Where’s the space for community input on Minnehaha Avenue reconstruction? Part one: Bikes

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Next year, Hennepin County will begin a two-year long reconstruction project on Minnehaha Avenue for the approximately 2.2 mile stretch from 46th Street South to Lake Street. Many members of the community have strong opinions about what Minnehaha should look like moving into the future, but uncertainty about details and about when and how to provide feedback are leaving some not sure that they can make their voices heard.This is one of three articles on the Minnehaha reconstruction project. This article focuses on bicycle issues, and the second article focuses on business concerns. The third article is Minnehaha Avenue reconstruction: What we know, what we don’t knowKey decisions that will shape Minnehaha Avenue for years to come have already been made, though a larger community-wide meeting has not yet been scheduled. Members of the community are worried that the lack of significant resident engagement at critical points in the project’s development will leave many out of the conversation.How To Get InvolvedIf you have input on the project, you may call or email Hennepin County Project Manager Kristy Morter at  612-596-0384. or kristy.morter@co.hennepin.mn.us. Continue Reading

Twin Cities Greenways with Dacia Durham and Matthew Hendricks

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The podcast this week is a conversation with Dacia Durham and Matthew Hendricks, leaders of the Twin Cities Greenways project on Minneapolis’s North Side. The Greenways initiative is aiming to build a series of greeways, or pedestrian and bicycle streets through Minneapolis and Saint Paul, that would give people transportation options similar to the successful Midtown Greenway in South Minneapolis. They are currently working on building support for a north-south greenway through the city’s North Side, along Irving and Humbolt Avenues, that would connect the north side to downtown Minneapolis. Dacia, Matthew, and I sat down a few weeks ago at the MacPhail Center for the Performing Arts during the last snowstorm of the year to talk about what a greenway looks like, where the idea came from, and how the community engagement process has been going. Continue Reading

A bike route runs through it: U.S. Bike Route 45

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This summer, signs will go up along the Mississippi River Trail announcing it’s newest designation – U.S. Bike Route 45. The nearly 3,000 mile interstate route begins at the headwaters of the Mississippi River in Itasca and ends at the Gulf of Mexico. According to maps from the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the route will run right through our backyard – just head down to the bike trail that runs along West River Parkway.

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COMMUNITY VOICES | Open Saint Paul: What concerns do you have about riding a bicycle in Saint Paul? Where would you like to ride a bicycle, but currently do not because of safety concerns?

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The City of Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan establishes a goal to increase the number of people using bicycles to travel around the city. To help accomplish this goal, the City is developing a Bicycle Master Plan to guide the development of a safe, effective, and well-connected network of bicycle facilitites, programs, and policies to encourage and facilitate bicycle transportation and recreation.

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COMMUNITY VOICES | Open Saint Paul: What is your vision for bicycling in the City of Saint Paul? What key objectives should the Citywide Bicycle Master Plan accomplish?

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The City of Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan establishes a goal to increase the number of people using bicycles to travel around the city. To help accomplish this goal, the City is developing a Bicycle Master Plan to guide the development of a safe, effective, and well-connected network of bicycle facilities, programs, and policies to encourage and facilitate bicycle transportation and recreation.

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REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK | Biking on Minnehaha — where’s the community input on reconstruction?

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Minnehaha reconstruction — is there really an opportunity for meaningful community input?  As I work on this story, I am finding that businesses and residents have minimal information, if any, on the extensive two-year reconstruction project. Two options are available for the street – cycle tracks or bike lanes – both of which will have a dramatic impact on the area for thirty plus years. Without information or opportunity for community dialogue, residents and businesses appear to not have the tools they need to have a meaningful voice in the project.   County reps said that they have had numerous community meetings through the Longfellow Community Council and the Longfellow Business Association as well as meetings with concerned individuals. Continue Reading

Minneapolis summit promotes bike safety

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Minneapolis bike leaders gathered Monday at the Commons Hotel near the University of Minnesota to show off strides the city has taken to promote bicycling, as well as to hear from representatives from across the nation on ways to improve safety.The second annual Midwest Regional Bicycle Safety Summit, hosted by the U.S. Department of Transportation, included panels on bicycling education, planning and how to increase the number of people biking.Monday’s summit came as Minnesota legislators are considering giving bicyclists more rights on the road.Many conference attendees took to the streets on Nice Ride bikes for a roughly 3-mile bike tour of Minneapolis, which included popular bike routes in the University area like the Washington Avenue Bridge and 15th Avenue Southeast.Last week, the state Senate passed a bill banning cars from using bike lanes to pass other cars and requiring drivers to use turn signals when crossing bike lanes. The bill also prohibits cars from parking in bike lanes unless signs say otherwise.Republican legislators unsuccessfully tried to put a brake on the bike lane parking ban, leading to tensions between Minneapolis and the rest of the state, the Star Tribune reported.But many in the city and state say bicycling is worth investing in and that the summit was an opportunity for Minnesota — and Minneapolis in particular — to show off the work it’s put into bicycling, said Minneapolis City Councilman Cam Gordon, who attended some of the panels.Mark Hicks, a board member from Bike Walk Tennessee who works as an airline pilot, said he chose to live part time in Minneapolis because of its pro-bicycling reputation. He said the summit drew some of the premier experts on bicycling safety.“It’s motivational to hear the safety thoughts of the experts from around the country,” he said.With a wide range of attendees, Gordon said the summit gave people from all sides of the bicycling community a chance to learn from each other.“It gives us a chance to learn what’s going on in other areas,” he said, “and what people think about some of the decisions and questions we have about it.”One of the main themes of the summit was the idea that more bicyclists on the street leads to more safety. Drivers are more used to seeing them, and the bicyclists have strength in numbers. Bike Walk Twin Cities provided numbers to back up that assertion.Encouraging more people to bike is important for safety, said University alternative transportation manager Steve Sanders. Continue Reading