Traffic Report From the Westside
“The unofficial official traffic and commuting insider information.”
BY VERN NOWAKOWSKI WITH ART BY NATALIE WILLIAMS
Minneapolis is one of the most bizarre cities I’ve ever driven in, and I am saying this as a professional roadtripper. I have driven in my beat-up Toyota Highlander from coast to coast, and yet, all my strangest driving experiences have occurred within the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. So I thought: Why not give the new and old commuters in our great cities the traffic and transportation advice I have collected throughout my 5-6 years of driving here?
If you are completely new to Minnesota, or just winter in general, invest in a car cover. Trust me, you’re going to need it. There is nothing worse than waking up in the morning to see that ice has spread across the windshield of your car and having to spend 20 minutes scraping with the defroster blasting. Car covers are available on Amazon for $15, but if you’re on a budget, you can also get a long cheap blanket and shut the ends in the car doors while covering the windshield.
Keeping with the winter theme, have a winter gear pack in your car. Mine includes: granola bars, blankets, hats, gloves, chemical hand warmers, car tools, lighter fluid, a first aid kit, and sand. The sand helps melt the ice, though cat litter also works great. Black ice looks a lot like a regular road when it is dark out. This kit can be a lifesaver if you break down or crash during the winter.
Eventually, when January comes around, “the sun sickness” affects all drivers in the metro area. In the middle of winter, when the sun is at its brightest, many drivers will drive under the speed limit and randomly stop. So, if you have never driven in the metro area in January, be prepared for the “sun sickness.” Drive slow or have your insurance up to date.
Now, let’s move on to our traffic report. Guess what? Traffic is bad. Worse than bad. Just horrendous. But there are ways to get around it.
My major advice for driving commuters is: Don’t be afraid to take side streets all the way home. East River Road and West River Road can lead you to many places in the cities. West River Road is my go-to way to get back out West whenever there is bad weather affecting traffic. Don’t bother with I-94. She’s a mess.
If you take the bus, download Citymapper. It gives you the fastest and cheapest way to get home, as well as real time updates on train and bus schedules. It is a great app to have with a bus and train system as fickle as ours. Citymapper isn’t just useful for the Twin Cities either; it is my go-to app when visiting a new city.
Are you driving into our great cities for an event and have no clue where to park? Well I have just the app for you: BestParking. It gives you a map of parking ramps and lots in the metro area. It also includes the rates and prices for each.
If you have a parking contract with the University of Minnesota, remember that after 4:30 pm on weekdays and anytime on the weekends, you can park at any ramp for free! As a CFANS student, I have a St. Paul parking contract. If I am going to be on campus late, it is so much easier to move my car to East Bank than to have to take the Campus Connecter back late at night.
All in all, whether you are walking, bussing, driving, or biking; I hope you enjoy our beautiful cities for what they are. I hope my advice and expertise helps you in some way. And stay safe with the upcoming cold weather and related winter traffic!