Word on the Streets

Open Streets coming to proposed route of North Minneapolis Greenway!

Open Streets Minneapolis is coming to the proposed route of the North Minneapolis Greenway in May! The event will be a special way for residents and other community members to experience some of what a Greenway could be along Humboldt and Irving while giving a chance to collect feedback and build momentum for it being built.

There will be temporary "pop-up" elements as part of the day, including pop-up park, basketball court, trail, and maybe playground. Photo at right shows a pop-up park in Chicago (credit: Christy Prahl)

The Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition is working with many North Minneapolis partners to host the event.

How you can help

If you would like to help with the planning of the event, email [email protected] or you can attend one of the upcoming North Minneapolis Greenway Open Streets Work Group meetings:

WHAT:

North Minneapolis Greenway Open Streets Work Group

WHERE:

Cleveland Neighborhood Association (southside of Lucy Laney school),

3333 Penn Ave N., Mpls, MN 55412

WHEN: Thursdays, twice a month, only on even-numbered dates

Feb. 6 @ 5:30pm

Feb. 20 @ 5:30pm

Mar. 6 @ 5:30pm

Mar. 20 @ 5:30pm

Apr. 10 @ 5:30pm

Apr. 24 @ 5:30pm

May 8 @ 5:30pm

May 22 @ 5:30pm

posted by | February 06, 2014

Mpls Bike Week: Event Ideas Wanted

Come Brainstorm Event Ideas for Minneapolis Bike Week 2014!

The Minneapolis Bike Week Planning Group is looking for volunteers to join us in brainstorming event and activity ideas for Bike Week at our upcoming monthly meeting. New in 2014, Minneapolis Bike Week is a weeklong series of events and activities promoting all types of bicycling with a focus on encouraging those who do not normally ride to give it a try. (Check out the blog post Introducing: Minneapolis Bike Week [http://mplsbike.org/blog/posts/minneapolis-bike-week/] for more background on Bike Week.)

Have a great idea for an event or activity? Want to give feedback and input on event ideas? Have an interest in organizing awesome events? We need volunteers to do all of these things! This is a perfect opportunity to share that genius method of engagement you thought up in the shower one day but totally forgot about until right now. We have a lot of freedom to shape Bike Week, and your input would be greatly appreciated.

Anyone and everyone interested in shaping this new event (no previous volunteer experience necessary) is encouraged to attend the next Minneapolis Bike Week Planning Group:

Minneapolis Bike Week Planning Group Monthly Meeting

Thursday, February 6, 6 - 7:30 p.m.

Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition

1428 Washington Avenue South, Suite 204

Minneapolis, MN 55454

Contact Nick Ray with any questions:

Nick Ray

Minneapolis Bike Week Coordinator

[email protected]

612.968.0722

posted by | February 04, 2014

The sad safety reality of Franklin Avenue

Like many, I awoke today with the tragic news that Marcus Nalls, who moved here recently from Atlanta and was a regular bicyclist, was killed while biking on Franklin Avenue last night. My thoughts are with his family and friends. No one should ever have to go through what they are today. If it is valuable for Mr. Nalls's family, we will host or support an event in the coming days or do anything else we can to support them.

Having biked Franklin more than a thousand times, it struck a close nerve for me personally. Like many others today, I can't help but know that this could have been me. Marcus, 26, was wearing lights and was unfortunately in the path of a reportedly drunk person who should never have been driving.

While this was clearly a case of a drunk driver, the sad reality is that Franklin Avenue has a long history of safety problems that have received too little attention. The unacceptable details are laid out in a recently completed Franklin Avenue report for Bike Walk Twin Cities and in the City's bicycle crash report from last year:

There were 205 car-bike crashes on Franklin Avenue between 2000 and 2010--more than one per month--second most of any corridor in the City (Lake Street was slightly worse).

Franklin is the busiest bike street in the city (and likely the state) without a bike lane or path with an estimated 760 bicyclists per day.

Franklin has 2.5 times the "critical" crash rate for everyone--people driving, walking, or biking--placing it as one of the least safe Hennepin County streets.

While bicycling overall has been getting safer in Minneapolis, it has been getting less safe on Franklin.

The Bike Walk Twin Cities report offers three potential improvements in this section of Franklin that could be implemented with just paint and community will. It says there is "potentially consensus" for "considering implementation of a road diet" in this section.

In light of yet another bicycle fatality related to drunk driving, I hope there will be more work done there. And in light of another crash on Franklin Avenue, I hope that Hennepin County and the City of Minneapolis will move past a consensus for considering and actually make some improvements now. Longer term, it certainly seems a protected bike lane would be valuable on Franklin. I don't want to have another Franklin crash where we have to ask: "what if there were bike lanes?" It's not fair to anyone who has been hit or rides on Franklin.

Franklin Avenue near Park Avenue, about a mile from the recent tragedy at Garfield. Narrow sidewalks, no bike lanes, and no left-turn lanes make this a problematic street.

posted by | February 04, 2014