Hennepin and First Avenue "Bike Facilities" Disappoint

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The soft rollout of the Hennepin and First Avenue bike facilities this week demonstrate how far we have to go to make Minneapolis safer and more inviting for cyclists, especially cyclists who aren't comfortable navigating in the middle of traffic.  In the short term, the "soft" rollout, with no lane markings and no enforcement, is leaving cyclists to fend for themselves in dangerous conditions, with no real alternative routes into downtown.  In the long term, the facilities fall far short of prioritizing cycling, and demonstrate what happens when cyclists are relegated to the least priority when planning our streets.

"Soft" rollouts do not work for vulnerable road users.  While the streets have been striped, there are no lane markings, and there has been no enforcement of cars driving in the Hennepin Avenue lane or parking in the First Avenue lane. The permanent condition on either street is not likely to be much better, because space for bicycles was squeezed into the least possible amount of space.

This is particularly disappointing on First Avenue, where the City used an innovative protected bike lane treatment that has only been used in two other US cities -- New York and, recently, Portland.  In both New York and Portland, the protected lanes are wider, and have a large striped buffer between parked cars and the curb.  On First Avenue, there is only 4 feet between the parked cars and the gutter (and 2 more feet of gutter).  If someone opens a car door into the lane, the cyclist has no where to go but into the door.

On Hennepin Avenue, the bike/bus lane could improve with more enforcement.  But even then, it is not going to be a facility that many people feel comfortable riding in.  The lanes are wide in some areas, but narrow down so significantly that there is very little space between you, the car to your left and the bus to your right.  Particularly in rainy or wet conditions, like Monday's, the result is pretty terrifying.