safe routes
New precedent: walking and biking schools
A new elementary school in Canada requires its students to walk, bike, skate or scoot to school. The program addresses issues ranging from child obesity to traffic congestion.
Is Minneapolis going to put in more bad "bike lanes" on Central Avenue?
A few weeks ago, Lisa brought up a point about the city's new Central Avenue bike plan. The plan looks great for the northern part of the street, from Spring Street north all the way up Central Avenue.
But at the most important part of the plan, the stretch through the busy, dense, and commercial district around Hennepin and University Avenues, the city is proposing a "shared bike and through lane" that would be even less safe than the current awkward arrangement on Hennepin Avenue.
What do you think should happen here? I've one suggestion after the jump. Read more >
LRT night ride
In response to Metro Transits claim the LRT is safe and well-lit. I took this tonight ~ 7:30PM to prove how unlit and dark this area is.
Help Complete the Streets along the Central Corridor
Earlier this month the City of St. Paul released a new draft of the Bike Walk Central Corridor Action Plan. There’s a lot to like in the draft, which lays out an attainable plan that will help direct the transformation of a major corridor at the heart of our cities.
A lot of plans like this come and go without much impact, something we all know too well, but it looks like this action plan is different. It has already helped direct funding to improve biking and walking in the corridor.
That’s why it’s so important for Complete Streets advocates to comment on the draft and make sure the plan is as robust as possible. St. Paul will present a revised plan to the City Council in late November and this is a critical time for our voices to be heard. So read the report, and then tell St. Paul what you think. Comments go directly to Emily Goodman, who works for the City of St. Paul.
Some thoughts on the plan after the break Read more >
Join a Discussion about Biking in the Twin Cities on MPR!
Add your thoughts to today's question on MPR -- "Recent changes to traffic flow on Hennepin and First Avenues in downtown Minneapolis have also moved bike lanes close to the curb. Planners hope a parking lane that separates bicycles from traffic will offer bikers some protection. What change would be most effective in helping cars and bikes share the road?" Read more >
Minneapolis Proposes Improved Plans for Central Avenue
The City of Minneapolis presented vastly improved plans for adding bicycle facilities to Central Avenue NE at a public meeting last night. The proposals divide the corridor into four portions, based on exisiting conditions. Bicycle lanes are proposed for two of the segments and shared lanes are proposed for the other two segments. The proposals are all a huge improvement over the existing conditions, but it is the most southern portion of the corridor, south of 8th Street SE, where the current proposals do the least to improve cyclist safety and comfort. You can send comments in support of this project to the Minneapolis DPW (see the project page for contact info) and include any ideas you have for improvement. Read more >
Update on Minnesota Complete Streets Coalition
Last week, Twin Cities Streets for People officially joined the newly formed Minnesota Complete Streets Coalition. Below is an update on the Coalition's start. I hope that you will join us! Read more >
Minneapolis' One Way Street Pairings
There's a nice article in today's Star Tribune about the possibility of turning Park and Portland Avenues back into two-way streets in South Minneapolis. the piece suggests the need for a balance between "accessibility and liveability", and points out some of the history of the street. But, to my mind, it doesn't put enough on the table.
Central Avenue Facilities, Minneapolis Bike Plan Discussed at Today's BAC Meeting
Today's Minneapolis Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting included the following topics (details in the full post)...
- review of preliminary ideas for bicycle facilities on Central Avenue NE
- announcement of upcoming Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota events
- citizen complaint about horse manure in bike lanes
- potential to reconfigure the structure of the Bicycle Advisory Committee
- announcement that Bicycle Design Guidelines will be presented next month Read more >
Another Twin Cities pedestrian killed
Another Twin Cities streets fatality, as a woman was killed by the driver of a garbage truck while walking her dog near a park in downtown Saint Paul this morning. This crash continues a deadly summer trend, with an elderly woman killed by an ambulance earlier this week, a man killed by a car while waiting for the bus earlier this month, and a cyclist and pedestrian killed along Park Avenue last month. Read more >
(Please click on a comment to go to the full post to which it refers)