This skyway sign above 5th Street has since been removed.
The St. Paul skyway system has generated its own discussion among the downtown community in the last year, particularly after last year’s arrest incident. Debate over what human behavior was acceptable in the skyway system, versus when law enforcement efforts were going too far was predictable. The role of the skyway has generated even more attention lately, what with plummeting temperatures and the new stair access connecting the Metro Green Line Central Station to the skyway. Also noteworthy: The city is facing a lawsuit from last year’s skyway arrest.
Controversy surrounding the regulation of activity in the skyway is nothing new. Back in the early 1990s, the issues of skyway safety and police presence were frequently in the news. Reports of criminal incidents were frequent, as were charges of race-biased policing. Clearly those were stormy times for the skyway system, yet it also played a key role in downtown St. Paul’s preservation, and perhaps its recent renaissance. The now-active St. Paul Athletic Club once faced demolition, but its skyway role likely saved it from the wrecking ball. At one time the project of connecting the historic Union Depot to the skyway system by way of TPT was feared to be a “skyway to nowhere”– hard to imagine now that the Depot is an active and vital transportation hub.
As a publicly owned amenity, the St. Paul skyway is governed by St. Paul Ordinance 140. Some of the prohibited listed acts include (but are not limited to) littering, sitting on floors or steps, and playing audible music. Citizens can keep abreast of St. Paul skyway issues and express their opinions through the Skyway Governance Advisory Committee of the Capitol River Council. This is an advisory body to the City of Saint Paul and the City Council on issues and policies of the downtown Saint Paul skyway system “including but not limited to its design, signage, and hours of operation, in an effort to uphold the skyway system’s purpose to enable safe pedestrian traffic while also contributing to the economic viability and aesthetic and cultural enrichment of the city as a focus of activity in the downtown area.” Meetings are free and open to the public.
