The Twin Cities have bus, light rail transit, pedestrian, and passenger vehicle transportation facilities. With the North Star line we will add commuter rail. But what about those trips that are too short to drive but too far to walk (i.e. the 8 blocks going from a loft in the Minneapolis warehouse district to the Lunds grocery store over the river)? We have a horse drawn carriage and Segway tourist company that both work the St. Anthony Main area during nice weather, but they are priced to be an experience not a mode of transportation. We also have taxis, but it seems silly to call a cab for that short distance.
Raleigh, NC has the Raleigh Rickshaw Co. serving its downtown area. Is this the next big thing for Minneapolis or St. Paul? Maybe we’ll get rid of buses on Nicollet Mall and convert it to a rickshaw corridor.
Your blocks are too long. See the chapter in _Death and Life_ about the necessity of small blocks.
Minneapolis’ blocks are rectangles, not squares.
So your 8 blocks (ride a bike or walk) are really the equivalent of 16 blocks in a city like Washington or New York City’s Manhattan.