Bike crashes occur for many reasons, from drivers opening car doors without care to cyclists getting caught in the rain during their commute, resulting in a crash due to low visibility and slick streets. Yet, those aren't the only variables at play in traffic crashes. Could your systems and infrastructure be to blame? 

Join us this Sunday, August 25th for Open Streets Franklin! Open Streets Minneapolis events are free events that temporarily close major thoroughfares to car traffic, opening them up for people walking, biking, rolling, and playing. Check out the Open Streets Franklin Facebook page or the event webpage for more details. Here are the things that I am most excited to see at Open Streets Franklin!

The Downtown Protected Bikeways work group would like to thank the City of Minneapolis Public Works employees that recently restored the bollards to 26th Street!

Up until a week ago, there were only thirteen plastic bollards designating the bike lane on 26th Street between Blaisdell and Lyndale as protected. On the eight block stretch of 26th Street between Lyndale and Hennepin, there was just a single bollard. Most of the missing bollards were accidentally taken out by last winter’s snowplowing, and had been missing since February. Many of our work group members had stopped riding on 26th Street as a result - 26th Street just didn’t feel protected at all any more.