Many Metro Transit employees are committed to sustainable transportation, riding the bus or train, biking or walking to work and other destinations across the region.
These “How We Roll” profiles illustrate how much we have in common with our customers when it comes to how we get around. See you out there!
Glenn Gilbert - Business Systems Manager
How do you get to work?
I commute exclusively by transit. I usually take Route 61 to downtown Minneapolis, then walk to Heywood, stopping for coffee on the way. If I miss the 61, I walk to the A Line and transfer to the Green Line. When I lived in Blaine I walked to the Paul Parkway Park & Ride and took Route 865.
Why do you choose to commute sustainably?
First, I don’t see how any of us could ever understand what our customers experience without being a customer ourselves. I didn’t appreciate the value of real-time signs and NexTrip until I started waiting on the sidewalk just hoping a bus was on the way.
Because I combine walking with my riding, I’m able to put some physical activity into my daily routine and that’s the most reliable way for me to exercise. I also enjoy reading, listening to podcasts, or drowsily watching the world go by while we travel.
There is also something about moving around on foot that feels very free. I’m more present with people and places, I experience the neighborhoods at a more deliberate pace, and I’m very aware of the weather. Plus, I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of watching the early morning sun light up the river and the towers downtown.
How do you use sustainable modes outside of commuting?
My wife and I moved from Blaine to Falcon Heights last winter and the transit access let us sell a vehicle and become a one-car family. I take the bus to go shopping at Cub, Target, Har Mar, Rosedale, etc. When we go to baseball games, music or pubs we always walk and use transit because we don’t have to hassle with parking and we don’t risk a DWI.
Sometimes everyone on the bus or train is in their own little world, and sometimes I wish certain people would shut up or get off, but every once in a while there are moments with a real sense of shared community. I’ve seen people immediately surround and care for someone who fainted, and I’ve laughed along with everyone else when a little kid said something funny. It’s a good reminder that we’re all in this world together.