Twin Cities Streets for People

Not exactly local to the Twin Cities, but this Miami New Times article makes important points that are useful for thinking about conditions in our region. The story highlights the toll that South Florida's "incomplete streets" transportation framework takes on low income workers and others who depend on non-motorized transportation as their only mobility choice ("captive cyclists" with poor access to transit and no access to private motorized transportation). Read more >

The 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) will be celebrated Monday, July 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Nicollet Island Pavilion, 40 Power St., Minneapolis, MN. Read more >

From a Commuter Cycling Benefits study: The authors found that for the individuals who shift from car to bicycle, the benefits gained by increased physical activity were substantially larger (3 - 14 months of life gained) than the drawbacks of inhaled air pollution (0.8 - 40 days lost) and the increase in traffic accidents (5 – 9 days lost). Read more >

From the Chicago Department of Transportation - a new cycling safety video addressing the necessity of using lights when riding at night.

Here is a heavy-duty bike lane snow removal technique from Copenhagen, where the city prioritizes bike lanes and emergency routes for clearing before regular motorized vehicle streets (from Copenhagenize).

This is an 8 minute documentary film that acompanies a new book soon to be released in the United Kingdom, Beauty and the Bike.

The book charts the journey of the Darlington girls, as they discover the results for cyclists in the UK of transport policy failure. But they also get a glimpse of how it can - and will - be in the future, as the crises of climate change and obesity demand a radical rethink.

The "slow rollout" of the bike infrastructure continued recently as the city added lane markings to the Hennepin Avenue bike/bus/right-turn lanes. But just like the orange wands on 1st Avenue, it doesn't take a very long bike ride down Hennepin to see cars who don't understand the new rules. Depending on the traffic, it can be either very pleasant or very awkward toride down this lane. (I was buzzed by a red pickup that passed me heading down the street.)

What can the city do to make it obvious that this new Hennepin Avenue lane is not for regular traffic? Read more >

Well, at least the city is listening. They installed those familiar orange plastic wands sporadically along 1st Avenue, to try and better mark the limits of the bike-only zone.

 I went down there this week to see what it was like, and it didn't take me very long to find many cars parked way over the line. In fact, as I was taking a photo of one black SUV parked in the bike lane, another (even larger) black SUV started to park directly within the bike lane. 

I went up to the woman and informed her where the parking was, and she snipped back, "OK, you can go now." 

Clearly, the city hasn't quite reached the point where its self-evident to drivers where to park. They're improving, but at this point, 1st Avenue is still a half-baked bike lane.   Read more >

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.