Letters to the Editor - A Busload of Letters...

Editors note: Wow! Did people have a lot to say about the driving/ parking issue. As usual, Wedge members have a variety of perspectives. There simply isn't room to print them all or in their entirety. Here's a sampling of the major points.

I agree that the issues involved are to a large extent beyond the power of the Wedge to solve, and that the state of our transportation system is a key part of the problem - as someone who lives in the neighborhood I know that the Wedge's block is the most congested and dangerous one along our stretch of Lyndale for those of us on bicycles or on foot. And it's not just cars - those of us on bikes make our own contribution to the congestion and dangerous sidewalk conditions for pedestrians.

It's also true that charging for parking or discounts for non-car shoppers might not be welcome or feasible. But let's also say that as things stand now we all pay for parking, whether we use it or not; the charge just doesn't show up as a listed fee or tax in our grocery bills. Since this is true almost everywhere I shop there's no point blaming the Wedge, but it might help if we all knew what percentage of our bills goes to supporting the parking lots.*

It would be nice if each morning I could stroll with a basket over my arm and pick up the day's groceries. It hasn't been that way for a while, but it's nice to think about. It has occurred to me that with the prediction of a 30% increase in the Twin Cities population in the next 15-20 years, there has been no serious dialogue addressing this issue - Personally, I have tried to cut down on my shopping trips to all stores. I try to buy my groceries every two weeks, perishable items eaten the first week and less perishable the second (such as oranges, apples, etc). I also coordinate my trip to the Wedge with my daughter so less traffic, fossil fuel use, and pollution result. I know this isn't the cure all, but it satisfies me presently.

Okay, it would be not fun to walk several blocks with the five kids and the stroller, spend several of our entertainment dollars on a bus ride for seven, take the buses from Bloomington to the Wedge, buy several bags of food, and then struggle back home. Imagine how much more fun with a sweaty toddler and four others in August. Why not drive a time or two a month to buy our Wedge-type food? Do customers/members who live close not want people driving? Isn't our every seat full van and lots of food not efficient enough? I cook for us and daycare, 600-700 meals a month - I think having to deal without using a car is asking way too much - most of us use cars - for holidays, to go to the doctor when we're sick, to go to a movie or dinner in another neighborhood at night, to make a large purchase - I see very few mattresses on buses - and to stock our pantries! The most use of single person car use is commuting - are we getting too sidetracked to look at the grocery parking lot?

The Wedge lot is no worse than any Cub.

...Transportation systems and personal transportation decisions are related... if people insist on driving, other forms of transit are less relevant. It seems equally reasonable to ask Wedge employees and customers to accept the same responsibility towards the transportation system: use an extra 20 minutes to take the bus or choose to shop or work close to where one lives...

Here is my two cents: In conventional urban jargon, the Wedge has a "parking problem" - i.e., not enough asphalt for the autos. This assumes that were the lot to be expanded, the problem would go away, a dubious claim at best. Why not label our predicament a "driving problem"? Too many people are arriving by car. Certainly, the Wedge's "driving problem" is much less severe than other businesses in the area. After all, we were granted parking variances based on high bicycle and foot traffic to the store. Even so, we could ameliorate this driving problem were we to bike, bus or walk to the Wedge en masse - I suggest "ABC" (Anything But Cars) patches for customers who arrive without a car that could be used as co-op coupons or donations to the Sustainable Transportation Project, or other organizations...Car dependence can be overcome with a little creativity and a lot of fun.

Thanks for your article on global warming. I've been studying it for 33 years, ever since a handful of scientists including Professor Dean Abrahamson from the U of MN warned about it way back then. My opinion is that Minnesota will be a "warm Nebraska" much sooner than 50 years from now. Another factor is the obsolete technologies such as the internal combustion engine are growing faster than the world's population. In Beijing the streets were once clogged with bicycles. Now they are clogged with automobiles. ...the nations of the world should be scrambling to build renewable energy technology that doesn't create greenhouse gases and when we should be taking emergency action to deploy a national and worldwide conservation program...

I am writing in response to your recent article about paper bags. I understand all your rationales for encouraging use of re-usable cloth, string, or plastic bags (made from recylced plastic). However, I prefer paper bags because I re-use them. Specifically, I store and deposit all of my recyclables into the Minneapolis recycling program in my used grocery bags. I also store all of my garbage and deposit it in my used grocery bags. I also purchase super large paper bags at garden centers for depositing excess yard waste. This means that I rarely purchase non-degradable plastic garbage bags or send them to land fills.