As of December 2006, the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area (Twin Cities) is home to 257 bus-only shoulder (BOS) miles(1). This amounts to more than 10 times the number of BOS miles in the rest of the nation combined. As the BOS network grew in the Twin Cities, it became a fundamental piece of the regions transportation system facing little opposition. Partnerships among transportation agencies and officials contributed greatly to the success of the idea, ensuring that support and resources were made available. The result has been the proliferation of a transit advantage to transit passengers who bypass congestion and may even save time by taking the bus. To understand how and why BOS in the Twin Cities have been so successful, this report used five elements of transportation projects identified by the Hubert H. Humphreys State and Local Policy Program (SLPP) to examine the origin and evolution of BOS. Governance, stakeholder participation, finance, design, and economics each played a role in developing the BOS system. Collectively, the details of each provide a picture of how BOS came to be in the Twin Cities and also provide insight for cities interested in pursing BOS networks of their own.
Abstract