Can my 67-year-old Mom bike in Downtown Mpls?
My mom drove up from southern MN for a national handbell conference, and is making a few trips between the downtown hotel and my Uptown home (1.7 miles one way). Whe she asked if I'd drive her down and drop her off (during rush hour), I pushed back and suggested we ride together on Nice Ride bikes. (Maybe I pushed back too hard?) She was pretty resistant.
At any rate, when she arrived last night, she was very gracious. (She's a gracious mom, and I tried to help with the offer of two chaperones and a 24-hour ride coupon. The beautiful weather and plenty of time helped, too.) We grabbed some Nice Rides, hopped on Bryant at Franklin, and tooled through Loring Park and the Loring Greenway to a couple blocks from the hotel. She registered, and we rode back.
The short answer? Yes, she can.
She seemed to enjoy the ride -- she rides plenty at home, and goes on an annual group bike vacation with friends -- but said she could never repeat that route on her own. While pleasant, it is a hard-to-follow route if you don't know your way. There are lots of turns, no signage, and the Loring Greenway is hard to find, especially on the park end. And she's never claimed she had a good sense of direction.
My other thought - what's with not having a curb cut on the Nicollet Mall end, forcing bikes to travel half a block on the sidewalk before an escape?
She drove herself to the hotel this morning, and won't be back for a few days. I hope we can repeat the trip (with a guide) Sunday morning and evening for the last day of the conference, though.
Story of advocacy around the new 26th Ave bike lanes
26th Avenue Bike Lane (Photo credit: Alex Tsatsoulis)
This is a guest post from Joshua Houdek, a Longfellow resident and Sierra Club organizer who bikes all over. Thanks Joshua for helping get bike lanes on 26th! The Bicycle Coalition provided just a little support and advice as he showed that one person can make a difference! If you have a street you want to make a difference on, let us know and we'll do what we can to help.
Sometimes All it Takes is Just Picking up the Phone
What’s Wrong Here?
26th Avenue South in Seward/Longfellow was resurfaced last summer. The road is super smooth and nice new bike lanes were striped south of the Midtown Greenway down to Minnehaha. But bike lanes on 26th Avenue north of the Greenway, connecting it to Franklin Avenue, were mysteriously missing. I scratched my head, thinking: “what’s wrong here?” So I contacted the friendly folks at the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition. They confirmed that 26th Avenue is on the Minneapolis Bicycle Plan Map to have on-street bicycle facilities, and Hennepin County has a Complete Streets Policy. There was no good explanation for the oversight.
“Quick” and Easy Fix
First, I found out who resurfaced the street by calling my city council member’s office. Who knew that 26th Avenue is actually County Road 48? So the County was my target. After a call and email to my county commissioner’s office, I was connected to the project engineer. Presto! Promises were made that it would get fixed this summer. Last week, it did. A shout-out to Hennepin County. Happy riding, Minneapolis bicyclists!
Moral of the Story: Be Aware, Take Action
Is there road construction on a street you ride (or would like to ride if it had better/safer bike facilities)? Is a street near you going to get resurfaced soon? Pick up the phone and drop an email. Sometimes it’s that easy. And remember, the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition is here to help!
