Protected Bikeway Posts

The Downtown Bikeways work group has been talking to people that live, work, go to school, eat, or recreate along the corridor that connects downtown with Loring Heights, Stevens Square, Whittier, and neighborhoods to the south. One person that we spoke with is Mike Becker, who lives along the corridor.

This post was originally published on streets.mn. 

I’m on a workgroup through Our Streets Minneapolis, and I’m asking you to show your support for safer bikeways through downtown, specifically on 9th and 10th streets. These streets were added to the Bicycle Master Plan back in 2016, but there is currently no plan or schedule for improvement.

The Downtown Bikeways work group is still going strong and excited about upcoming projects! Our September meeting was productive, beginning with introductions and a conversation about what each of us has to offer the group. (Catch up on what we did in August here.) We then divided into our work groups and spent the majority of the time planning. Here's what each group discussed:

This report was drafted by Alyssa Kohn.

Our August 6 meeting was high-energy, not very August at all. 

Reprise: What are we trying to do?

The Downtown Bikeways group goal is to showcase the demand for completing the city's protected bikeway network. We need to connect existing bikeways to one another and to create a fluid network in and out of downtown Minneapolis safe for all types of bike riders. We're focused on two corridors, 9th and 10th Streets going east and west across southern downtown, and LaSalle/Blaisdell and 1st connecting downtown to the heavily car-free neighborhood of Whittier to the south. They are on the city’s bikeway plan. We are demonstrating these are needed sooner than later and to spur action for implementing them.

This map (by Jess) shows the motley bike design that exists on the LaSalle/Blaisdell and 1st today. 

Red=No cyclist accommodation

Orange=Sharrows or a bike lane

Yellow=A buffered bike lane without bollards

Light Green=Bollard-protected bike lane

Dark Green=Off street trail

The new protected bike lanes on Washington Avenue have the potential to be great, but poor bicycle signals are making it confusing and less safe for everyone. 

Our Streets Minneapolis is actively working to support and improve the Comprehensive Plan, Minneapolis 2040. As someone who supports our work, we ask that YOU provide your comments on the plan, either at a Comprehensive Plan Comment Party, or online.

The deadline is coming up soon, on Sunday, July 22nd, so it’s time to type.

We’ve got detailed instructions on how to comment, tips on what you might want to suggest, and some writing from other progressive groups if you want more context or wonkery.

Parties are scheduled for 6:30-8 on Wednesday, July 18th in Northeast and 4:30-6:15 on Sunday, July 22 in Seward on (more details below). Parties are fun… and sometimes life or introversion gets in the way of attending. Here’s a guide to how to comment from home, or the bus, or while waiting for a friend.

Deadline: Sunday, July 22

On July 9, the Downtown Bikeways volunteer workgroup came together again to show the City of Minneapolis how much support there is for safer biking in downtown. Over the last month, we’ve made great strides toward showing finding that interest in residents and visitors of downtown Minneapolis. (Check out our June update here.) Read on to learn about the interest we’re creating and how we’re going to use it to get protected bikeways on 9th/10th St and LaSalle/1st Ave.

Our Streets Minneapolis encourages members and supporters to weigh in on Minneapolis 2040. We are also commenting as an organization. We talked about why the Comprehensive Plan matters to Our Streets here, and we shared how it might affect you here.

People also want to know what our priorities are, so we’re sharing our top five issues here.

One: We support the goals and priorities shaping the plan and feel it needs to go further