One of the ways we make Minneapolis a better place for folks to bike, walk, and roll is by engaging local communities in our advocacy work.

Our Current Advocacy Projects

Benchmarks

Our Streets Minneapolis created a set of benchmarks that center equity for all transportation projects. These benchmarks include policies around housing, disability rights, racial justice, universal design, and public engagement, among other issue areas. We're organizing for all agencies involved in transportation decision-making affecting our region work together to adopt these benchmarks effective immediately.

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Bring Back 6th

Olson Memorial Highway is one of many urban highways that divides communities, pollutes the environment, and creates a hazardous environment for nearby residents. North Minneapolis deserves better. Our Streets Minneapolis and the Harrison Neighborhood Association are leading a campaign to address the harms of Olson Memorial Highway and reclaim the highway land to reconstruct 6th Avenue N.

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Twin Cities Boulevard

The Twin Cities Boulevard is a growing community vision to replace this section of I-94 with a multi-modal boulevard, return the surrounding land to neighborhoods and fulfill calls for reparative justice along the corridor. The Twin Cities Boulevard will create healthier air, much needed economic opportunity, and accessible, affordable, and sustainable transportation access to places all along the corridor.

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Hennepin Reconstruction

Public works released a recommended design for the Hennepin Ave S reconstruction including car traffic lanes in both directions with additional dedicated left-turn lanes, 24/7 dedicated bus lanes, wider sidewalks and improved crosswalks, a planted center median, and more. This City has yet to commit to the design and vital elements are at risk of being removed. We're organizing to get this project over the finish-line.

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Open Streets Minneapolis for All

We have collaborated with the City of Minneapolis for over a decade to host Open Streets Minneapolis events, some of the city’s largest and most beloved events. Rising participation costs and limited routes mean that some people are left out of the excitement. As the contractors of the event, we're asking the City for continued funding for Open Streets Minneapolis to make these events accessible to all.

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Walkable Winters

Minneapolis sidewalks are covered with snow and ice for a large part of the year. While our streets are cleared by the City or by the state department of transportation, individual property owners are responsible for clearing sidewalks. This leads to a dramatic fall in accessibility during the Winter, especially for people using mobility devices. We're pushing for a City-led sidewalk clearing along high priority pedestrian streets.

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County Streets for People

Today, many Hennepin County streets in Minneapolis do not reflect the needs and aspirations of those who live, work and play along them. These streets are designed to move cars through them as quickly as possible. This makes it more difficult to access destinations along them by foot, bike, rolling or transit. We are creating a movement to put people first on these County owned streets in Minneapolis.

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Whittier Lyndale Bikeway

In past years, Our Streets Minneapolis has advocated for and organized communities in support of the Whittier Lyndale Bikeway. The bikeway will create a much-needed connection for people who live, work and go to school in these communities. The City moved forward with the design, but as of today the bikeway remains unfinished and the overall street reconstruction has been delayed. We're organizing to get this bikeway back on track.

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Past projects & advocacy wins

Organized for a 4-3 conversion on County owned street Lyndale Ave S
Working with the City of Minneapolis to adopt a nation-leading Complete Streets Policy
Our Bikeways for Everyone campaign, which changed how folks in Minneapolis think about protected bikeways

Advocate for changes on a street near you

At Our Streets Minneapolis we work with our community to select strategic advocacy priorities where we are best suited to make the biggest impact. While we don’t have capacity to advocate for improvements on every street in the city, we work hard to get local policies in place that will help make sure city streets are better places to bike, walk, and roll.

If there is a street you’d like to change, we recommend getting started by taking these steps:

Figure out who owns the street. Most streets in Minneapolis are owned by the City. Yet some of the larger streets are owned by Hennepin County or the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). Use this map to locate the street you are interested in and find out who owns it. Blue streets are owned by Hennepin County. Streets marked with a number inside a white box are owned by MnDOT. All other streets are owned by the City.
See if there is an existing project planned for the street. If there is a current or future project planned for the street, you may be able to influence this project by providing feedback to the staff working on it, attending community meetings, or by contacting your elected officials. Follow these links to find City of Minneapolis street projects, Hennepin County projects, and MnDOT projects.
Contact your elected officials. Tell your elected officials about the problem you are having with the street, and how you would like it to change. Use these links to identify City Council Members and Hennepin County Commissioners. Check out these resources for tips on calling, writing, and setting up a meeting with your elected official. We also have a guide for social media advocacy you can use.
Tell your friends and neighbors. The more people who raise their voice about a street, the better. Share what you know with your friends and neighbors and encourage them to join you in your advocacy.