St. Paul Posts New Anti-Loitering Signs In Skyways
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - People who walk through the downtown St. Paul skyway system are noticing some new signs posted on the walls.
The message: keep it moving.
"No loitering, stopping or eating in the hallways/skyways," the signs say. "No sitting/kneeling on floors or stairs."
A city ordinance is cited at the bottom of the signs, accompanied by the Metro Transit logo.
Downtown St. Paul has seen a lot of changes since the Green Line extension of the light-rail system opened over the summer.
Downtown workers who use the skyway regularly tell us that when the weather turned cold, sections of the skyway system became gathering spots for people waiting to catch the train.
Who knew the hot new place to hang out in downtown St. Paul was the skyway system?
We found some downtown workers who pass through here frequently eager to talk about problems with crowds.
Colleen Holm walks through the skyway every day.
"It's cold out," she said. "Would you want to be standing outside when it's 10 below? No. So they are congregating here. They are having lunch here. They are hanging out here. They are destroying what's going on around the windows."
There were a cluster of the signs in a section of the skyway owned by Metro Transit, above the new Central Station at 5th and Cedar streets.
A spokesperson for Metro Transit Police said they put up six signs on Wednesday, as a reminder of proper skyway behavior and as a result of complaints they've received from the public.
"They need a better presence," Holm said. "I don't know, maybe trash cans. Some days here it is just disgusting."
We found people who appeared to be looking out the window and waiting for an approaching train or bus.
That's exactly what Ali Anderson told us she was doing.
"I'm going to tell you it's a lot easier to be indoors," Anderson said. "I think that makes it harder on people because they are all trying to squish into one building, and it doesn't really make sense to stand out in the cold."
Metro Transit Police said that, with more people living in apartments and condos in downtown St. Paul now, there is more traffic through the skyways, and people are taking pride in their neighborhood.
They've raised concerns about the behavior of people in the skyways, so Metro Transit police are trying to help by putting up those signs.
As for enforcement, police said they will deal with it on a case-by-case basis.
Police will be approaching folks and asking questions.
They say they understand wanting to be inside where it's warm rather than outside when it cold.
But you have to be respectful of your surroundings.
