ride my bike to work (twice).

• I finally purchased a parking meter card, though the card is heading toward obsolescence as Minneapolis’ meters are replaced.

If you have some transportation resolutions — for yourself, not for the inferior drivers all around you — send ‘em to Roadguy.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 4th, 2009 at 10:17 pm and is filed under Main. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.