Word on the Streets

Volunteers needed, help plan our 2013 member celebration

Do you have a knack for planning fun parties?

If so, join us for a kick-off meeting next week to plan the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition's annual member party. This is a great opportunity to help shape a great soiree filled with food, drinks, and fun!

Details

-Date and Time:Tuesday, June 4, 2013, 5:30-7:00 pm

-Location: Common Roots, Common Room (2558 Lyndale Ave S)

-For more information contact: Lisa at [email protected] or 612-723-3977

We look forward to seeing you there!

posted by | May 29, 2013

Bikeways for Everyone Monthly Meeting Recap

The Bikeways for Everyone Work Group had our monthly meeting last Monday, May 20th, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at Bryant Square Park. Here is a brief summary of the meeting's discussions:

1. Washington Ave Project Update

As followers of the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition blog are well aware, Hennepin County is currently in the planning stages of a major redesign of Washington Avenue in downtown Minneapolis, and we have been strongly advocating for a well designed cycletrack (protected bikeway) to be included in these plans. See this blog post for a recap of the public meeting, and this post for more details on our position. The survey is still open if you'd like to share your vision for Wash Ave with the county.

2. Minnehaha Ave Project Update

Minnehaha Ave is currently the second major focus of the Bikeways for Everyone campaign. We are advocating for a well designed cycletrack on Minnehaha Ave, which the county is also planning to redesign from Lake St to 46th St. While county’s current plans include only a painted bike lane, we believe that this would mean that Minnehaha Ave would remain accessible as a bike corridor only to experienced, adult cyclists. A protected bike lane would allow people of all ages and abilities to cycle safely on this street. See Janne’s great blog post for more ideas on Minnehaha.

We are working hard to educate businesses and residents along Minnehaha about the benefits of protected bike lanes, because strong community demand for protected bike lanes would cause the County to reconsider their plans. Stay tuned for more information about an upcoming community meeting.

3. Open Streets Pop Up Cycle Track Planning

Chrissy has been hard at work planning an exciting new feature at the upcoming open streets events. We will be creating a temporary, or “pop up,” cycletracks (protected bikeways) in the street which will allow everyone to see and experience what it would be like to have a cycletrack in your neighborhood (and will also clear up some confusion about what a cycletrack actually is!). We are working on the best ways to educate and engage the public at this event, such as photo booths, interactive maps, and loaner bikes for people to use to try out the cycletrack.

3. North Minneapolis Greenway

Progress on the North Minneapolis Greenway has been stalled for the past month, as the City is waiting for the results of a Blue Cross Blue Shield grant. We will know more next month about the best ways to support this great initiative, which would create a north/south corridor of bike paths and green space in North Minneapolis along Humbolt and Irving.

4. Logo and Website Updates

Grant informed us that the Bikeways for Everyone logo and website is almost ready to go! Look out for some exciting new branding of this campaign, and shoot us an email if you have any cycletrack pictures or artwork that you think belong on the website.

Those were the major topics discussed at this month's meeting.

As always, feel free to contact us if you are interested in learning more about any of our initiatives or volunteering with us! This committee meets on the third Monday of each month. Happy spring!

posted by | May 29, 2013

What' the Bicycle Advisory Committee up to?

The Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC) met at 4:00 on Wednesday, May 22nd in room 333 of Minneapolis City Hall. The BAC is a group that advises the mayor, city council, and the park board on how to encourage and accomodate cycling in Minneapolis. It includes an appointed member from each of Minneapolis's thirteen wards, and members from various city and cycling-advocacy organizations. In this month's meeting, the committee discussed cycle tracks, legislation on transit and bicycles, and upcoming events for cyclists and pedestrians.

Cycle tracks (a.k.a. protected bikeways)

The Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition supports cycle tracks on Washington and Minnehaha Avenues, and so does the BAC. Lisa Peterson Bender presented a memo addressed to County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin listing the benefits of cycle tracks generally, and how they could improve Minnehaha Avenue specifically. The memo enumerates studies from the University of British Columbia and Harvard that suggest cycle tracks result in more riders and fewer injuries. A narrower Minnehaha Avenue would mean less speeding and fewer accidents among motorists and a shorter crossing distance for pedestrians, as well. The memo also refers to a study by the NY DOT showing that cycle tracks are good for local businesses. The coalition voted to approve the memo to Commissioner McLaughlin, and to urge him to give due weight to the proven benefits of cycle tracks to cyclists, pedestrians, and the local economy in the deliberations over Minnehaha's redesign.

The Washington Avenue public meeting took place last month, where the county unveiled four options for the rebuilding of the street from Hennepin Avenue to Fifth Avenue. All four of the county's proposals allot six lanes of traffic to motorists from Hennepin to Third, and a liaison from the county said the county is unlikely to seriously consider a fifth proposal, which would remove one lane of westbound traffic along those three blocks to limit the thoroughfare to five lanes throughout. Several committee members spoke in support of a five-lane configuration.

Elsewhere, analysts have criticized the analysis forecasting a .5% annual increase in traffic for the next 22 years, but the committee respected the work done by Hennepin County engineers and their contractors. Suppose that the traffic predictions for 2035 are accurate, and removing the third lane of westbound traffic would slow down future commuters by 90-180 seconds in the evenings of 2035. The county needs to weigh this cost against the benefits that would flow from using the eleven feet of public space to improve the lives of cyclists and pedestrians.

Ethan Fawley explained that with eleven more feet to play with, there could be two buffers; one separating the pedestrians from the cyclists, and one separating the cyclists from cars. This would provide a welcoming environment for children, elders, new cyclists, and sight-impaired pedestrians to safely and confidently move about the booming Mill District neighborhood. Ethan argued, and many other committee members agreed, that the immediate and continuous improvement in the quality of life for pedestrians, cyclists, and local businesses outweighs the cost of removing the sixth lane of traffic.

For more commentary on the county's traffic analysis and its implicit policy principles, read this series of posts by Brendon Slotterbeck, Bill Lindeke, and David Levinson at Streets.mn and Janne's post on the coalition's blog.

Updates on legislation

Ethan reported that the transportation funding bill supported by Transit for a Stronger Economy, which would've raised millions per year for bicycle and pedestrian projects through a raised sales tax, was not passed. On the bright side, the bill that passed secured funding for Safe Routes to School in the amount of $250,000 per year. A bill approved by the Senate and House conference committees would make cycling safer and easier in Minnesota by legalizing cargo bikes and fixed-gear bikes, and prohibiting parking in bike lanes.

Upcoming events for cyclists and pedestrians

There are four Open Streets events happening this summer. The first will open Lyndale Avenue South to non-motorized transportation on June 23rd. Kevin Kalligher, the coalition's volunteer coordinator, is looking for people to help make the event a success, so send him an e-mail if you're interested.

Bike Walk Week will take place from June 9th to the 15th, with a special celebratory event occurring on Thursday of that week. The city of Minneapolis will have an event at the Hennepin County Government Center, with an appearance by Mayor Rybak, and the giving away of lights, Civia bikes, and other prizes. There will also be food trucks and free lessons in safe riding.

Here's a list of the upcoming BAC meetings:

Thursday, June 13th: Education, Encouragement, and Enforcement Subcommittee

Tuesday, June 18th: Engineering Subcommittee

Wednesday, June 19th: Executive Committee

Wednesday, June 26th: Whole Committee

If you're interested in attending any of these meetings, send Shaun Murphy an e-mail to confirm the time and location.

posted by | May 26, 2013