This past Monday the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition, Hope Community, and elected officials came together to celebrate the bicycling improvements made on Park and Portland Avenues. The event was held at Peavey Park at the corner of Park and Franklin, a busy intersection made safer by the widened bike lanes and the change from 3 to 2 lanes south of Franklin. A perfect place to come together for a ribbon-cutting ceremony!

Around 30 people came out (most by bike) which was fantastic for 8 AM on a cloudy Monday morning. There was great conversation, coffee and donuts, and a lot of enthusiasm for the event. At 8:30 we had brief speeches about why we were celebrating.

• 
  Ethan (Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition) began by thanking everyone who helped make this project happen and introduced the speakers.


• 
  Council Member Robert Lilligren (who arrived by bike), Council Member Elizabeth Glidden, and Will Delaney from Hope Community all discussed the importance of the improvements and what this does for the community.


• 
  Commissioner McLaughlin talked about the importance of elected officials in getting projects like this done and brought everyone together to cut the ribbon with cheers from the crowd.

Overall, it was a great event and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. We celebrate successes with events like this to keep up the momentum for future bicycling projects. Look for more events like this as we continue to see new infrastructure and safety improvements unfold.

Pictured below:

Will Delaney from Hope Community was active in the advocacy efforts for the project and spoke about the project during the ceremony.

Ethan Fawley and Minneapolis Council Member Elizabeth Glidden

City Council Member Robert Lilligren making remarks

Hennepin County Commissioner Peter Mclaughlin

Coalition volunteers Molly and Nicole

>